“Big data.” You have heard these two words grouped together as one phrase for most, if not all, of your professional career. And it is a phrase that is not going away anytime soon. Why? Because as the accounting profession continues to evolve through the use of technology, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain, it is critical for firms that want a competitive advantage to analyze the data collected by these tools and others to make better business decisions and deliver more value to their clients.

This report focuses on the types of insights big data can provide to small and midsized accounting firms, as well as the types of data analytics accountants should know and how firms can leverage big data to enhance their relationship with clients.