Tech Tips for Tax Season

Even an experienced Olympian wouldn’t
run a marathon without staying
in shape through the year
and then stretching out for
the event. And you wouldn’t
plan a road trip from New
York to California without
having your mechanic perform
a tune-up and thoroughly inspect
your car.

Well, that’s essentially
what you’re doing if
you jump into tax season without
testing your computers, printers
and other hardware and software.
The addition of new PCs, printers
and programs can affect the
ability of networked systems
to operate efficiently, and
even non-networked stand-alone
systems are not immune to
glitches that can put a stop
to work processes.

Here are a few of the primary
areas of concern when preparing
your office technology for
tax season. If you haven’t
already done so, perform these
checks as soon as possible:
It’s obviously better
to find out if there’s
a problem with your system
in early January than in late
February when the crunch is
on.

Workstations

Ensure that all of your computers
work and that they work together.
Firms that ramp up during
tax season by adding temporary
workstations are particularly
vulnerable to problems resulting
from old operating systems
and software conflicts. New
software and hardware constantly
evolve and change the way
they work with other programs,
so just because the computer
worked last year doesn’t
mean it will this year. So
when you dust off the old
computer in the closet, be
sure to download the appropriate
patches and service packs
from www.windows.com,
and test all vital programs
and printing functions.

Even when the software is
properly functioning and a
workstation is working adequately,
old PCs can limit productivity
due to other factors such
as slower processors, less
memory or lower storage capacity
that may hinder the users
of that system. If the system
is more than three years old,
it is probably time to replace
it, or at least replace its
three core components: processor,
memory and hard drive. A local
computer store should be able
to do this for under $250.

Tax Software
Load and run your tax software
immediately. The final versions
of tax software usually ship
in the last week or two of
the year, and may include
updates into the first months
of the year, depending on
tax legislation. Loading it
immediately and testing it
from all workstations that
will access it ensures not
only that the program works
and does not conflict with
other programs on the system,
but that your firm is using
the version that most accurately
reflects changing tax law.
The key areas to check out
include the printing functions
and communications/online
functions. This can also be
turned into an additional
training opportunity for your
staff.

Bandwidth

This has nothing to do with
the girth of a tuba player.
The Internet connection you
use year-round may be fine
for the number of staff you
normally have working, but
may not be adequate during
tax season. If your office
adds workstations and seasonal
employees during tax season,
you might notice a significant
slowdown in your Internet
connectivity. The amount of
concurrent data flow your
connection can allow is called
bandwidth, and it is shared
by everyone in your office.
You need online connectivity
for all of your staff, so
if the drain is significant,
consider adding another DSL
or cable line or, if your
firm ramps way up and is located
in a major metropolitan area,
you may be able to share a
T-1 line.

Printers
Even with the move to a ‘less
paper’ office, printers
are still a workhorse in a
tax firm. Whether you’ve
added a new printer or not,
your tax software changes
every year so make sure that
all printers are compatible.
While you’re at it,
you might consider adding
a printer or two to make sure
that all users have one nearby.
Likewise, make sure your copiers,
scanners and other office
hardware are toned-up (with
toner, of course) and ready
to perform their mission-critical
roles.

Backup System

Every firm must have a backup
system. If you lose client
data at this time of year,
there may not be a next year.
Numerous methods are available
for backing up data, from
online solutions, to removable
hard drives, tape drives,
CDs and DVDs. What’s
the best one? The one you
will use religiously. Make
sure that it works before
tax season and, if you’ve
been a little less than faithful
to the routine during the
slower months, get back on
track now.

Security

Is your firm a Brinks truck
or a Yugo? What would you
rather have protecting the
cache of client SSNs, bank
account numbers and personal
data you collect? Client data
security is a year-round concern
but needs to be highlighted
during tax season when an
increase in the volume of
clients, paper documents and
reliance on temp staff converge.
Use the passwords and other
security features in your
software and ensure that staff
members properly log out when
away from their workstations.
Develop a shredding policy
for trash-bound waste, or
use a shredding service provider.
If you have the ability and
you think it’s prudent,
perform background checks
on temp staff and custodial
staff.

Mr. O’Bannon is the
technology editor for The
CPA Technology Advisor. He
can be reached at isaac.obannon@cygnuspub.com.