In Firm: Making The Smart Phone Decision

From the Nov. 2008 Issue

Cell phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) have come a long way in the last decade since most accounting firms adopted them for internal use. The convenience of being able to communicate from any place at any time and the ability to look up contacts and appointments fundamentally changed the way tax and accounting professionals and businesses worked. This is highlighted into today’s personal communication devices that combine both these capabilities, often referred to as smartphones.

While there is no specific definition of what a smartphone is, these devices expand the traditional communications and applications capabilities of cell phones to include real-time e-mail and contacts access, Internet browsing, access to Microsoft Office and other documents, as well as the ability to extend Internet access to the owner’s laptop through tethering. The difficulty today is in deciding the optimal device, platform and service for each firm to integrate into its current and future operations as the needs vary significantly from one firm to the next.

Decide on Primary Functionality
The first step should always be to decide what the primary functionality for the device will be from a firm-wide perspective, and there are usually two trains of thought focusing on either messaging or application functionality. In regards to real-time and secure messaging, Research in Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry has long been the standard for corporate America and most larger firms.

As well, those who prioritize real-time communications have also selected it over the past few years. In firms where access to contacts and calendars were the priority, the Palm OS (operating system) was traditionally selected. But with the advent of Exchange 2007, the trend has gone towards selecting the Microsoft Mobile platform that could push e-mail as well as other contact data out as effectively as the BlackBerry devices. With the Microsoft Mobile platform included within Exchange, the cost to entry has been lower for Microsoft, causing RIM to lower the cost of its entry BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Sever) to remain competitive. Due to Exchange’s lower cost and not requiring an additional server, many accounting firms have tended to select Microsoft Mobile.

Standardize on One Platform
Please note that firms should always strive to standardize on one platform for ease of use and support. If the firm has already installed a BlackBerry or GoodLink server, or implemented Exchange 2007 and is utilizing Microsoft Mobile, it is best to standardize on that one platform, rather than trying to support both. It is also important to standardize the setup of each smartphone to make sure all needed functionality is included from the start, such as the “viewing” programs that will allow attachments to be opened.

While Microsoft Mobile devices natively open Word and Excel files, this capability can be added to other devices with third-party products such as DataViz Documents To Go. Firms should also consider how other communications such as fax and voicemail are converted to the firm’s e-mail system and sent to the handheld device as there are also PDF viewers and WAV media converter tools so that the handheld device can open them.