The anguish over staffing has been a constant in the last few years. But what happens if the economy gives us a new problem?

The meteoric rise of Software as a Service, or on-demand hosted software, has prompted a paradigm shift that poses challenges not just to a firm's traditional IT infrastructure but also to vendors who must now counter the trend with low-cost, high-performance solutions to retain their user bases.

Microsoft has released Dynamics AX 2009, with upgraded features for compliance and multi-site organizations.

Before write-up became a popular application, trial balance software ruled the market.The popular ATB (Accountant’s Trial Balance) is probably one of the best-known accountant-oriented applications ever created, even years after it ceased to be marketed.

CABINET NG UPGRADES QB SYSTEMCabinet NG has unveiled the latest version of CNG-Books 6.0, its document management system designed for Intuit’s QuickBooks. Incorporating .Net technology and Microsoft SQL database features, CNG-Books 6.0 gives small and midsized businesses the ability to replace piles of paper with automated electronic workflows that streamline QuickBooks-centric accounting tasks.

ENTERPRISE SUITE LAUNCHESThe Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters has introduced an Enterprise Suite containing a set of software for large tax and accounting firms. The Enterprise Suite combines tax prep, engagement, practice management, and document and workflow management software.

Many firms have great intentions coming out of the busy season, but put off technology decisions until later in the year. This causes frustration and reduces time for implementation and training. Go ahead and take some vacation, but also consider the technology planning life cycle and how your firm can best utilize its assets in the coming year.THE FOUR STAGES

If death and taxes are inevitable, then death and sales and use taxes are even more so.

NetSuite introduced a version of its OneWorld software targeted at the accounting needs of software developers.

Xcentric, a company that provides network hosting and online backup services for CPA firms, has earned Microsoft Gold Certified Status.

Out in a cornfield, roughly 50 miles from Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, is a company you just may want to keep your eye on.TIW Technology, or Technology for the Industrial Workplace, is aptly named for its roots in manufacturing, and the story of how it forayed into the accounting software space and created Alere Business Applications reflects the company’s mission to create products in response to customer needs.

IASC FOUNDATION PUBLISHES IFRS XBRL TAXONOMYThe International Accounting Standards Committee Foundation’s XBRL Team has released the near-final version of the IFRS Taxonomy 2008, translating International Financial Reporting Standards into Extensible Business Reporting Language.

What happened during the early 1900s within the power industry presents an excellent lesson for firms today about the adoption of emerging technologies. It also reveals how existing IT strategies may be inefficient, expensive and difficult to leverage into the future.As a firm leader, you don’t have to know how to build the watch, but you should at least know how to tell time. Timing is critical when considering any trend, and each always has its early adopters, late adopters and resisters. The Gartner Group refers to this as the “hype cycle,” with five distinct steps:

Host Analytics has released the latest version of its on-demand corporate performance management software, with enhanced budgeting, planning and modeling features.

The temptation to take a camera to the event marking the opening of the Sports Museum of America was just too great. The event was held on Tuesday between our publications’ offices and the Wall Street bull. The institution, just across Broadway, is the result of a nearly seven-year effort of CEO Philip Schwalb, who once worked with two accounting software VARs, and whose former boss, Doug Weintraub of Socius (when reselling operation was part of Centerprise Information Solutions), based in Cleveland, not surprisingly sold Dynamics GP as the accounting package for the new Wall Street area institution, which is expected to draw 1 million visitors a year.

A new software add-in allows users to edit data directly in a Microsoft Excel pivot table.

Coda Financials introduced Coda2Go, the company's first accounting application to run on demand over the Web.

Up until the beginning of 2008, the trends for nonprofit accounting software were simple and predictable — accountability, efficiency and better utilization of resources.But the meltdown of the subprime mortgage market and the ensuing slip toward recession will change that landscape for the worse, in three ways:

IMAGINETIME EXPANDS E-INVOICINGTime and billing software developer ImagineTime has beefed up its paperless invoicing capabilities through alliances with Wells Fargo, ComData and GoToBilling to process payments from credit cards and automated clearing houses.

The confidence of many has been shaken recently by terrorism, election-year politics and the media’s attention to a possible recession. Establishing priorities along with a strategic plan for your firm will become even more advantageous as we move into less predictable times.My experience suggests that good decisions are made during periods of high confidence, and poor decisions when confidence is low. Firms must be careful over the next year not to lose vision and — just as important — confidence.