As the accounting profession continues to struggle with a changing workforce and an increasingly stringent regulatory environment, automating business processes in an effort to boost productivity and improve client service will only grow more critical.

For the firm of the future, this means a rise in cloud-based computing and enhanced mobility.

"I believe that in the future, work is what you do and not where you go," said Gary Boomer, chief executive officer of Manhattan, Kan.-based Boomer Consulting Inc. He was quoting from the book, Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson, which examines what happens when companies change their focus from hours to outcomes.

That notion seems to certainly hold true for the CPA firm of the future - and judging by the findings of a survey commissioned by financial and tax software and products provider CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business, the profession is already heading in this direction.

The poll, conducted by Opinion Research Corp., found that nearly 25 percent of what they defined as "high-performing" firms report having staff working remotely, and they are putting in place solutions to support a growing number of mobile workers.

For example, 72 percent report supporting wireless laptops; 60 percent support BlackBerries, iPhones or other PDAs and smartphones; and 25 percent support wireless minis/netbooks.

Furthermore, high-performing firms are significantly more likely to leverage technologies that support paperless processes and mobile workers, including Software-as-a-Service solutions. SaaS is a form of cloud computing where scalable resources are provided as a service over the Internet. Roughly 30 percent of high-performing firms reported using one or more SaaS applications, and that is expected to grow to 55 percent within three years, according to the CCH poll.

While industry sources have a few differing thoughts on what technologies will drive the firm of the future, most agree that cloud computing tops the list. Simply put, cloud computing means that a company can access everything they need to run the business through Web browsers such as Windows Explorer, Firefox or Safari.

"Right now, those firms on the cutting edge of technology, they are there. The masses aren't embracing it yet, but they will," said Jim Bourke, partner and director of internal technology at New Jersey-based WithumSmith+Brown, referring to cloud computing. "The days of sending out CDs will be gone."

John Higgins, strategic advisor with CPA Crossings, added, "The value proposition [of cloud computing] is so strong that it will continue to dominate," and he predicted that over the next five to 10 years, the majority of applications will be SaaS.

Boomer believes that firms' total information technology spending over the next three years will go down and firms will gain greater access to data and resources as they move to the cloud - which can be a fraction of the cost of an on-premise solution and frees up internal resources.

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