As the tax and accounting profession continues its transition to SaaS (Software as a Service), client data continues its move outside the walls of firms and into the “cloud.” All firms should be concerned about data security and compliance regarding their client’s data. Even though the power, convenience, and cost-effectiveness of SaaS applications is widely accepted, professional standards call for healthy skepticism when it comes to safeguarding client data.

This is nothing new as data security has been a long-time concern within the tax and accounting profession—oftentimes slowing the adoption of SaaS among less well-informed firms. The reality is that data security is reliant not only on the application itself, but also on the vendor’s internal controls for handling the data. Fully aware of the profession’s concerns, many leading SaaS vendors have taken significant steps to ensure security of client data and help firms comply with rapidly changing ethical, legislative, and regulatory mandates.

I just boarded a plane and discovered that the airline now offers wireless Internet on certain flights.   What a concept!  Just think, I can check email, browse the Web and access all of my web applications.

The flight attendants announce that wireless internet access will be available once we hit 10,000 feet.  So, of course, the geek side of the brain says, “Fire up the laptop and find out what this service is all about.”  I was the first in my row to click the Configure WiFi button and connect to the wireless network.

Like dandelions in the spring, social media tools seem to be showing up everywhere. Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, and LinkedIn are just a few of the players in a market that is growing at warp speed. In this article, we will examine some of the social media tools available to accountants and review how you can get started with social media.

When I joined the Rotary Club of Los Osos, CA, I got a lot of handshakes and a free breakfast, a presentation about the organization’s history, and access to 30 other businesspeople looking to network.  I got the chance to provide humanitarian service, as the group’s charter states, and I got to socialize with the group’s members and their friends who wanted to do the same thing.

When I joined FaceBook, I didn’t get any handshakes or free breakfasts, and I can’t say I’m helping build goodwill and peace in the world. But my universe isn’t limited to the people in the meeting room at the golf course on Friday mornings . It’s only limited to every person I’ve ever known who’s joined the wildly popular Web site and a lot of people I’d never met before joining.