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Why We Cooled Our Firewall
Xcentric is a technology company that strives to design, build and implement the best networks for accounting firms. These networks are comprised of multiple pieces of technology and we are constantly evaluating each component to ensure we are providing our clients with the best technology. This applies to all components from the data center down to the firewall.
For more than 10 years Xcentric has used an exceptional firewall- the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance 5505. This is a great device for several reasons, including Cisco’s heritage and the fact that it works and is configurable. However, for our clients, it was lacking a few essential features at the same price point. Our clients needed a single device with load balancing, improved throughput and antivirus support, and lower total cost of ownership. Continue reading »
Xcentric Cloud Online User Training
Xcentric Cloud Online User Training is now available on our Knowledge Base site!
The training is presented in 3 video modules and is designed for new hires, interns, seasonal employees, and anyone needing a refresher on using the Xcentric Cloud Network.
Here’s a quick overview:
Part 1: About the Xcentric Cloud Network
•What is Xcentric Cloud?
•What are the benefits of Xcentric Cloud?
•Terms you should know
•What changes should I expect?
Part 2: Accessing the Xcentric Cloud Network
•Logging in
•Launching applications
•Personalizing your account
•Transferring files
•Logging out
Part 3: Xcentric Cloud Network Tips and Assistance
•Postini
•Common issues
•Best practicies
•Getting help
•Maintenance windows
We hope you find the videos helpful in navigating and understanding the Xcentric Cloud Network.
Why your website should be more like Grant Thornton’s
You go to Grant Thornton’s (GT) website and are struck with the fact that they know stuff. There’s no escaping it. It’s as if they are saying, “Here it is, our knowledge, our expertise on display for you to read (or watch) and taste for yourself.”
This is a microcosm of the web to come. Where brochure-ware websites no longer reign supreme but where sites (along with content pushed from them) give a foretaste of the services that can be had once a relationship is entered into. Professional service firms must face the fact that decision makers will one day (how soon?) only want to get to know you based on what they already know about you. This, of course, means what they read and hear about you through other sources. The web will continue to act as an aggregator for such activity, and small and large firms alike will need to figure out how to play in this world. GT is but one example of a professional services firm who has aligned their site to match up with how people discover information.
Protecting Your Laptop— and the information in it
Laptop computers have proven to be effective business tools, allowing firm members to work in the office, at client sites or any location they choose at any time that is convenient to them. This accessibility comes, however, with the responsibility of protecting the device and, more importantly, the information that is available through it. Countless firms have experienced a laptop theft, many of which could have been prevented and the impact minimized through proactive education and security tools.
There are four approaches firms can take to prevent laptop theft and its impact:
1. Remote Access. The first step in protecting firm data is to minimize the amount of client data that is actually stored on the remote laptop and that could be exposed if it is lost or stolen. Larger firms with Citrix or Windows Terminal Servers allow remote users to do all work on the firm’s servers so that no data resides on the machine. This assumes the laptop has Internet connectivity, but with most clients providing Internet access and enhanced connectivity through today’s 3G and 4G digital cellular systems, most firms will get remote Internet access more than 90% of the time, which can eliminate the majority of the firm’s exposure. Smaller firms can opt to use remote access software such as Windows Remote Desktop, LogMeIn or GoToMyPC to connect to a workstation in their office to accomplish the same thing. Firms can also transition to “cloud” applications that are hosted entirely on the web. The benefit of using remote access is that IT personnel are responsible for backing up data instead of the accountant in the field. This also eliminates engagement binder check in/out, synchronization and field networking issues that auditors experience with engagement binders when working in the field on local workstations. Continue reading »
Tax Season Break from Blogging
My guess is that if you are reading this blog you know we serve CPA firms. My next guess is that you know it’s tax season. Thus, it will make sense that we are not blogging during tax season. We are focusing all our efforts on serving our clients during season. Check back come April 17th or so.
Holiday Gadget Wishlist 2011
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a few extra hundred hours in a year that you could create to bill clients? We can’t promise that Santa Claus will grant you that wish, but we do have some gadget suggestions that can make the upcoming tax season more comfortable.
Here are a few gadgets to consider:
DisplayLink Field Monitors – These portable USB displays will soon be a standard accessory outside the office. Not only is setup a breeze, they also give you additional digital workspace to view documents without adding additional bulk.
iPad2/Facetime – Simple isn’t always easy and Apple has made video conferencing accessible to everyone- and their grandparents, too! Even though Facetime is not the only game in town, the ability to quickly wave goodnight to your kids at 8pm on April 15th will be well worth the investment. Not to mention that any technical questions can be answered at the Apple genius bar.
Ergonomic Keyboard – 
An ergonomic keyboard can potentially save you years of pain in the future. Depending on your area of practice, an accountant can spend just as much time typing on a keyboard as they spend in bed. The Microsoft Natural keyboard is inexpensive and only takes a short time to get comfortable with. Continue reading »
CPE Discount through Western CPE
Xcentric now offers a 20% discount through Western CPE, a registered continuing professional education provider. By using the Xcentric discount code (R88J), you will receive 20% off all Western CPE programs through October 15, 2012.
Instructions:
To browse Western CPE’s inventory of CPE products, go to www.westerncpe.com and select a link in the navigation bar on the left side of the screen. To purchase a product, click “Add to Cart”. When you are ready to purchase CPE products, click “View Cart” in the row of tabs along the top of the screen. Click on the grey “Enter Promotion Code” button at the bottom of the screen. Type the given promo code, R88J, in the box and click “Apply”. A 20% discount will be applied to all purchases based on prevailing rates. Please note: Shipping is not eligible for the discount. Continue reading »
Xcentric Store Blowout
Missed the Black Friday sales for your firm?
No problem. Xcentric has extended its sale with reduced prices in conjunction with the best practice specifications for your CPA computer needs. We have made these deals available to you for year-end planning and are here to help make your computer purchasing easier.
Four Computer Fits for Administrative, Bookkeepers, Auditors and Partners:
For administrative staff we recommend the OptiPlex 790 desktop:
Sale Price: $879.00 (originally $899.00) *
• Windows 7 Professional, 4GB RAM
• Video card supports 4 monitors
• 8X DVD+/-RW
For bookkeepers and staff accountants we recommend the Latitude E6420 laptop:
Sale Price: $1,239.00 (originally $1,299.00) *
• Intel Core i5 Processor
• ExpressCharge™ battery charges 80% in one hour
• Docking station compatible Continue reading »
Ready, Set, Go! – - – Not Ready, Set, Procrastinate!
For many years, CPA firm consultants have jokingly described the decision-making style of CPA firm leaders as “Ready, Aim…Aim…..Aim…. Aim…” It seems like they rarely get to “Fire!”
True story. One practitioner told me, when I inquired about his partner group’s decision-making style, “Oh, we don’t make any. Honest, we just let things happen. That’s why I am talking to you!”
Here is how the story often goes inside many firms. You have a great idea or you hear one at a MAP meeting or conference. Perhaps you read about something you want to try in a newsletter . At the next partner meeting, you introduce the idea to your partners. Everyone seems to like it and you discuss it at great length. The decision is to do more research and put it on next month’s agenda. This is usually repeated for several months (even years). Continue reading »
Digital Administrative Capture
Most firms have done a good job of using paperless tools to streamline audit and tax production, and integrated workflow tools are doing an amazing job of managing our clients’ digital files once they are in the firm’s systems. But is your firm taking advantage of all of today’s digital capture technology? Regardless of what format information takes when it enters your firm, there are tools that can capture it in an electronic format so it can be fast-tracked into your paperless workflows, particularly in your administrative department, which is often behind when it comes to paperless technology. This article will look at a number of tools and processes to optimize your firm’s digital capture.
Business Cards- Often the first contact with a prospective client ends with the exchange of business cards with scribbled notes for follow up. If you have a stack of these cards, CardScan Executive scanners will capture all of this information quickly into Outlook or into many of the popular customer relationship programs with optical character recognition (OCR). If you carry a smart phone you can also take a picture of that business card and send it to administration for immediate processing. There are even smart phone applications (Android and Apple devices, for example) that will take that photograph and run OCR to capture the data much the way the card scanner does. Continue reading »