cloud computing… a fad or the future?

Think, Plan, Grow!™

Jim Boomer, CPA.CITP, MBACIO & Shareholder, Boomer Consulting, [email protected]

Think, Plan, Grow! ™

Jim BoomerCPA.CITP, MBA• Shareholder and CIO at Boomer

Consulting, Inc.• Director of the Boomer Technology

Circles & the Producer Circle• Member of AICPA’s Tech+ Conference

and CITP Credentials Committees• Named by CPA Practice Advisor as

one of the Top 25 Thought Leaders and 40 Under 40 in Public Accounting Technology

• Named by Accounting Today as “one to watch” on the annual list of the Top 100 Influential People in the Accounting Profession

• Member of KSCPA Board of Directors


“A style of computing in which

massively scalable IT-enabled

capabilities are delivered as a

service to multiple customers

using Internet technologies”- Gartner


• Platform as a Service (PaaS) – web development

• Software as a Service (SaaS) – Browser-based business

applications

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – Provide computing capacity without having to design,

purchase, build and manage the underlying infrastructure.


• Public Cloud– Available to general public by service provider

• Community Cloud– Shared infrastructure between several organizations from a specific

community w/ common concerns, whether managed internally or by a 3rd party & hosted internally or externally

• Private Cloud– Infrastructure operated solely for a single organization, whether

managed internally or by a 3rd party & hosted internally or externally

• Hybrid Cloud– Composition of 2 or more other clouds (private, community or

public), allows for fault tolerance combined with usability w/o dependency on Internet connectivity


A. Platform as a ServiceB. Software as a ServiceC. Private CloudD. Infrastructure as a Service


Everything Old is New Again!

<1950:BCThe UK Colossus

Computer

1950’sFirst Commercial

Computers

1960’sRise of the Mainframes

1970’sTwin Revolutions

(Timesharing)(ARPANET)

2000’sThe “Cloud” is

back

• Mainframe Proliferation

• Minicomputers • Personal

Computers• Networking

• Internet


• Disaster Recovery Sites• Remote Desktop Access• Colocation• Server Virtualization• Software as a Service


• Momentum building • Attitudes are changing

– Partner– IT Professional

• Vendors were pushing the message & now are trying to keep up


• Exchange – Office 365• Workflow• Document Management• Client Portals/Secure File Transfer• Client Accounting


• Accounting Firms are using it–Completely Online–Hybrid Environment (On-premise

Exchange & hosted Lync)–Re-seller to clients


• Exchange Online• SharePoint Online• Lync Online (Instant Messaging,

Presence & Conferencing)• Office Web Apps• Website• Email Archiving & Spam Filtering

CPA2Biz, Inc. - Proprietary and Confidential Information

Client Accounting Over Past 20 YearsClient Accounting Over Past 20 Years

Today’s Opportunity

Cloud based

Integrated

Paperless

Dashboards

Real Time

Small Businesses push work back to

firms to focus more on their business

Role of Firms ReducedQuickBooks introduced

to small businessesRe-claiming of Client Accounting

& Trusted Advisor Role


Desktop Software on Client PC

Desktop Software on CPA Firm PCFile Transfer to CPA FirmClient enters Data

Create Financials Export to T/B SystemCleanup/Fix Client MessAdjusting Entries

PrintImport into Desktop

Software on Client PCFile Transfer to ClientMail to Client

Workflow in Desktop Accounting


Client Dashboard & 24/7 Access to Downloads

Electronic Data Capture Create Financials & ReportsAdjusting Entries

Workflow in Cloud Accounting

Direct to DMS/PortalTrusted Business Advisor

Advisory Services•Cash Flow Analysis•Budgeting•Tax Planning & Compliance•Business/Strategic Planning


Yupana


Bookkeeping

Packaging

Naming

Pricing

Processes

Team

Niche

Change Management

Buy-In

CPA2Biz, Inc. - Proprietary and Confidential Information

Driving Adoption in a Digital Age Driving Adoption in a Digital Age

Most significant challenge


• SaaS Suite Update– All products in

market– Tax – soft launch

later in 2012

• Open Integration Platform strategy

• Virtual Office – CS Suite

• SaaS – CS Suite• Expanded offerings

based on GFR platform


A. YesB. NoC. Still to be determined


• Attitudes will continue to shift towards adoption

• Vendors will – expand capabilities– attack integration issues

• Is it a fad?


• Enhanced search, reporting & collaboration

• Focus on strategic, value-add activities• Smooth out IT spend• Minimize development/implementation

time• Limited downtime• Anytime/anywhere access


• Low upfront cost – no capital expenditures• Minimal h/w management – AD and File

print servers only• Better growth position – hardware, access,

and applications are readily available• Eliminate backup expenses


…think faster, better, cheaper & easier – The Cloud


• Lease/shared versus owned/controlled• Enabling platforms• Cloud computing• Access beats ownership• Recommendations – trusted source


• Your Clients/Vendors

• Non-US companies in your geographic area


1. Confidentially and Privacy of Data– Concerns around who has access to very confidential client data

2. Availability of Service– Reliability of internet access– Capacity of supplier during high usage times

3. Management of the Data– Ownership of the data– Process to switch web-based providers (transfer the data)– Ensuring that document retention rules are followed

4. Liability – Contracting best practices for web-based solutions– E-discovery process with web based providers

5. Flexibility– Adapting/improving processes to leverage existing technology

6. Pricing – Scalability


• Loss of control – outages are handled by another company

• Outages impact everyone, not just a few• Security

– Cloud companies are higher target value for hackers

– Higher potential for data breeches


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304567604576454173706460768.html


• More fragmented data– Data from email, CRM, scheduling, T&B, etc.

• Single vendor solutions – MS, Thomson, etc.• Data Integration companies

– Informatica, Oracle, IBM, SAP, Sage, SAS institute


1. For Your Existing Software Vendors:– Is your application able to run the Cloud natively?– If so… is there an upgrade / relicensing fee ?– If not… will I need to relicense your Cloud

version? • Who do I contact if I have a question or a

problem? • How are service rates determined?• What is you Service Level Agreement?• Can I integrate my Cloud Systems with my In-

House Applications? Other Cloud-Hosted Solutions?


6. How is my data protected?7. Are backup / high availability and disaster

recovery included?8. Are test & training system versions

available?9. Before a software change is implemented

are we notified in advance?10.Can my system administrator add users,

write reports, modify parameters, etc…? 11.Can I obtain a copy of my data?


• Service Organization Control (SOC) Reports– SOC 1: Financial

Reporting– SOC 2 & SOC3: Based on

Trust Services

• Trust Services– Security– Availability– Processing Integrity– Confidentiality – Privacy

• Opportunity to Lead


• Microsoft calling for upgrades to Electronic Communications Privacy Act & Computer Fraud & Abuse Act

• 3 Key areas of focus– Privacy– Security– International sovereignty of data

• Strengthen ability of cloud service providers to pursue civil claims against security violators

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Government-IT/Microsoft-Calls-for-New-Cloud-Computing-Laws-525700/?kc=EWKNLENT01222010STR2


• Managing the services• Integration & workflow• Processes – more involved in the

business and less on the hardware• Tightly aligned with Training &

Learning Professional• Innovative and strategic


• Probably• Less of a need for:

– Infrastructure Maintenance– Software Maintenance & Troubleshooting

• More of a need for:– Understanding Processes– Researching Solutions– Communication & Training


• Business Savvy• Communication• Marketing & Sales• Human Resources• Project Management• Budgeting & Cash Flow• Strategy & Planning


A. We are completely in the cloudB. We are partially in the cloudC. We are preparing for the cloudD. No plans to go to the cloud

Think, Plan, Grow!™

Jim Boomer, CPA.CITP, MBACIO & Shareholder, Boomer Consulting, [email protected]

cloud computing… a fad or the future?

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