Chances are that some upfront planning and increased emphasis on IT leadership will provide big dividends. It will also ensure that you remain competitive and relevant in a rapidly changing world.

A roundup of technology-related news

There's never been such a wealth of tax and accounting information available -- you just need to figure out how to access it

Cloud-based business analytics product maker Adaptive Planning has expanded its latest $45 million funding round to include Salesforce.com and former Oracle CFO Jeff Epstein, who was also named as senior advisor.

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.

This month, software vendor partner veteran Terry Petrzelka looks at where smaller consulting firms fit into a rapidly changing publisher/partner world, where their future lays, as well as how firms of all sizes may better use social media.

CCH announced a newly named and updated mobile app for their cloud-based modular tax preparation, compliance and firm management solution CCH Axcess.

Finagraph CEO James Walter discusses how the improved customer satisfaction from new forms of customer-facing technology positions an accountant as a trusted advisor and can significantly increase client engagement and revenue.

Former XCM Solutions west coast operations director Kim Hogan has joined Intuit as part of its growing team to help accountants transition QuickBooks clients to the cloud and QuickBooks Online in particular.

Australia-based midmaket cloud accounting software maker Gem Accounts has named former Acumatica channel executive Ken Del Gobbo president of its North America operations.

In the world of accounting and ERP there was simply no bigger news this week than SAP discontinuing its Business ByDesign product and I plan to explain more about it, what it means and what it doesn’t.

NetSuite announced the addition of five new firms to its Solution Provider Program, the largest of which is long-time Microsoft Dynamics partner and VAR 100 firm The TM Group.

NetSuite Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire human capital management solutions provider TribeHR, with the intent of creating an integrated cloud ERP and HCM software suite for small and midsized businesses.

After reports surfaced about the discontinuation of SAP Business ByDesign, the company confirmed it is “slowing development” of the cloud ERP product in favor of developing a cloud platform for SMEs.

While the offer of up to a 30 percent reduction in some cloud service provider fees may sound attractive, firms need to consider the risks that may be at play here and ask the right questions.

Sales tax management software maker TaxJar has released TaxJar Pro, an automated local sales tax reporting tool designed specifically for accountants who serve eCommerce clients with accounts on Amazon, Shopify, eBay, Etsy and PayPal.

German business weekly Wirtschaftswoche has reported that SAP plans to stop development of its SMB-focused cloud ERP product Business ByDesign, stating that existing customers will be still able to continue using it.

The Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters has introduced new bi-directional integration between its Accounting CS Payroll software and the Time Rack time, attendance, and human resources product.

People by nature are curious, emotional and often gullible. That mix can be toxic when trying to keep a tight rein on information security. IT risk and security expert David Barton explains the steps you can take at your firm to help your people stay more secure.

There was lots of vendor and consultant news over the past week, but overall we want to know what’s up with all the funding going into cloud accounting software, and where exactly does Intuit factor in?