Paperless Office Case Studies

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Paperless Office Case Studies

• Presented by
• Susan Bradley, CPA.CITP, GSEC, MCP
• Jim Bourke, CPA.CITP
• Barry MacQuarrie, CPA.CITP

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• Paperless vs. Less Paper

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• What we've done by automating our offices is
  increase our ability to produce paper at a
  growing rate of more than 25 percent per year.
• - Scott McCready, Analyst,
• International Data Corporation

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• 218 million printers
• 69 million fax machines
• 22 million multifunction machines (printer,
  scanner, and copier in one)
• 12 million copiers.

Source CAP Ventures, Inc., 1998
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• all the thousands of computers we see all
  have one thing in common they're all hooked up
  to at least one printer.
• - Scott McCready, Analyst, International
  Data Corporation

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Components of the Paperless Firm

• Production-Quality Scanners
• Document Workflow Tools
• Document Management Software
• Network and/or Web-based Storage
• Extranet/Client Portal/FTP Sites
• Firm Intranets (i.e. Lotus Notes, Sharepoint)
• Groupware/Practice Management Software
• Digital Fax Tools
• Audit Engagement Software

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Peripheral Considerations

• IT Security Policies
• Privacy Policies
• Document Retention Policies
• Workflow Analysis/Process Improvements
• Staff Training

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State of the Paperless Firm 2007 Current
Environment

• 87 store digital (PDF) versions of tax returns
• 75 scan and store client-provided supporting
  documents with return
• 69 use workflow tools with real-time status
  updates
• 67 utilize a centralized scanning process
• 55 employ firmwide document management program

Source Roman Kepczyk,State of the Paperless CPA
Firm, AccountingWEB.com, April 26, 2007
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• In 2007, 87 of the firms surveyed by the AAA
  were storing digital (PDF) versions of their tax
  returns, up from 76 in the 2005 survey.

Source Roman Kepczyk,State of the Paperless CPA
Firm, AccountingWEB.com, April 26, 2007
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State of the Paperless Firm 2007 Current
Environment

• 54 use email as primary tool for communication
  with clients
• 67 provide remote access tools to allow
  personnel to work outside the office
• 54 support remote access via VPN or
  Citrix/Windows Terminal Server
• 50 use digital fax solution that delivers faxes
  via email

Source Roman Kepczyk, State of the Paperless
CPA Firm, AccountingWEB.com, April 26, 2007
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State of the Paperless Firm 2007 Paperless
Office Trends

• 45 deliver tax info via encrypted or
  password-protected format
• 22 use an extranet or client portal to store and
  transfer client data
• 39 have updated their document retention
  policies
• 29 use intelligent scanning/input tools
• 25 use web-based back-up at least once a month

Source Roman Kepczyk,State of the Paperless CPA
Firm, AccountingWEB.com, April 26, 2007
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Paper v. Paperless
Source A Paperless Office is a Must Today,
Accounting Today, September 1, 2005
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• The typical CPA firm has 20 of its operating
  facility devoted to storing and retaining paper
  files
• - Robert E. Reynolds, Brady Ware

Source Achieving a Paperless Office,
Accounting Software411.com, December 2004
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• Real-life Paperless Stories

• The Firms Needs and Objectives
• The Solution They Chose
• Training Programs Initiated
• Policies and Procedures
• What They Would Do Differently

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• Solution I Choosing Maximum Flexibility
• Tamiyasu, Smith, Horn and Braun
• Presented by Susan Bradley

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Firm Profile Size of Firm 25 No. of Offices
1 Practice Areas Litigation, Bus.
Valuation Unique Needs Trial/Testimony Date of
Install 2 years
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• Solution Overview
• Components/Architecture
• Ad Hoc Solution
• Non-Hosted
• Backscanning
• Centralized Scanning
• Back-up/Security Measures

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• Decision/Planning Phase
• Who was involved in Decision?
• Alternatives Investigated
• Approach Taken
• Rationale
• Project Timeline

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• Implementation Phase
• Approach?
• Who was involved?
• What kind of staff training was required?
• How were processes modified?
• How was workflow affected?
• Upgrades Peripheral Considerations

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• Outcome
• What worked?
• What didnt?
• Efficiencies/capacities realized
• Modifications necessary
• Upgrade Plans

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• If I had to do it over again I would.

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Solution II The Paperless Office KAF
Financial Group Presented by Barry MacQuarrie
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Firm Profile Size of Firm 55 No. of
Offices 1 Practice Areas Tax, Audit, BV,
Consulting Date of Install 2000 - 2001
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• Solution Overview
• Hardware and software solutions
• CCH ProSystem fx Engagement
• Non-Hosted solution
• Scan at beginning of process to accommodate
  Xpitax outsourcing
• Centralized scanning

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• Decision/Planning Phase
• Who was involved in Decision?
• Alternatives Investigated
• Approach Taken
• Rationale
• Project Timeline

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• Implementation Phase
• Approach?
• Who was involved?
• What kind of staff training was required?
• How were processes modified?
• How was workflow affected?
• Upgrades Peripheral Considerations

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KAF Paperless Processes
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(No Transcript)
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• Outcome
• What worked?
• What didnt?
• Efficiencies/capacities realized
• Modifications necessary
• Upgrade Plans

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• If I had to do it over again I would.

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• Solution III Hosted Document Management
• WithumSmithBrown
• Presented by Jim Bourke

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Firm Profile Size of Firm 500 No. of
Offices 8 Practice Areas Tax, Audit, BV,
PFP, LS Unique Needs Client Self-Service Date
of Install Fall 2001
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• Solution Overview
• Components/Architecture
• Commercial v. Ad Hoc Solution
• Hosted v. Non-Hosted
• Upfront v. Backscanning v. Digital Output
• Centralized v. Decentralized Scanning
• Back-up/Security Measures

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• Paperless Office Infrastructure

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• Decision/Planning Phase
• Who was involved in Decision?
• Alternatives Investigated
• Approach Taken
• Rationale
• Project Timeline

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• Implementation Phase
• Approach?
• Who was involved?
• What kind of staff training was required?
• How were processes modified?
• How was workflow affected?
• Upgrades Peripheral Considerations

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• Outcome
• What worked?
• What didnt?
• Efficiencies/capacities realized
• Modifications necessary
• Upgrade Plans

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• If I had to do it over again I would.

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• Questions?

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Contact Information

• For questions
• E-mail infotech_at_aicpa.org, or
• Call [phone], option 4

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Resources

• Paperless Resources on the IT Center
  http//infotech.aicpa.org/Resources/PracticeManag
  ement/PaperlessOffice/
• AAA 2007 Benchmarking Paperless Office
  Practices, by Roman Kepcyzk, CPA.CITP
  http//www.itpna.com/Vision/2006/20061220Becnhmark
  ingPaperlessPractices.htm

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Resources

• Status of the Paperless CPA Firm, by Roman
  Kepczyk,CPA.CITP http//infotech.aicpa.org/Resourc
  es/TopTechnologyInitiatives/Top10Technologies
  2006/PaperlessDigitalTechnologies/PaperlessDigi
  talTechnologies.htm

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Resources

• Paperless Digital Technologies, by Mark
  Mayberry, CPA.CITP, CISA http//infotech.aicpa.or
  g/Resources/TopTechnologyInitiatives/Top10Tech
  nologies2006/PaperlessDigitalTechnologies/Paper
  lessDigitalTechnologies.htm

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Resources

• ITEC Best Practices Series Paperless Office
  Planning, by John Seale, CPA.CITP
  http//infotech.aicpa.org/Community/MemberCommuni
  cations.htm

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Resources

• ITEC Best Practices Series Paperless Office
  Planning, by John Seale, CPA.CITP
  http//infotech.aicpa.org/Community/MemberCommuni
  cations.htm
• Mobile/Remote Computing Case Study Project
  Balance
• www.aicpa.org/toptech