Ryan McCowan, CPA.CITP — 39

Professional Associations/Memberships: AICPA, Kentucky Society of CPAs

Civic Involvement: Member and Treasurer of the local camp of Gideons International; Member and Treasurer of Corinth Baptist Church.

Hobbies: Developing technology solutions

Cell phone: Apple iPhone 4

Favorite app: CPA Xpress, because I wrote it. lol

 

What are some ways your firm/business has gone “paperless” and/or “green” in the last two years? We implemented the paperless environment with FileCabinet CS over nine years ago and have never looked back. Every year, we review our procedures and practices that we can change to tweak our paperless philosophy. Probably the most significant being the idea that every computer must have dual monitors and that every employee has a personal scanner.

How many monitors do you have on your desk? Technically, I have two, but one is a large 24-inch.

What operating system and version of Microsoft Office is installed on your work computer? I actually use Mac OS X, and I have Microsoft Office 2007 hosted through my Virtual Office CS.

Are you using social networking (such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook) as a marketing tool for your practice/business … or do you use such sites for personal use only? Have you gained any clients or seen other demonstrable benefits from the use of social networking? I have accounts with Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook but primarily use it for personal use. I did use all of them to introduce everyone to my iPhone app “CPA Xpress” that I have developed, and I saw an increase in app sales after posting.

What pitfalls or what unwritten rules of social networking etiquette exist, which are frequently missed by others in the profession? As a professional, if you are adding clients to your friends list, you need to be conscience to what you post. Some of your personal tastes, preferences and habits may actually offend some of your clients.

Do you embrace cloud computing? Yes, we embraced cloud computing by moving to NetClient CS, NetStaff CS and Virtual office CS from Thomson Reuters. All of our client information, accounting software and client interaction is now web-based.

How is cloud computing changing the accounting profession, and how concerned are you with the security issues related to cloud computing? I believe cloud computing isn’t going away and is here to stay. I don’t have concerns about security considering the fact that most firms have inadequate security at their offices. In most cases, I believe they have more exposure by having the data at their office or on laptops that are easily stolen. With cloud computing, disaster scan strike, computers can be stolen and hackers can infiltrate, but your clients’ data is still secure.

Do you foresee the majority of firms still implementing servers for the majority of their computing in their offices five years from now or do you think they will be outsourcing this component to vendors who specialize in this area? I believe it will be mostly cloud based.

Do you use online resources like webcasts for CPE training? Yes

Do you listen to podcasts? Yes, daily. Probably my favorite is “MacBreak Weekly.”

Do you subscribe to a magazine and/or local newspaper? I subscribe to The Wall Street Journal “iPad Version” and a couple of “iPad” magazines. I don’t read paper magazines or newspapers anymore and have not for a number of years.

How many hours of the day are you plugged in and responsive to client needs? And what tools/products make it possible for you to have flexibility? We have been using NetClient CS since 2002, which gives our clients 24/7 access to most of the information they need. Although the demand for personal contact (emails, phone calls, office visits) is still there, the need for this has diminished, allowing us to handle more client needs with greater efficiency.

What ONE piece of technology could you absolutely not live without? My iPhone. It has become my personal computer that gives me access to almost everything I need that I can easily carry with me.

NOT including your current employer, what company do you most admire and why? Apple … because they have built there products with a “Simple” philosophy to the end user. I believe we as accountants should strive to do the same.

What is an “old school” business practice or process you’d like to see changed in the next five years and why? The one I have been confronted with the most is the idea that other accountants are reluctant to share client information in a digital format. For example, a client leaves a firm and requests a copy of the depreciation schedule but is refused a digital copy either in Excel format or a backup. I believe this is an outdated and “old school” practice that should be obsolete in today’s world. Why create more work for the new accountant and more fees for the client just because they decided to move to another firm. I believe it is a petty act and should not be tolerated in our profession.

What are some of your favorite books, movies, music, websites, and TV shows? “Integrity” by Henry Cloud and “QBQ” by John Miller.

What sports team/championship event do you absolutely refuse to miss? University of Kentucky Basketball