Technology
Who’s Who Among Technology Vendors Serving the Accounting Profession
Your Silent Partners
Dec. 01, 2008
From the April/May 2007 Issue
Whether your practice is a one-person shop, a multi-office full-service accounting
practice, a seasonal tax-only firm or somewhere in between, you have silent
partners that you may not even think about. They don’t share in profits
or receive a K-1, but the role they play is a critical component of your business,
from client engagements and service, to internal processes like practice management,
security and paperless document management.
These “Silent Partners” are your technology vendors, and while
they don’t participate in day-to-day decision making, they are crucial
to implementing those decisions, and you’d have a hard time getting by
without them. These vendors provide the tax compliance, payroll, client write-up,
engagement management, and data storage applications that are an essential component
of your productivity, your efficiency and your profitability, and they help
you present a professional and competent face to your clients.
Of the hundreds of technology vendors serving the professional tax and accounting
community, you make the decision of which programs and vendors to bring on board
as part of your team. And while these partners may keep quiet most of the time,
this special section is designed to give them a voice to tell you more about
themselves. It also gives vendors that you have not yet met a chance to introduce
their companies, showcase the products and services they provide, and explain
how your practice can benefit from their use.
It’s your practice, but these technology partners and their products
and services are an integral component of your success. Use this information
as a pre-interview so that when you make your “hiring decision,”
you’ll have a broad understanding of your potential partners.
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- Acct1st Technology Group LLC
- Acct1st is a winning combination of accountants,
document management experts and cutting-edge software developers. Acct1st
EDRMS differentiates itself by focusing on one core issue: Document Management
Specifically Designed with Accountants in Mind. Acct1st Technology Group,
LLC provides document management, tax scan, OCR autotax population, tax
workflow and client portal solutions and services to accountants.- Read Full Review
- Advanced Micro Solutions, Inc.
- Originally founded as Edmond Software, Advanced
Micro Solutions has been working in the tax software business since 1985,
and officially changed its name in 1989. AMS started as a small two-man
software shop and has since grown into a nationally respected software
company. - Read Full
Review
- AICPA
- The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
(AICPA) is the national, professional association of Certified Public
Accountants (CPAs), with approximately 340,000 members, including CPAs
in business and industry, public practice, government, and education.
It sets ethical standards for the profession and U.S. private auditing
standards and also develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination.- Read Full Review
- AppRiver, LLC
- AppRiver LLC was founded in April of 2002 to provide
simple, yet powerful email security solutions to the enterprise market.
Today, the privately held company has lived up to its mission, counting
more than 25,500 clients on six continents relying on AppRiver email protection
services to maintain network security and enhance productivity. - Read Full
Review
- Bisk Education
- Nathan M. Bisk JD, CPA founded Bisk Education in
1971 to provide continuing education programs for working professionals.
Since its inception, Bisk Education has grown to become the nation’s
largest exclusive provider of online degree and certificate programs from
the nation’s leading universities, offering end-to-end, lifelong-learning
solutions that allow working adults to reach their personal and professional
goals through education.- Read Full Review
- Blackberry — Research in Motion
- Research In Motion (RIM) is a leading designer,
manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide
mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware,
software and services that support multiple wireless network standards,
RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive
information including email, phone, text messaging (SMS and MMS), Internet
and intranet-based applications. - Read Full
Review
- BQE Software
- First released 12 years ago, BillQuick is the product
of “time” — too much time to capture hours, bill clients
and get management information. In other words, the desire to maximize
billable hours and minimize non-billable hours was the frustration that
motivated BQE Software’s founder, an owner of a small professional
firm, to create BillQuick.- Read Full Review
- Cabinet NG
- Since 1992, Cabinet NG (CNG) has provided document
management solutions to small and medium-sized businesses. CNG transforms
manual filing tasks into an automated process that is user-friendly for
accounting professionals and their clients. By eliminating paper, office
procedures are streamlined making it easy to file, store, retrieve and
route documents electronically. - Read Full
Review
- CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business
- CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business, is the professional’s
first choice for integrated tax and accounting solutions. CCH is extending
its leadership position in research and compliance by continually delivering
comprehensive, integrated research and software solutions that provide
a strategic business advantage to CPAs, corporate tax and accounting departments,
and tax attorneys.- Read Full Review
- Commercial Logic, Inc.
- Practice Engine is a product of The Practice Engine
Group, Ltd., a supplier of Professional Relationship Management Systems
(Professional Practice Management + CRM) to professional organizations
since 1993. Their clients range in size from 15 to 1,000+ staff in single
and multiple offices. - Read Full
Review
- Compunite Computers
- Compunite Computers is a multi-faceted computer
services company, located in north central New Jersey. We take a different
approach than most of our peers, believing it’s not enough to merely
keep your network running — it’s making sure your security,
stability and profitability are protected over both the short and the
long term. We maximize your technology ROI.- Read Full Review
- Dexter + Chaney
- Dexter + Chaney is a leader in the development
of technologies that help the construction industry be more productive,
efficient and profitable. Founded in 1982, the company’s flagship
product, Forefront Construction Suite, is in use by thousands of construction
firms across the United States, and houses dozens of robust modules to
support every aspect of the construction process.- Read Full Review
- Doc.It
- Doc.It is a complete digital document management
solution that differentiates itself by providing a strong focus on up-front
planning, support and a training and implementation methodology developed
by accountants for accountants. - Read Full
Review
- DoubleSight Displays
- DoubleSight Displays provides a wide variety of
Monitor Solutions for the home and office. In 2003, DoubleSight launched
the first of its successful Dual Monitor Family of Products. We have listened
to our customers and designed this product group to meet the needs of
today’s busy professional.- Read Full Review
- Greatland Corporation
- Greatland Corporation is a national supplier of
software, forms and supplies specialized for tax and accounting professionals.
In the fall of 2006, Greatland became an employee-owned company. The employee
ownership is Greatland’s commitment to people – the people
who work here, our customers, colleagues and vendors. - Read Full
Review
- H.D. Vest
- H.D. Vest has been partnering with CPAs since 1983
to support them as they offer financial services to their clients. Evolving
markets have changed clients’ needs. Clients are demanding a broader
range of financial products from their tax professionals. At the same
time, a recent survey of investors found that CPAs topped the list of
most trusted financial advisors – edging out Certified Financial
Planners.- Read Full Review
- Intuit, Inc.
- Best known for its top-selling small business accounting
package, QuickBooks, and tax preparation solutions, Lacerte and ProSeries,
Intuit has evolved over the years into an accounting powerhouse. Today,
more than 325,000 accounting professionals use one of its accounting,
payroll or tax solutions. - Read Full
Review
- North 40 Systems
- Serving the accounting profession for nearly 10
years, Office Tools Pro has received recognition as being a specific solution
for the small office. Listed in Accounting Today’s “Top 100
Products” and consistently receiving 4 to 5 stars by The CPA
Technology Advisor in three categories (Practice Management, Document
Management and Time & Billing) are just a few of the acknowledgements.- Read Full Review
- PayCycle, Inc.
- Introduced in 2001, PayCycle is the leader in on-demand
payroll and is designed for accountants that serve small business clients,
with 1 to 50 employees. PayCycle’s online solution has eliminated
nearly all of the paperwork involved with client payroll, by automating
the entire process from paychecks to W-2s. - Read Full
Review
- Serenic Corporation
- Serenic Corporation is an industry-leading publisher
of mission-critical software products that satisfy the unique and sophisticated
functionality requirements of nonprofit organizations, educational institutions,
and government agencies. Built on Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Serenic’s
products deliver fully integrated solutions that eliminate the need to
cobble together multiple third-party business applications… - Read Full
Review
- Thomson Tax & Accounting
- Thomson Tax & Accounting is a leading provider
of technology and integrated research solutions to accounting, tax and
corporate finance professionals. With the leading and most trusted brands
joining forces under one company, Thomson Tax & Accounting is dedicated
to partnering with tax and accounting professionals to make them as profitable,
productive and efficient as possible.- Read Full Review
- Toolbox Software
- Toolbox Software began in 1994 with the purpose
of developing construction financial accounting software utilizing a SQL-based
relational architecture. The development was paid for by a Denver-based
CPA firm that specializes within the construction industry. Toolbox Software
is a system that has been developed by CPAs who have practiced in public
accounting, and who have performed thousands of audits/reviews. - Read Full
Review
- TrakTronix
- TrakTronix was founded in early 2004 with the vision
of providing a full spectrum of products and services that allow companies
to track their business in motion. After three years of research and development,
the vision is brought to life in the flagship product “ActionTrak.”- Read Full Review