Windows 8, cloud, mobile, and security-related initiatives are among the top list of technology trends practitioners need to look into according to technology guru Randy Johnston.
The first day of technology sessions at the AICPA Practitioners Symposium and TECH+ Conference in Las Vegas kicked off with Johnston mapping out current and foreseeable future technology trends.
These were not the only technology points CPAs were expected to consider over the next several years, but Johnston made it clear where practitioners need to look for their next set of IT plans. Of note, Johnston -- admittedly not known for promoting Microsoft -- strongly urged accountants to consider or even reconsider making the move towards Windows 8 for practical and security reasons.
"Windows 8 and Office 2013 take some learning, but once you are into it you won't want to look back," said Johnston. "Windows 8 Pro and Enterprise make the most sense for accountants and for security, the antivirus is becoming fairly ineffecltive so you should consider running them on firewalls if you have a Windows 8 environment. I didn’t think I’d say that a few years ago."
Johnston also noted several other technology trends that practitioners should be aware of. These include: virutalization, social apps in business software; smartphones and tablets becoming more primary personal computers; intelligent electronic agents(ala Siri); digital identity management; enhanced location awareness; better mobile banking; 3D displays for phones and tablets; and more eReading and interactive eBooks.
