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CPA TECH INSIDER ™

“Insider Tips to Make Your Firm Run More Profitably” February 2016

“As a managing partner or firm owner, you don’t have time or money to waste on technical and operational issues. That’s where we shine. We are your IT department!”

Michael Tompkins, CPA CPA Technology Group

February 2016

The 5 Most Dangerous Pieces of Information to Give in an Email ...Page 1

Do I Need to Back Up Data That’s Already in the Cloud? ...Page 2

If You Are Considering Cloud Computing For Your Company—Don’t, Until You Read This ...Page 2

Skill...And WILL ...Page 3

Six Easy Ways to Improve Your LInkedIn Profile ...Page 4

Inside This Issue…

In the book Spam Nation, inves-tigative journalist and cyberse-curity expert Brian Krebs re-vealed the single most effective (and relied upon) way cyber-crime rings gain access to your bank account, credit cards and identity. Ready for it? E-mail.

Whether it’s opening an attach-ment infected by a virus, or a phishing scam where you un-knowingly give up your login to a critical web site, e-mail still remains the most popular and reliable way digital thieves can rob you blind, steal your iden-tity and wreak havoc on your network. Worst of all? You’re INVITING them in! While there are a number of things you need to do to protect your-self, here are five pieces of in-formation you (and your staff) should NEVER put in an e-

The 5 Most Dangerous Pieces of Information

to Give in an Email

mail.

1.Your social security number. If you’re preparing tax returns, you know the nightmare that can happen if someone gets a hold of your SSN and files a fraudulent return. It can also be used to open credit cards or other forms of credit in your name.

2.Banking information. Your bank account numbers, routing number and online banking login credentials should never be e-mailed. Further, avoid sending a voided, blank check as an attachment to an e-mail.

3.Your credit and/or debit card

information. NEVER update a credit card via an e-mail! If you need to update a card with

What’s News Year-end tax law includes many changes. Highlights include making the American Opportunities tuition credit, child tax credit,

EITC and teacher supply credit permanent. For businesses, the Section 179 deduction was made permanent with a $500,000 limit, indexed

for inflation. Additionally, bonus first-year depreciation was extended through 2019.

TaxAct detects data breach. Tax prep software developer TaxAct suspended more than 9,000 accounts in the wake of suspicious

account activity. However, they believe the breach was the result of individuals reusing the same passwords on other services that were

compromised; not from a breach of TaxAct’s systems. A good reminder to never reuse the same password across multiple websites! If you

need a password manager, look at password management tools such as LastPass or Dashlane.

IRS admits problem with IP PINs. The IRS has stated that taxpayers are receiving Identity Protection PIN letters with the incorrect

year listed (2014 instead of 2015). However, they emphasized that the PIN number in the letters is still valid.

More people turning to faith-based groups for coverage. According to the WSJ, a growing number of people are turning to health -

care ministries for coverage. Officials estimate there are 500,000 people nationwide, up from 200,000 in 2010. These ministries, which

count as coverage under the ACA but are not regulated as insurance, provide a health-care cost-sharing arrangement among people with

similarly-held beliefs.

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February 2016 CPA Tech Insider

a vendor, there are two safe ways to do this. The first is to log in to your vendor’s secured site by going to the URL and logging in. Do NOT click on a link in an e-mail to go to any web site to update your account password or credit card! Hackers are mas-ters at creating VERY legit-looking e-mails designed to fool you into logging in to their spoof site, which LOOKS very similar to a trusted web site, to enter your username, password and other financial details, thereby gaining access. Another way to

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that most IT consultants don’t know or won’t tell you about cloud computing that could

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update your account is to simply CALL the vendor di-rect.

4.Login credentials and pass-

words. You should never share your passwords or answers to security questions with anyone for any site, period.

5.Financial documents. An AT-TACHMENT that includes any of the above is just as danger-ous to e-mail as typing it in. Never e-mail any type of finan-cial documents or tax returns unless they are password pro-tected with a lengthy, complex

password. It’s still best to use a special tool that will email clients a secure link to obtain their documents; determined hackers can still gain access to a password-protected PDF.

Remember: Banks, credit card companies and the government will never ask you to click a link to provide them with any of the five items above. If you get an e-mail requesting you to update any of the above information, there’s a good chance it’s a phishing e-mail from a hacker. Don’t be fooled!

Do I Need to Back Up Data That’s Already in the Cloud? The computing world is forever changing. Over the last 15 years, SaaS (software as a service) provid-ers have offered the convenience of data backup for your cloud applica-tions such as CRM systems, SalesForce, Google Apps and Mi-crosoft 365. Many tax and account-ing software packages today also offer the option for a hosted solution

where you login to their server to access your applications. The busi-ness question is, if I’m already working with a SaaS provider and my data is already “in” the cloud, do I really need to back up my da-ta to another cloud? After all, isn’t the SaaS provider doing that for me?

Well, yes and no. Yes, your data (one of your company’s most valuable assets) is being backed up by the service provider. And yes, it’s in the cloud. And yes, these providers have backups to their backups … but do you have complete assurance your-business-critical information is

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February 2016 CPA Tech Insider

Shiny New Gadget

Of The Month:

Keeps You In

Touch, Could

Save Your Life

If you fly often for business, a

satellite messenger may be just

the thing to stay in the cloud

when you’re above the clouds.

And if your travels for fun take

you into the wild, it could

literally be a lifesaver.

Just ask retired Houston

firefighter Michael Herrara.

After breaking three ribs and his

collarbone in a hard fall from his

dual-sport bike in a remote area

in Alabama, he hit the SOS

button on his messenger. Within

40 minutes an ATV was on hand

to transport him to a

trauma center.

Features to look for in a satellite

messenger include data speed,

battery life, coverage areas, size,

weight and ease of use.

And, of course, an SOS button.

SKILL…And WILL Let’s get one thing straight…we all begin as

a NOVICE.

No one – let me repeat that – NO ONE

starts as an expert. We all have to learn to

walk, talk, eat, swim, count, write and read.

We all start at zero, the bottom, from

scratch, zip…with absolutely no

knowledge, experience or understanding of

the “THING” we are about

to learn.

So, then the journey begins: your

progression from being a Novice, to being

Average, then Skilled, then a Specialist and

finally an Expert is all up to you. I really

like the title of “EXPERT” because it has to

be earned. You can assign someone a title of

Vice President or Sales Manager, Boss or

Director…but EXPERT – that title is

something to be revered, respected

and admired.

EXPERTS have put in the time, effort and

study to EARN the title. They have dealt

with the pains, frustrations, exhaustion and

stress that come with obtaining the title of

EXPERT. In fact, it’s really not a title at all,

it’s a designation or confirmation that the

person you are dealing with is very, very

good at what they do. I like being around

experts, because they have traits in their

character that can do nothing but

help me.

You see, to be an EXPERT you have to have

passion, conviction, focus, discipline,

dedication, drive, purpose, commitment,

spirit, determination…and the undeniable

WILL to perfect your SKILL.

According to the American Society for

Training & Development, American

workers average 6.5 minutes per day

developing their skill. That statistic alone

explains why there are so many average-

performing people. Most people just aren’t

WILLING to put in the time and effort

needed to raise their skill level.

Your success has a great deal to do with

your level of SKILL, but not everything. I

know a lot of talented, smart, well-educated

people who have in no way come close to

reaching their full potential.

You have the FREE WILL to succeed, if you

have the WILLINGNESS to do it.

The big question is WILL you? Who would

have ever thought such a simple word as

WILL would have so much to do with your

success. Here are a few quotes I want to

share with you that should hopefully

broaden your perspective on how

important WILLPOWER is to your success.

They are by people you may have never

heard of – de Balzac, Min and Crowley

respectively – but the brilliance of their

words is indisputable.

“There is no such thing as great talent

without great willpower.”

“Lack of willpower leads to more failure

than lack of intelligence or ability.”

“In the absence of willpower the most

complete collection of virtues and talent is

wholly worthless.”

Anyone can go from Novice to Expert if

they have the WILL to do it. But the “Skill

Knob” can only be turned to the “Expert

Notch” if you have the WILL to make it

happen and the discipline to study, learn

and practice.

Robert Stevenson is a highly sought after, internationally known speaker. He is the author of the best-selling books How to Soar Like An Eagle in a World Full of Tur-

keys and 52 Essential Habits For Success. Robert is a graduate of the Georgia Insti-tute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and is a former All-American Athlete. He started his first business at 24 and has owned several companies. Robert has international sales experience dealing in over 20 countries, and his client list reads like a Who’s

Who in Business. He has shared the podium with such renowned names as Gener-als Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf, Former President George H.W. Bush,

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February 2016 CPA Tech Insider

CPA Technology Group

277 W. San Antonio St.

New Braunfels, TX 78130

(830) 265-4200

www.cpatechgroup.com

This firm is not a CPA firm.

LinkedIn is a great social media platform for entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals. Unfortunately, your LinkedIn profile may not be helping you to create those connections.

So let’s tune yours up with six simple steps:

Step 1. Revisit your goals. At its most basic level, LinkedIn is about marketing: marketing your company or marketing yourself. Think about your goals and convert your goals into keywords, because keywords are how people find you on LinkedIn.

But don’t just whip out a keyword tool to identify popular keywords. Go a step further and think about words that have meaning in your industry. Use a keyword tool to find general terms that could attract a broader audience, and then dig deeper to target your niche by identifying keywords industry insiders might search for.

Step 2. Layer in your

Six Easy Ways to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile

keywords. The headline is a key factor in search results, so pick your most important keyword and make sure it appears in your headline. For example, if you specialize in tax returns for trusts, make sure that’s in there. Then work through the rest of your profile and replace some of the vague descriptions of skills, experience and educational background with keywords related to that.

Step 3. Strip out the clutter. The average person has changed jobs six to eight times before they reach age 30. Sift through your profile and weed out or streamline anything that doesn’t support your business or professional goals. If you’re currently an accountant but once worked as a car salesman, a comprehensive listing of that job is distracting.

Step 4. Add in some personality. Focusing on keywords and eliminating clutter is important, but in the process your individuality probably got lost. As accountants are stereotyped as lacking in the personality

department, it’s time to add enthusiasm and flair. Share why you love what you do in your profile. Describe what you hope to accomplish. Remember, no one connects with keywords. People connect with people.

Step 5. Take a good look at your profile photo. A photo is a little like a logo. On its own an awesome photo won’t win business, but a bad photo can definitely lose business.

A good photo flatters but doesn’t mislead. The goal is for your photo to reflect how you will look when you meet a customer, not how you looked at some killer party. The best photo strikes a balance between professionalism and approachability, making you look good but also real.

Step 6. Get recommendations. Most of us can’t resist reading testimonials, even when we know those testimonials were probably solicited. So ask for recommendations, and offer to provide recommendations before you’re asked. The best way to build great connections is to always be the one who gives first.

safe? Can you guarantee that? And do you have access to it in a timely manner? The answer to these questions may be no. As a rule, SaaS providers do not open backups to customers, nor do they make restoring critical data easy or intuitive. For example, SalesForce, the first commercial-ly available SaaS application, does nightly customer backups. But if you need to recover your data, you have to go directly to

SalesForce and pay a minimum of $10,000, then wait a few weeks for your data to be restored. There’s no question that the results of data loss can be devas-tating to your company. But when it comes down to it, it’s your company information and you need to take responsibility for safeguarding it. You need to have a strategy in place. Want to learn more about how to back up your cloud SaaS appli-

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2…. cations? Contact our office at 830-265-4086 or e-mail me at michael@cpatechgroup.com to schedule a time to discuss your par-ticular situation and what solutions are available to you.