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.

Distribution of economic impact payments will begin in the next three weeks, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced today. Most payments will be distributed automatically.

However, some seniors and those who do not usually filing tax returns must submit a simple tax return in order to receive payment.

Individuals with adjusted gross income up to $75,000 for individuals and up to $150,000 for married couples filing joint returns will receive full payment. Payments are reduced by five dollars for each $100 of income above those thresholdsvSingle filers with income greater than $99,000 and joint filers with no children with incomes more than $198,000 annually are not eligible.

Eligible taxpayers who filed returns for 2018 or 2019 automatically receive up to $1,200 for individuals and $2,400 for married couples with parents receiving $500 for each qualifying child.

The IRS will use 2019 returns already filed in calculating payment amounts. The IRS will use 2018 filings for those who have not yet filed this year with the direct deposit information on the return utilized for distribution. The Treasure department plans to develop a web-based portal for those who have not provided banking information on returns so they can receive payments online.

H&R Block says it will not provide updates on filings through its system for this tax season until it releases Fiscal 2020 results in June. The tax services company noted that with about one-third of a typical season completed for its Assisted and DIY offerings, it is difficult to predict changes in taxpayer behavior.

Block also noted the extension of the federal filing deadline until July 15 and extensions by states already implemented or being considered.

“In addition, small business owners are being impacted by the pandemic which will likely result in lower volume through Wave’s payments platform?", the company said in a prepared statement.

The company also drew on its full $2-billion revolving credit facility, which was previously undrawn on March 25, in order to strengthen liquidity. Combined with cash, Block’s cash position is now in excess of $2.6 billion“. Maintaining adequate liquidity has always been a top financial priority, which is why we have the credit facility in place, and regularly draw on the line to fund operations outside of the tax season,” CEO Jeff Jones said.

Block is also evaluating all discretionary expenditures, including capital spending, and has not purchased any shares during its current quarter.

The number of tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service continues to be ahead of the 2019 season. But the story for the season through March 22 was that self-prepared efiled returns were 3.6 percent higher than  or the corresponding period ending March 20, 2019.

That compares to the report for the season through March 13 when it was reported DIY returns were up 2.9 percent. 

The 84,222,000 individual returns received by the agency through March 22, were .2 percent higher than the 84,075,000 filed through March 20, 2019

Efiled returns were up .6 percent to 79,688,000 from 79,236,000 in last year’s corresponding period. Returns efiled by paid preparers remained below the 2019 total with 41,003,000 submitted for the year reported to-date, down 2.2 percent from 41,911,000. Self-prepared returns rose to 38,685,000 from 37,325,000 a year ago.

The number of refunds remained behind last year’s pace with the 65,097,000 issued to date down 1.1 percent from 65,836,000.  

The Internal Revenue Service has suspended Installment Agreements with payments due between April 1 and July 15. The agency said taxpayers unable to comply with terms of an Installment Payment Agreement, including a Direct Deposit Installment Agreement, may suspend payments due in that period.

Liens and levies, including seizures personal residence, initiated by field revenue officers will be suspended for the same period as will new automatic, systemic liens and levies.

The IRS will  ot default any Installment Agreements during this period, although by law, interest will continue to accrue on any unpaid balances. Taxpayers unable to pay tax liabilities can still enter new agreements.

The rules are also being loosened for Officers in Compromise. Taxpayers have until July 15 to provide requested information to support a pending OIC and the IRS will not close any pending request before that date without a taxpayer’s consent. Similarly, payments can be suspended with interest continuing to accrue on unpaid balances. The IRS will not default and OIC for those delinquent in filing returns for tax year 2018. But they should file any delinquent 2018 return and their 2019 return before July 2015.

The IRS will not send certifications to the Department of State for taxpayer who are “seriously delinquent” during the period. Certifications prevent taxpayers from receiving or renewing passports. New delinquent accounts will not be forwarded to private collection agencies.

During this period, new field, office and correspondence examinations will also not generally be started.

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.

Damien Greathead has joined Practice Ignition as head of marketing. With the new job, he is returning to Australia after having been based in the United States for 15 years.

 Practice Ignition markets customer engagement, contacts and payments software.  It acquired $26 million (Australian) in Series B funding in September., money designed to support global growth,which included expansion into South Africa in January.

Since then, the company has been expanding its leadership. It hired David New as head of Apac and Matt Kanas as head of Americas in October; Emma Crawford-Falekaono as head of EMEA, Rebecca Mihalic as  head of Accounting in Apac, and Jackie Brian as chief revenue officer in November.

Greathead was with RecieptBank for January 2015 until he moved to the new job. While there, he was VP of business development, North America, VP for customer marketing and headed its accountant’s program.

Michael Shapow has joined RubinBrown as partner-in-charge of the Business Advisory Services Group for the firm’s Chicago office. The move marks Shapow’s return to public accounting after 17 years with Robert Half Technology.

In his new role, Shapow manages employees in the areas of cyber security, SOC compliance, internal audit, IT consulting and transaction services. He works with clients in various industries in areas which include information technology, accounting, mergers and acquisitions, business development, market strategy and executive leadership development.

Shapow was a managing director with Robert Half International from 2003 through last month.  Before that, he was partner-in-charge of IT business consulting for RSM McGladrey from January 2009 through May 2012.

Blucora has named Chris Walters, an outside member of its board of directors, as its new CEO. The recently named executive replaces John Clendening, who resigned last month over what the board termed “differences in views on the scope of Mr. Clendening’s authority as CEO.”

Blucora is parent to TaxAct and Avantax Wealth Management, which was formed last year through the combination of the former HD Vest and the former 1^st. Global. Clendening had been CEO since April 2016.

The announcement of Clendening’s departure triggered a dip in the company’s stock price which had law firms that handle class action securities litigation lining up to say they were investigating the performance of Blucora’s leadership. Walters will remain on the board, where he has served since 2014, but will step down as chair of the chair of the compensation committee. 

Walters was previously a senior partner with Activate, a strategy consulting firm, from January 2019 through last month. He was CEO of Encompass Digital Media from January 2015 through November 2018.

“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…