Cloud financial and accounting software company FinancialForce.com has formed trust.financialforce.com, a new site that helps describe the company’s control processes, security, application quality and platform monitoring environment.

Most tax preparers have heard by now of Skype or one of the similar video-conferencing services -- and some have tried such services, and report success when connecting with long-distance clients --some of whom the preparers have never even met.

SAP is making its HANA data aggregator available in the SAP Business Suite of products, allowing users of its line of ERP products to capture and analyze transactional data in real time on a single, in-memory platform.

Avalara has acquired UPC code taxability database UPC Matrix Master, which adds in a multi-state, product database that maintains taxability information for more than 10 million products in thousands of tax jurisdictions across the U.S.

For accounting professionals and consultants alike, the past year has been filled with talk of the cloud, mobile and compliance and I daresay we're in for more of the same, but with a few additions to our regular vocabulary.

FreshBooks has released the full version of its Automatic Expense Import product, which allows small business owners to connect their financial institutions (including bank accounts and credit cards) directly to FreshBooks and have their expenses imported automatically into their account.

CCH has enhanced its entire series of CCH Smart Charts, including State Tax Smart Charts, Worldwide Tax Rates and Answers, and Federal Expiring Provisions Smart Charts for Apple iPhone, iPad and Android mobile devices.

Business process management product provider Kofax plc has released Kofax MarkView for Accounts Payable 8.0, a secure mobile offering for the automated capture and processing of accounts payable information.

Electronic filing and payroll and employee form provider Aatrix Software Inc. has formed a strategic partnership with BGTax Forms to provide W-2/1099 eFiling services via the Aatrix Payroll eFile Center to their customers.

Thomson Reuters has introduced a new system to help foreign financial firms comply with the requirements of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.

Cloud-based workflow management software provider XCM Solutions has hired former Fuoco Group director of operations Joe Manzelli Jr. as its new coordinator of outsourced workflow.

Commerce, billing and compensation product maker MetraTech Corp. has partnered with platform-as-a-service accounting product provider VerticaLive to enable customer enrollment, billing and payment management for ISVs and application developers using the VerticaLive Business Framework and for VerticaLive's new SMB-focused cloud accounting product.

BCG Systems director of networking services Ken Klika helps IT and accounting professionals make the right choices when moving data and processes to the cloud.

Technology consultant Wayne Schulz explores how diagnosis fees and fixed pricing benefits consultant and customer alike.

Microsoft Dynamics partner Queue Associates Inc. is opening a Hong Kong office and, effectively, Queue Associates Worldwide China Limited while celebrating its 20th year in business.

Online accounting software maker Xero Inc. is part of a a pro-paperless office coalition led by online fax and electronic signature service HelloFax that has launched an effort to deliver free online front and back office tools to consumers and businesses.

Nonprofit and faith-based cloud accounting product maker Aplos Software has released a new, user-friendly Startup Wizard for its flagship, Web-based nonprofit accounting software suite.

According to a recent article in CIO Magazine, "Clueless in the Boardroom," research shows that most boards don't understand enough about information technology to keep up.

Technology-related developments from the previous month

Firms beef up security as the mobile workforce takes off