Mr. Bourke describes his topic: Technology and its use are constantly changing, and the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly played a big role in that transformation. Regardless, there’s a silver lining for accountants. Many accountants did not miss a beat—they had already been scaling the use of technology to conduct their own businesses and better service clients. Now they’re wondering if they’ll ever go back to the office. Accounting professionals have also been able to take advantage of new opportunities to derive revenue from the PPP applications, associated forgiveness documentation, as well as helping their clients deploy technology. “It’s part of everything we do now; we’re on Microsoft Teams and Zoom all day long. The ‘new normal’ is that there’s little reason to return to our physical offices.”
“Technology is a global language. I spend a lot of time in London, and also speak at conferences in Sydney and Dubai. Everyone there knows and speaks about Microsoft Office 365, Teams and Zoom—these technologies comprise our universal language, regardless of where we’re from. We’re in a profession that consists of tax, audit and advisory services. Clearly tax and audit regulations are different everywhere; however, when it comes to technology and advisory services, we all do the same thing. Software applications and generating revenue by providing advice do not have geographic boundaries.”
“I’ll be tailoring my presentation to the smaller firms. Technology used to be a differentiator, but the cloud has leveled the playing field. A sole practitioner can have the same technology as the largest firms on the planet. The challenge with COVID-19 work at home orders was replicating that technology environment at home. Regarding new technologies yet to be adapted, like artificial intelligence and machine learning, we as professionals, need to embrace them. If these technologies can help with automating and checking manual tasks, we can spend more time interpreting the data and advising our clients—high value services. Lastly, I’ll be addressing security and the challenges of a remote work environment. The silver lining here is that it represents another opportunity for revenue. In fact, cybersecurity is the fastest growing practice in my firm and also allows us to hire a more diverse workforce. What does the future hold? Yes, we’ll definitely be going back to our offices in a limited capacity. We do need human interaction, just not at the same level as in the past.”
About ATS 2020
The Educational Foundation of the Nassau/Suffolk Chapter of NCCPAP and Nassau/Suffolk Chapter of NCCPAP present this year’s 18th annual NCCPAP Accounting and Tax Symposium (ATS 2020). Formerly known as the Long Island Tax Professionals Symposium or LITPS, this year’s conference will be virtual and national. Based on years of success and to accommodate work at home mandates, the organizations are expanding their reach and offering the same high value experience with speakers, exhibitors, and attendees in a virtual conference format. Attendees can earn up to 36 CPEs over the four-day conference. Early Bird discounted pricing is available through October 23, 2020. Learn more at nationalats.org.
About NCCPAP
The National Conference of CPA Practitioners (NCCPAP) is a professional organization comprised of Certified Public Accountants practicing in the United States. In addition to serving as a forum for education, networking, and community impact, NCCPAP also advocates for its clients. NCCPAP influences tax administration and tax policy by regularly meeting with Internal Revenue Service representatives, state taxing authorities, and elected officials. NCCPAP members represent over one million businesses and individual clients. The organization is headquartered in Woodbury, NY. For more information visit, www.NCCPAP.org.
Agency Contact Administration Contact
Francine Carb Kathy Casey
fcarb@markitects.com kcasey@ns-nccpap.org
610-687-2200 516-997-9500 Ext 2
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