Q: I open email messages as they arrive to determine how important they are, and if they are less important, I simply leave them open and respond to them later. However, my computer sometimes reboots automatically after installing updates, thereby closing all of my open email messages. When this happens,
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Information management and technology assurance
Kick-start your computer
Q: My computer takes almost four minutes to start up. How can I make it start faster? A: You can take several measures to make your computer start faster. My first tip would be to buy a new Windows 8 computer with a solid-state drive (SSD). I have two such
Five apps for CPAs
For all but the most tech-averse souls, smartphones and tablets have become an integral part of CPAs’ daily lives. This development can be attributed in large part to the quality of the applications available for mobile devices. Here are five apps that will help CPAs take their mobile productivity to
Restore time
Q: Help, I removed the clock and date display from my Windows 8 System Tray, but I can’t figure out how to get it back. A: It is easier to remove the Clock and Date applet than to restore it because you can right-click on the app to hide it,
Six cybersecurity basics
The steady barrage of headlines about cybersecurity underscores a topic viewed with wary eyes by many executives, board members, and investors. Employees may have access to sensitive data through smartphones that they carry everywhere. Globalization has increased the geographic reach of companies – making them visible to ever more hackers.
Auditors have important role in cybersecurity
The steady stream of headlines about data breaches has the business community and regulators on high alert with regard to cybersecurity. An online PwC survey of global executives and IT directors conducted early in 2013 found that detected cybersecurity incidents rose 25% over the previous year. And 31% of executives
Internal auditors racing to keep pace with technology
Internal auditors have a strong desire to know more about emerging technologies and improve the way they use technology to perform their duties, a new survey shows. Mobile applications and social media are among the top areas of technical knowledge that internal auditors most need to improve, according to a
Use data privacy to gain a competitive advantage
Data privacy doesn’t have to be an issue that keeps executives awake at night. Instead, companies that approach data privacy the right way can use it to differentiate themselves, said Carolyn Holcomb, CPA, the leader of PwC’s data protection and privacy practice in the United States. “We see companies that
Anonymous recipient
Q: Is it possible to receive email anonymously? I don’t intend to do anything illegal, but occasionally I’d like to use an anonymous email address to sign up for reading websites or for temporary communication purposes. A: A website called Mailinator (mailinator.com) lets you create any email address and check
10 tips for implementing shared services
Shared services are being applied to an increasing number of functions. Human resources, IT, and finance were some of the first areas where shared services commonly were implemented. Now sales operations, supply chain operations, and marketing are taking advantage of shared-services platforms.
In bed with YouTube
Q: I recently produced several professional videos promoting our company’s services, and I’ve uploaded them on our webpage. Unfortunately, our website is hosted by one of those inexpensive web-hosting companies with a bare minimum of performance and internet bandwidth; therefore, our new videos take forever to load, and once they
A better letter
Q: Can you point me toward a good website that provides default business letters and contract wording so I don’t have to prepare all of my business letters and contracts from scratch? A: Instead of referring you to a website, I will instead direct you to Word 2013’s templates, which
Bugged by Excel’s calculation errors
Q: I found an anomaly with a rather simple Excel computation; specifically, Excel calculates 111,111,111 times 111,111,111 to equal 12,345,678,987,654,300, which is incorrect (the correct answer should end in “21,” not “00”). If Excel’s arithmetic fails, then what else is false, and why does this happen? (Author’s note: You
Patent predicaments: Be wary of dubious claims
CPA firms and their clients have been targeted by patent-holding companies demanding licensing payments for use of seemingly ordinary business processes. Handling the threat of a lawsuit can be a delicate matter, even as regulators and legislators undertake efforts to rein in patent-holding companies and patent-assertion entities.
A bright answer
Q: Our training room’s projector died, and we are in the market for a new one. Can you give us some advice as to what we should look for in a replacement projector? A: The good news is that today’s projectors are better than ever—and far less expensive. There are
AICPA, CPA Canada to collaborate in forensics, technology advisory services
Members of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) will have access to a broad portfolio of specialized information through the AICPA Information Management and Technology Assurance Section and its Forensic and Valuation Services Section. Under an agreement announced Friday, CPA Canada members can join those sections and will
Failure to detect theft and fraud: It’s not just an audit issue
CPAs can use several techniques to protect themselves against risk exposures related to failure to detect theft and fraud.
Navigate worksheets faster
Q: Is there a fast way to navigate dozens of worksheets in an Excel workbook? A: Yes. In Excel, to move to the next worksheet (to the right), press Ctrl+Page Down. To move to the previous worksheet (to the left), press Ctrl+Page Up. To move back and forth by multiple
Smart ways to tap accountants’ business process acumen
There are ways to avoid disasters at the launch of the software and afterward, and some think accountants could play a bigger role in implementation work that has been largely dominated by IT and computer experts.
What gets monitored gets detected
As hardware and software have proliferated—and come down in price—more businesses have tools and settings at their disposal to implement continuous monitoring techniques. This article provides a few simple ways small and medium entities can improve monitoring processes to detect fraud and other risks.
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