According to Peter Weill, senior research scientist and chairman at MIT's Sloan Center for Information Systems Research, "IT-savvy firms have margins 20 percent higher than the industry average. Firms with less than average spending and savvy have margins 32 percent lower than their industry."

COUGAR MOUNTAIN SOFTWARE RELEASES DENALI 2.9

Technology has clearly permeated the accounting firm (and the rest of the world, for that matter), with tools ranging from the basic to the arcane.

CPAs are increasingly being asked to solve the information technology problems of their clients and prospective clients, according to a new survey by the American Institute of CPAs.

The Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters has upgraded its Sabrix Managed Tax Service to integrate with Microsoft Dynamics GP, versions 9 and 10.

Commercial open-source accounting, enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management software provider xTuple has introduced the xTuple Web Portal, which enables users’ Web sites to work directly with customers, suppliers and other business partners.

Thomson Reuters has named Grant Thornton LLP the first “Certified Implementer” of its corporate tax software.

Document management and workflow software provider Cabinet NG has introduced a Web browser interface that gives users the ability to search through online cabinets and folders, and view documents from any location anytime, without installing additional software on remote systems.

IMGCAP(1)]Accounting firms across the nation are turning to document management technology to keep track of client receipts, signed copies, employee paperwork and contracts they once stored in paper files and folders.

Microsoft Corp. has introduced a corporate performance management system for its Dynamics ERP products that will provide real-time financial reporting for midsized businesses looking to achieve greater visibility across their organizations.

IMGCAP(1)]By law, we have a duty to protect our client data. It’s important that we understand our physical security risks, know what risk points exist for exposure of client data and enforce a plan to keep key systems properly updated and staff up to date on security best practices.

Cloud accounting service FinancialForce.com has partnered with Web-based carbon management specialist CloudApps to help the growing number of businesses beyond the manufacturing sector that are being asked to account for their carbon emissions.

Unrealistic deadlines, ineffective processes, an over-reliance on spreadsheets, and inaccurate reporting are major contributors to accountants’ stress level during a period close, according to a new survey.

The Bee LLC has launched a cloud-based accounting system that offers Web-based invoice and expense management tools for small businesses and donates a portion of its profits to the conservation of honeybees.

The Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters has launched Accounting CS, software that combines write-up, live and after-the-fact payroll, trial balance, financial reporting, and client accounting into a single unified platform.

Net@Work, a major New York-based Sage reseller and document management service provider, has acquired Boston-based MAS 90 and MAS 200 reseller Fitzgerald Group, giving the firm a much larger Northeast presence and over 700 new customers.

Times are tough, and while it's often been difficult in the past to get clients to pay on time, it's even more of a task these days. But you're not doing your clients, or your practice, a favor by being late in billing for services, or allowing clients to run up large past-due balances.

At NetSuite Inc.]Ëp

DYNAMICS GP 2010 RELEASED

Intuit reported a 13 percent jump in revenue to $1.6 billion for its fiscal third quarter, which ended April 30, largely on the strength of tax season.