Technology
Workflow Leader XCM Solutions Teams With Fujitsu and SpeedTax to Support CPA Outreach Alliance
Strategic alliance will continue to educate and inform CPAs and accounting professionals about technologies that help their firms and their clients become more efficient and productive
Jan. 24, 2011
Braintree, MA – XCM Solutions, LLC, the pioneer in delivering paperless
workflow solutions to the accounting profession, today announced it has joined
the CPA-focused strategic alliance formed in 2010 by Fujitsu, the market leader
in document imaging scanners, and SpeedTax, a provider of Software-as-a-Service
(SaaS), fully-automated sales tax solutions.
XCM is web-based workflow management software that controls all the processes
for completing work within a firm, ensuring best practices are followed and
eliminating the disorganization typically associated with paper-based workflow.
Additionally, XCM provides a central location for storing all the unstructured
data related to a particular client project – important bits of knowledge scribbled
on note pads or shared through email that find their way into a client file.
Managing client information and project knowledge in a central location enables
responsive client service and practice management.
Fujitsu, SpeedTax and XCM have independently spent years working with CPA firms
of all sizes, and share the goal of sponsoring education and thought leadership
initiatives that help firms better understand how new technology adoption leads
to improved client service and retention, and ultimately to firm growth. The
expanded strategic alliance will also promote greater understanding of how integrated
document management and cloud/SaaS solutions work together to extend utility
across the firm.
Prior to the addition of XCM to the alliance, Fujitsu and SpeedTax sponsored
and released a free white paper authored by Jim Bourke, CPA.CITP, Partner at
WithumSmith+Brown, PC, titled “3 Key Tech Strategies of Successful 21st
Century Accounting Firms”. Bourke’s white paper details how competitive,
growth-oriented firms are leveraging technologies like document management and
Cloud/SaaS to better serve clients, improve internal operations, and promote
firm growth.
Most recently, Fujitsu and SpeedTax sponsored a survey of Top 100 CPA firms
conducted by Bay Street Group, LLC, a New York-based custom research and strategy
consulting firm for the professional tax, accounting and finance community.
Preliminary survey findings show that 82% of firms tie new technology adoption
to client retention and CPA firm growth. And, significantly, another key top-line
finding indicates that through the adoption of workflow, scanning and SaaS solutions,
firms can demonstrate they have the experience and knowledge to make any client
matter more efficient and productive.
While still underway, the final results of the Bay Street Group survey will
be published later this month, and a detailed survey report will be available
from Fujitsu, SpeedTax and XCM at no charge.
“I’m extremely excited to see these three providers working together
to help accountants focus their energy away from technology via adoption of
Cloud and paperless technologies,” said Jason Blumer, CPA.CITP, managing
shareholder of Blumer and Associates, CPAs, PC, and founder of the Cloud-focused
THRIVEal+CPA Network. “The Cloud automatically allows us to let the technology
‘just work’ while we spend more time focused directly on serving
our clients. Fujitsu, XCM and SpeedTax are experts in helping to eliminate inefficient
business processes for both CPAs and their clients, so I applaud their combined
efforts to continually educate and inform our profession.”
“We’re thrilled to join this strategic alliance of like-minded
vendors who have also worked to elevate the importance of adopting efficient
paperless practices for the profession,” said Glen Keenan, CPA, president
of XCM Solutions, LLC. “Cloud technology is the great equalizer in many
ways due to its extensibility, scalability, ease-of-integration and –
of course, affordability. Now, organizations of all sizes can benefit from the
best solutions available to the profession regardless of their size, infrastructure,
or available resources.”
“XCM is a logical and very welcome addition to our existing strategic
alliance with SpeedTax, and its products’ capabilities provide an ideal
example of why all firms need to adopt paperless and Cloud solutions,”
said Scott Francis, vice president of marketing at Fujitsu Computer Products
of America, Inc. “Workflow is a foundational element for paperless environments
and, similar to Fujitsu, XCM has captured a significant portion of the CPA market
by creating best-in-class solutions that help CPAs better serve clients. We
look forward to continued thought leadership and educational initiatives with
the added knowledge and experience that XCM brings to this expanding alliance.”
“XCM adds a significant new dimension to our strategic alliance with
Fujitsu, including years of insight into how paperless, Cloud and SaaS technologies
are transforming the profession,” said Anton Donde, CEO at SpeedTax. “With
XCM on board, we’re now blossoming into an affinity group of CPA-focused
vendors who are passionate about helping firms better serve clients and grow
their practices with smart technology solutions that are integrated, easy to
use, and most of all allow professionals to focus intently on client-facing
tasks. CPAs and other accounting professionals can look forward to some creative
initiatives from our alliance in 2011 focused on client retention and becoming
more competitive.”
About XCM Solutions, LLC
Founded by CPAs, XCM Solutions, LLC provides accounting firms with web-based
workflow management solutions that increase efficiency, productivity and profitability.
The company’s management team has drawn on its extensive experience in
public accounting and clear understanding of the paper-driven workflow issues
facing the profession to develop technology that addresses those challenges.
XCM’s customer-guided development process has helped the company continuously
raise the bar for business process automation solutions for the accounting profession.
The award-winning XCM workflow management software has become a key piece of
the technology equation for firms re-engineering paper-based processes as they
move toward a paperless environment. In 2010, CPA2Biz, a subsidiary of the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and XCM Solutions formed
a strategic alliance to bring the XCM workflow management software into CPA2Biz’s
Trusted Business Advisor Solutions cloud computing platform. For more information,
please visit www.xcmsolutions.com.
About Fujitsu
Fujitsu is a leading provider of ICT-based business solutions for the global
marketplace. With approximately 170,000 employees supporting customers in 70
countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide corps of systems and services experts
with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics
to deliver added value to customers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited
reported consolidated revenues of 4.6 trillion yen (US$50 billion) for the fiscal
year ended March 31, 2010. For more information, please see: www.fujitsu.com
About Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc.
Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. is an established leader in the Document
Imaging industry, delivering innovative scanning solutions and services that
enable our customers to solve critical business productivity issues and streamline
operations. We provide cutting-edge document capture solutions for business
and personal environments, backed by a comprehensive portfolio of service and
support programs. For more information about Fujitsu Document Imaging solutions
and services, please call us at 800-626-4686. For more information, please see:
http://us.fujitsu.com/fcpa
About SpeedTax
SpeedTax is an easy-to-use, affordable and technologically advanced Software-as-a-Service
sales tax solution. SpeedTax performs real-time, automated sales tax calculations,
integrates seamlessly with its customers’ financial or e-commerce systems,
and provides automatic returns preparation and filing, while enabling reporting,
treasury management and audit defense with sophisticated, web-based compliance
management and reporting tools. SpeedTax currently keeps customers up-to-date
on more than 17,000 taxing jurisdictions nationwide. SpeedTax helps businesses
of all sizes to accurately and affordably outsource the most tedious, repetitious
and time-consuming aspects of sales tax compliance – researching, calculating,
posting, reporting and remitting sales taxes – while simultaneously acquiring
the ability to better manage their business via online, real-time access to
sales tax data. For more information, visit www.speedtax.com,
or contact us at 888.349.2441.