Posts by marvin

The dynamics of technology in today’s date is something that cannot be overlooked. With advancements on a daily basis, when it comes to the field of accounting, technology has easily managed to convert compliance into a commodity with no special need for this aspect to be overseen or supervised. Taking this into account, many accountants…

Do you lie awake at night worrying about the cost of IT in your practice and feel that it’s a never ending black hole for your cash. Or do you jump out of bed impatient to leverage how technology can enable transformations in firm efficiency, client service and profitability. It is surprising the difference this…

Practice Managers in accounting firms face numerous challenges on a day to day basis. Some of those include, what I consider, to be the top issues in many firms I have worked with and consult to. Let’s look at some of the main challenges; Recruiting and retaining key staff Several factors impact how attractive a practice…

According to Harvey Nash CIO Survey 2015, 56 per cent of Australians believed they have been affected by digital disruption — 21 per cent higher than the global average.This possesses significant threats to the Australian economy, specifically on the accounting industry. But more than just a fad or a buzzword, digital disruption is real and…

There has been a lot written in recent times about the risks surrounding outsourcing with particular emphasis on the new privacy laws as well as the general protection of data and the access to personal information of clients. The recent article published in the annual software guide published by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in…

In today’s dynamic accounting market, brands are so much a part of our day to day lives that we forget how much we depend on them. Look at successful businesses like McDonalds, Qantas, Virgin, Apple, Microsoft and Coca Cola for example. Their brand is well recognised and the market knows what goods and services they…

Approximately 18 months ago I travelled over to Canada to run the Canadian Accounting Technology Conference (CATS). This is the Canadian version of Smithink’s popular Australian ATSA event. On the way over via the US, I was very fortunate to attend the Disney Leadership Excellence in Anaheim, California. The course was a one day event…

In my last post I spoke of accountants not being particularly good sales people and that they generally do not selling. Creating a want based service is very different from a needs based service. Perhaps selling is the wrong word to use on this occasion. Maybe it should be taking the client on a journey…

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly looking for more from their accountant. With the explosion of cloud-based accounting solutions to manage their numbers business owners need an accountant who is more an advisor and can offer a comprehensive advisory service. Many clients are now conducting business from their mobile devices and have access to…

Well it had to happen. We were caught by one of those vicious phishing attacks. A simple click on a malicious email set it all in motion. Easy to do but with somewhat dire consequences. It allowed access to the particular email account. Messages and contacts deleted and the malicious email sent to the contacts…