As businesses turn to Zoom for videoconferencing, a new generation of security threats has emerged. Among them is ZoomBombing in which intruders invade sessions and disrupt them.

Among the disruptions are the sharing of porn videos by the unwelcome guests. One of the important ways to prevent problems is by use of passwords to allow participants into session.

Zoom itself advises the use of the Waiting Room feature via which a meeting host can control when participants join a meeting. That way the host can screen out participants not on the Zoom account or not signed in.

The company also says hosts should not give up control of the screen. They can utilize Advanced Screen Sharing choosing “Only Host” under “Who can share?”, along with locking Screen Share by default for all meetings under web settings.

Participants can also be managed by allowing only signed-in users to join while meetings can be locked to prevent anyone from joining, including those with a meeting ID and password, from joining after the meeting has started. Two-factor authentication can also be required.

Other controls that can help are these:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Disable “Allow Removed Participants to Rejoin” to keep miscreants from returning.                                                                                                                                                                                          Remove Unwanted or Disruptive Participants by clicking Remove under the Participants menu.                                                                                                                                                                       Disable Video                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Mute Participants                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Turn off file transfer to prevent unwanted content such as pictures or memes.                                                                                                                                                                                                           Turn off Annotation                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Disable Private Chat.

In addition, software security company Norton has another series of recommendations for videoconferencing more securely. These start with following a company’s policy, including making sure a device is secure if the user is bringing their own device.  Companies should provide training, ensure endpoints and networks are secure and capable of handling teleworkers’ devices and communication.

Norton says users must establish home network security be configuring firewalls and making sure routers are secure. They should also stay up-to-date with security patches. A secure-wi-fi with strong encryption should be used.

Norton also recommends participants change their video backgrounds so other members of video calls cannot see into their homes and to remember to turn off the webcast at the end of the call or at least cover it with something opaque, such as tape, paper or a sliding webcam cover.

A Virtual Private Network  also provides greater security because it masks IP addresses, location, and search history to prevent things like location tracking.

Cloud solutions have revolutionized the accounting industry in recent years. While the cloud may seem like a simple concept at first glance, few people fully understand the depth and range of the cloud options that are available today.

All cloud technologies serve the same basic function at their core: the delivery of computing resources over the internet. Beyond that, however, there are vast differences in today’s cloud offerings. Contrary to what many users envision, cloud computing is not simply one amorphous network where all users access all the data they need. Instead, there are a number of different kinds of cloud computing available, including public clouds, private clouds, community clouds, hybrid clouds and SaaS cloud solutions.

While it has been predicted that 83% of enterprise workloads will be in the cloud by 2020, how can you know which cloud solution is right for your firm? The answer lies in understanding the differences between the various cloud options in the industry and the specific business needs they’re best suited to meet.

Public Clouds                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  A public cloud is what many people think of when they envision the cloud. It’s a basic cloud computing model through which a cloud service provider offers resources like storage and applications to the public at large via the internet. Typically, the infrastructure of a public cloud is shared by many users from a large number of different firms or companies, each of which purchases a cloud subscription on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Because public clouds usually involve huge servers in numerous locations around the world, they offer users maximum scalability to meet their needs as companies grow or shrink. Their sheer size also means they provide high levels of flexibility and reliability, and because the user pays only for the resources actually employed and doesn’t need to hire IT staff, they’re typically a highly cost-effective cloud option.

The biggest drawback of public clouds is their inability to offer advanced security and privacy measures. Because many users are sharing a single infrastructure, public clouds are often unable to meet regulatory requirements. Public clouds are best suited for large data storage and processing, access through web browsers or for companies that have minimal security concerns.

Private Clouds                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Unlike public clouds, private clouds run on proprietary infrastructure that’s provisioned for exclusive use by a single organization. Usually, a firm will deploy its own platforms, software and applications and partner with a vendor that specializes in creating and managing private cloud environments or pay for cloud service on a fee-per-unit-time model. 

Private clouds tend to be very scalable to the user’s needs and shift the IT burden from the client to the private cloud vendor. One of their main advantages over public clouds is enhanced security and privacy. Because the cloud infrastructure is tailored to a single client, it usually sits behind a dedicated firewall and is accessed over an encrypted connection with multifactor authentication. The enhanced security and data encryption measures make compliance with privacy and security regulations possible.

Private clouds tend to be more expensive than public clouds and may take longer to set up. In addition, companies typically require internal IT staff to oversee deployment and maintenance, or they rely on their private cloud vendor which supplies management and maintenance of the private cloud.

Community Clouds                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Community clouds are a recent development and essentially a variation on private clouds that are shared by a specific, discrete business community. While multiple businesses share the infrastructure, each has its own private cloud space designed to meet the data privacy, security and compliance needs of the specific community the cloud is serving.

Community clouds are most popular among companies in industries that are subject to strict regulatory compliance requirements. They’re also beneficial for users working on joint projects within a defined business community that involve the sharing of applications and software specific to that community.

Hybrid Clouds                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Hybrid clouds are exactly what they sound like: a mix of private and public cloud infrastructure. They offer the best of both worlds, because sensitive data resides in the private cloud where the user can maintain high privacy and security standards, while work of a nonsensitive nature can be handled in the public cloud, which offers increased scalability and data storage at a lower cost. Hybrid clouds are ideal for firms that have a mix of sensitive operations and nonsensitive projects involving large amounts of data that are better stored in a public cloud infrastructure.

SaaS Cloud Solutions                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Software as a service is one of the newest subsets of cloud computing now being offered, and it’s a market that’s quickly growing. SaaS cloud services deliver software directly to the consumer over a cloud platform that’s entirely hosted and managed by a third-party vendor. In most instances, SaaS cloud solutions require no hardware installations or purchases, making it easy for users to get started even if they’ve not previously made the move to the cloud.

SaaS cloud solutions are highly cost-effective because, in addition to the user not having to purchase hardware, there’s no need to hire IT staff to manage a network of software, servers, firewalls, routers or anything else. All software support is provided by the vendor as part of the SaaS offering, meaning that applications are constantly maintained and updated with no effort from the user.

A SaaS subscription price often includes the ongoing technical support and program maintenance, but the user does not actually own any of the software to which it is subscribing. While SaaS solutions tend to be highly scalable and secure, they may be more limited than private clouds when it comes to customization and functionality. SaaS solutions may be ideal for firms that want a simple, seamless cloud computing experience with little hands-on maintenance responsibility.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to choosing the right cloud technology. With the options available today, however, there is a right cloud solution for every firm. Determining what you need in terms of security, scalability, IT support and cost will help you choose the cloud solution that best benefits your individual firm.

Emburse has been formed by six companies that market expense and AP software. The companies that have combined are Abacus, Captio, Certify, Chrome River, Nexonia and Tallie, according to an announcement this month.

Emburse, which has 750 employees and 14,000 customers, is led by CEO Eric Friedrichsen, previously global head, commercial, SMB, and growth markets for Marketo from January 2019 through this month .The aggregation of vendors is designed to challenge SAP Concur. 

In a prepared statement, Friedrichsen said the six participants will be able to accelerate development through technology sharing while maintaining their individual software packages.

Before working at SAP Concur,  Friedrichsen was with SAP Concur from April 2008 through December 2016. From January 2017 through January 2019, he was with SAP as SVP and GM for mid-market and ecosystems, North America

 When a cyberattack strikes an accounting firm, it impacts the firm’s data and, more importantly, can expose critical client data. Keeping your business data and applications safe and secure from ransomware attacks while increasing your clients’ awareness of malicious software requires collaboration with your internal IT department and managed IT provider. 

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that blocks access to computer systems and then requires an anonymous payment to the hackers for return of the data. A ransomware attack is typically delivered via a phishing email. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that there will be a ransomware attack on businesses every 14 seconds by the end of 2019 and every 11 seconds by 2021, incurring global ransomware damage costs as high as $20 billion by 2021.

In addition to providing services to clients, a firm’s top priority must be keeping its IT infrastructure and client data safe from any cybersecurity threats, including ransomware. Ransomware isn’t going away anytime soon – if anything, these types of malware will continue to become more dangerous. Here are six things firms can do now to better protect client data:

1. Build and test a disaster recovery plan.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Perform a security audit to test and identify vulnerabilities in your organization’s IT infrastructure. Close the gaps to ensure that your information assets are fully protected. Conduct monthly disaster recovery plan drills to ensure quick response times. 

A disaster recovery plan can help your firm get systems back up and running after a cybersecurity attack. A business continuity plan enables staff to remain productive while cybersecurity issues are being resolved.

2. Use secure methods of document sharing.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       How does your firm exchange important financial documents with clients? Do clients send earnings statements and tax documents by regular mail or as email attachments? The insecure nature of mail makes it relatively easy for others to intercept, monitor or tamper with critical information. Instead, use a secure client portal to reduce the risk of data breaches. Accountants and clients can log in on a portal to upload, share and view documents, files and messages in a highly secure, encrypted environment.

3. Implement multiple backup protection.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           When ransomware infects an organization’s IT infrastructure, it can restrict access to critical information stored within the computer system. Effective backup of firm data will enable restoration of all files, documents and data right up to the time of a ransomware infection or other breach.

Best practice is to have data stored on multiple servers with multiple backup solutions in place, secured with the latest and most advanced technology, to make sure no one can access or delete stored data. Backups should be on a separate network, completely isolated from your main network and off-site.

4. Increase levels of security.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Hackers tend to focus on systems that are easy to access. So the more levels of security they encounter, the more likely they will move on to avoid wasting time and effort. By implementing network wide security solutions, such as anti-virus, web filtering, firewalls and password protection, your hardware and employee devices will have the same level of security. 

Additionally, data should never be protected by a single password, no matter how creative or complex that single password may be. With this in mind, you should consider implementing multifactor authentication. It requires two or more forms of authentication in order to access critical data and applications hosted in the cloud. New AI-based technology solutions can analyze and model network behavior, improving threat detection to better protect firm and client data from cyberthreats.

5. Educate staff and clients.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Anyone who has access to network files and data, has individualized passwords to log in on business applications or uses any type of device to get to the cloud must be trained to identify potential threats. To spearhead education, think about developing and implementing cybersecurity training courses to educate your staff on the different types of ransomware threats as well as teach them easy tips to avoid attacks, such as exercising caution with suspicious emails or losing mobile devices. Send weekly reminders to your staff on security best practices (e.g., don’t click on links or attachments from unknown senders). 

Conduct research using websites like ID Ransomware or MSSP Alert to keep on top of IT-related current events in order to alert your staff and clients about new threats on the horizon. 

6. Monitor activity.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Smaller businesses tend to fall victim to ransomware attacks because they do not monitor ongoing activity. Network monitoring tools can provide visibility into existing weak entry points that have allowed past breaches to occur and using that information to avoid possible future breaches. Track activity by creating a log of past security events and input the data into a security information and event management (SIEM) system. This system will offer a holistic view of your entire organization’s security. 

A final recommendation is to assemble and rely on a strong security team. Enlist the assistance of technology service providers. Hosting partners and accounting firm document management professionals understand the cybersecurity environment and have experience in implementing the solutions outlined here. The use of both preventive and predictive security practices will allow your firm to mitigate the risk of ransomware and better secure client data.

For resellers, the issue now is meeting user needs and making money, not worrying about whether software is in the cloud. Certainly, there are many thousands of on-premise mid-market accounting systems in use and a decent number are being sold. But the action is in the cloud and it is a matter of features, which is what users really care about. The issue is which product is better at handling nonprofits, which is good for businesses with inventory, which best suits professional services and which delve into highly specialized markets. In the fact, the thought did not even occur this year to count how many of the Top 100 2019 VARs carry cloud products. It was just assumed they all do. That is why this year’s theme is “The Cloud Rules”  If you are not in the cloud game, you are not really in the game.

2018 Report: Getting a Handle on the Cloud

Buyers and sellers are talking less and less about cloud software. The discussions increasingly center around how the software, which happens to be cloud based, helps companies solve business problems, not on the technology used. Read more how this is happening.

Sponsored by:

Report: Payroll Gets Easier: Running payroll, whether for a company to pay its own employees or to pay clients’ employees, has rarely been easy. But it is necessary, which is why the question of whether tax and accounting firms should offer services as a line of business has had some firms moving into the business and others moving out. Read more and find out where your firm falls.

Sponsored By:

Report: Using the Cloud to Protect Your Data

The handwriting is in the cloud. And given some real barriers to adoption of cloud-based software, the move remains a question of when, not if, for most businesses with the purchase of web-based applications picking up speed. Download this free special report and read how.

Sponsored By:

Jeff Siegel is the owner of Siegel Solutions, an 11-person firm that provides outsourced bookkeeping solutions usingJeff Siegel is the owner of Siegel Solutions, an 11-person firm that provides outsourced bookkeeping solutions usingQuickBooks to over 300 clients. Jeff knows what it takes to grow a business: efficiency of scale, real-time insights thatbuild strong customer relationships, and a secure data environment. He gets all three from Right Networks.

In this ebook, we’ll examine:In this ebook, we’ll examine:

• Why DIY (Do-It-Yourself) accounting systems created forsmall businesses cause undue pain for both small businessowners and for accountants
• How the right cloud-based professional accounting systemcan not only eliminate that pain, but also open up newopportunities for accountants to better serve their clients

Steven Brewer, CPA is the President of Steven Brewer and Company, CPAs, located in Salem, IN. He talked to AccountantsWorld about how he’s grown his accounting practice without needing to increase his number of clients – and how those improvements have eased his tax season crunch.

BooXkeeping: How White Label Bookkeeping Services Provide Scalability to Your Firm When it comes to running a business the main thing that every business owner wants to do is sell their products or services, create brand awareness and generate profits that they can enjoy later in life. The last thing a business owner wants to do is to worry about bookkeeping, taxes, and the rest of time consuming accounting tasks needed to run a successful business, with limited resources and time, often the bookkeeping ends up being the last on the list of things that need to be completed.

The Internal Revenue Service is holding the 2020 IRS Nationwide Tax Forums online in July and August. The live-streamed webinars will be July from July 21 through August 20.

The Virtual Forums will be offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Registered attendees can participate in all of the live webinars and earn up to 30 Continuing Education Credits at one price.  Several seminars, including the plenary session, will be provided in Spanish

Those who have registered for in-person events can transfer their registration to the virtual events at no additional costs. Refunds are also available. 

The Early Bird rate is $240 per person for those who register by 5 pm ET June 15 with the standard rate of $289 available starting the next day.

Members of participating organizations can receive an additional $10 off the Early Bird rate if they register by June 15. They should contact their organizations which include  the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, National Association of Enrolled Agents, National Association of Tax Professionals, National Society of Accountants, National Society of Tax Professionals, Low Income Taxpayer Clinics  and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA)

Wolters Kluwer has reported difficult selling conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. The company made the observations in its trading update for the first quarter ended March 31.

 “Organic growth was weak in April, due to lower new sales and software licenses,” WK said regarding its tax and accounting business. Revenue for the segment was up 5 percent in constant currencies and 5 percent organically over last year’s corresponding period. European companies generally do not provide revenue and net income figures in trading updates

Overall; revenue was up 5 percent, but 2 percentage points stemmed from the favorable impact of currency with organic revenue up 4 percent.

The Internal Revenue Service’s extension of the filing season deadline from April 15 to July 15 is also impacting results. The company said its expects efiling revenue will extend into the third quarter.

In general, WK says, “Market conditions for new sales of subscription products and for non-recurring categories such as training, software licenses, and implementation services are proving challenging.”

• .

Virtual Settlement Days are being offered to unrepresented taxpayers to help resolve pending cases before the United States Tax Court. The Internal Revenue Service Office of Chief Counsel reported the first two events for docketed cases will take place in Detroit or Atlanta. 

The IRS said future events may be schedule in cities. However, in its statement, it was reported the “Chief Counsel anticipates that Virtual Settlement Days will be a mainstay of its Settlement Day efforts even after this crisis is over.” A Virtual Settlement Days Best Practice Guide will be released in advance of these events.

These events are offered because the Tax Court canceled scheduled trial sessions via orders issued in March. Virtual Settlement Days are offered to taxpayers not represented by counsel to receive free tax advice and possible representation from Low Income Taxpayer Clinics  (LITC) or other pro bono organizations. 

At these sessions, taxpayers can discuss their court cases and federal tax issues with members of the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, Appeals and Collections. Clinic representatives can join the WebEx meetings later if the taxpayer desires.  

The Detroit event, hosted by the Detroit Office of Chief Counsel, is being offered on Saturday, May 9, in conjunction with University of Michigan Law School LITC with the IRS having invited more than 100 Tax Court petitioners. These are being selected from recently canceled Tax Court calendars, along with docketed cases not set for trial. The Atlanta Office of Chief Counsel will host an event on Thursday, May 21, in conjunction with the North Georgia Low Income Taxpayer Clinic 

Docket taxpayers who cases are under consideration by the IRS Independent Office of Appeals have not been sent invitations. The IRS encourages them to contact the Appeals Officer assigned to their case to discuss resolution..

The number of tax returns received by the  Internal Revenue Service through April 24 suggests returns will come in at a gradual pace until the exended tax season deadline of July 15. The 121,892,000 received for the reported period to -date was down 12.5 percent from 139,364,000 received for the period ended April 26, 2019.

What it means in numbers is 6 million returns were submitted between April 18 and April 24. Cumulatively, there were 110,089,000 efiled returns submitted through April 24, down 10.3 percent from 126,961,000

Professional preparers efiled 55,528,000 for the reported period, off 21.8 percent from 70,969,000. Self-prepared efiles totaled  54,561,000, a drop of 2.6 percent from 55,992,000,

Blucora, which owns the TaxAct an Avantax Wealth Management businesses, has added several new executives and reorganized its business. The changes were announced recently by CEO Christopher Waters, who joined the company in January.

New arrivals include CFO Marc Mehlman, who succeeded interim CFO Mimi Carsley, who remains  as treasurer and SVP of FP&A and procurement.  Mehlman was with Thomson Reuters for nearly 15 years and was VP of the OneSource Tax business from August 2013 through December 2015. He was then managing director for OneSource Global Direct Tax and Statutory Reporting from January 2016 through August 2018 and GM of the company’s Large and Strategic Corporate Customer Segments from September 2018 through last month.

Todd Mackay, who joined the company in March 2014. has become President of Wealth Management. He was most recently of chief business operations and development officer for Blucora and has lead a majority of the operational elements of Avantax. Enrique Vasquez has moved into the new role of Managing Director of Practice Acquisition, after serving as president of wealth management since June.

TaxAct operations will be consolidated under president Curtis Campbell, who also becomes president of software in heading the tax preparation and software division. He will oversee all software development, including Avantax and its Tax Smart Investing platform.

Dilip Nagaraja has becomeachief technology officer, while Blucora plans to announce a  new chief information officer in a few weeks. Chief legal officer Ann Bruder is adding the role of corporate development and administrative officer and will oversee corporate development, corporate risk management, business continuity, security and real estate. Other new executives include Jody Diaz as chief human resources officer and Raj Doshi as chief growth and marketing officer.

Cherry Bekaert has hired Srikant Sastry as managing principal of Advisory Services. Sastry, who will be a member of the firm’s management teams, will lead a practice with a wide range of services.

He will be based in the firm’s Tyson, Va., office.

Sastry spent more than 15 years at Grant Thornton where he was national managing principal, Public Sector, from August 2011 through June 2015 and was national managing principal,  US Advisory Services until August 2019.

RSM has named Kevin Carpenter as the leader of security due diligence within the firm’s transaction advisory services practice. Carpenter is moving to the new role from the RSM's risk consulting practice.

Carpenter will work with client mitigate risk and ensure compliance around data security and privacy, both before and during a transaction “He will continue to educate the firm’s clients on the value of cybersecurity during diligence as well as post-close,” RSM said in its announcement.

Carpenter has been with RSM since October 2011. Before that, he was worked at Deloitte & Touche for six years four months.

Plante Moran has hired Martin van Pelt as its next chief marketing officer. The accounting firm said this week Van Pelt will succeed Jeff Antaya, who is retiring after on August 31 after 13 years with Plante Moran.

Van Pelt  joined the firm on February 3 and is working alongside Antaya until the latter’s final day. As CMO, van Pelt will oversee all marketing functions, including strategy, sales, digital marketing, marketing technology, proposal and pursuit support, public relations, advertising and internal and external communications. 

Before joining Plante, van Pelt was head of advisory marketing for KPMG from October 2012 through last month. He was also president of advertising firm, Young & Rubicam Korea from April 2008 through October 2012.

“Social media is not about the exploitation of technology but service to community.” - Simon Mainwaring

Remember, a new leaderboard with updated rankings is generated every two weeks, so keep up the great work on social media and watch your ranking climb! Think you’ve got what it takes to make the Top 100? Join for free today!

“Social media is a much more personal approach to marketing than more traditional tactics like placing an advertisement in a local newspaper, and lends itself to a more human approach. You should always err on the side of professionalism, but sharing a few details about the person, or people, behind your company can give your brand more personality – something that works very successfully in the world of social media.”  

 Here are some highlights from the newest Top 100…