Software reviews

Searching for value in T&B applications

The software goes mainstream, even as it evolves for accountants

Sales and use tax systems move front and center

Document management systems have been mainstream for years, but many accounting firms are still waiting to adopt them.

Xero has been a revelation to small and growing businesses that were in need of top-notch small business accounting software.

It's getting harder to define mid-market accounting software

Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, is launching a Master of Tax Law program to equip non-lawyers with the skills necessary for the practice of tax planning and consulting, as well as satisfy the “fifth year” requirements for California CPA licensure.

For nearly two decades, the marketplace for low-end accounting software has been a sleepy little niche largely ceded to two players -- but a slew of new entrants is re-energizing low-end accounting and bringing some needed innovations.

Whether it’s busy season or you just want to stay organized throughout the year, the Todoist app for iOS and Android is helping more practitioners and consultants stay on top to their many tasks from wherever they are.

McGladrey has released a new white paper providing typical costs and considerations related to deciding which ERP platform a client should purchase.

Practitioners and consultants looking for new ways to message colleagues and clients have discovered the WhatsApp Messenger, a smartphone messenger available for Android, iPhone, Windows Phones, and Blackberry, which uses 3G or WiFi (when available) to deliver any message to any other phone on any other network.

Anyone working with mobile documents is looking for more ways to easily print them, and Android device users are increasingly looking to Cloud Print for that singular purpose.

The mobile practitioner needs tools to stay connected to their calendars for all meetings and schedules, and the Tempo Smart Calendar app is one getting noticed and appreciated as it acts like a virtual personal assistant.

There are numerous note taking apps on the market today, but practitioners are increasingly enjoying Penultimate which offers users the experience of taking written notes directly on their iPads.

As more practitioners are accessing documents via their mobile devices, so grows the need for electronic signature applications like EchoSign, which is directly integrated with Adobe and allows users to get documents signed right from your iPhone or iPad.

New tools (and less late legislation) have tax software vendors hopeful for 2014

You’ve probably read quite a bit already about Microsoft’s efforts to compete against Apple and Android in the tablet market and the Surface Pro is the latest weapon in that war, but is it right for your firm's use?

These days whatever is on the market to help practitioners and consultants work better with PDFs while on the go will at least get a look – or a download -- and iAnnotate PDF is garnering serious attention from those looking to read and make their own notes on their PDF files.

Fitting T&B into your firm's practice management

As the number of available cloud storage offerings continues to expand, Box and Dropbox consistently rank among the most popular, yet which is best for your accounting firm?