Editor’s note: This is a Web-exclusive exhibit for “Password Management Strategies for Safer Systems.” Term Definition Clear Text Unencrypted characters in, for example, a password. Crack To decode an encrypted password. Social Engineering A hacker’s use of a plausible pretext to intimidate or trick an employee into divulging a password
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Information management and technology assurance
How Long Can You Hang in With Microsoft XP?
Q: I’m one of the Microsoft customers who opted not to “upgrade” to Vista. I don’t think I’m a dinosaur; I just have more important things to do than learn new software—especially when good, old reliable XP suits me just fine. So I’m hoping to stick with XP and Office
Put Some Zip in E-Mail Searches in Outlook
Q: Is there some way to speed up e-mail searches in Outlook? I get tons of mail, and I just don’t always have the time, or the patience, to sort them. Any ideas for a handy tool? A: Both Outlook 2003 and 2007 have very effective sorting tools. But when
A Fresh Approach for Compilation and Review
The AICPA’s Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC) has proposed the most significant changes to the professional literature for compilation and review engagements since the December 1978 issuance of SSARS no. 1, Compilation and Review of Financial Statements. The proposed Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARSs), issued
Password Management Strategies for Safer Systems
All of your business systems’ users have confidential passwords. Does that mean your system and its contents are safe? Definitely not. As this article explains, organizations that don’t ensure the ongoing security of their passwords are exposing themselves to fraud and potential liability by failing to protect confidential information. Recent
Use the Keyboard to Substitute for Excel’s Temperamental and Super-Sensitive Fill Handle
Q: I bet I’m not the only one who hates using the mouse to grab that little slippery fill handle in Excel. The idea is great—click on the tiny handle and drag it to fill cells in a variety of ways. But I can’t always maneuver the mouse with that
Boost Office Productivity With Dual Display Workstations
Q: I’ve been trying to convince my partners that we can boost productivity if we add a monitor to each desktop computer so each workstation will have dual displays. Most of the partners think it’s a waste of money. Since most of them read your Tech Q&A column, I figure
Who Says You Can’t Create a Watermark in Excel?
Q: My firm’s tech support guy says watermark functionality is not available in Microsoft Office Excel 2003. I can’t see how Microsoft could have left it out. Accountants typically have to be able to circulate a financial report with such words as CONFIDENTIAL or DRAFT printed in light type right
When to Use Stand By, Hibernate or Sleep—It Does Make a Difference
Q: Does it make any difference whether I put my computer to “sleep” by choosing Stand by or Hibernate? A: They both are techniques for putting your computer to sleep—and saving power. So, when you wake them up, the recovery is fast—that is, relative to a startup from a complete
Shortcuts
For Excel Ctrl+Shift+!—Applies the number format with two decimal places, thousands separator and minus sign ( – ) for negative values. Ctrl+Shift+$—Applies the currency format with two decimal places (negative numbers in parentheses). Ctrl+Shift+%—Applies the percentage format with no decimal places. Ctrl+Shift+#—Applies the date format with the day, month and
Compilation and Review Engagements: Why Tackle This Project Now?
Editor’s note: This article is a sidebar to “A Fresh Approach for Compilation and Review.” Based on concerns expressed by stakeholders in compilation and review engagements, the Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC) turned to the AICPA’s Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS) for help in its consideration of how to
Supercharge Your Excel Sum Operations
Many CPAs, frustrated by rigid and inadequate reports from their general ledger or other enterprise systems, turn to Microsoft Excel. Nimble but powerful, Excel often manipulates data faster and more effectively than less agile applications. But to perform certain tasks optimally, a CPA sometimes may have to bypass what apparently
CPAs Embrace Twitter
Twitter has taken the Internet by storm. Like LinkedIn and Facebook, Twitter hosts a growing community of CPAs and financial professionals, but unlike its social-networking peers, the microblogging Web site limits users’ messages, questions and conversations to 140 characters (including spaces). To put this limit into perspective, this paragraph has
ETAAC Recommends Congress Mandate More E-Filing
Do-it-yourself e-filing by individual taxpayers increased 19% from 2008 to 2009, the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC) said in its 2009 Annual Report submitted to Congress on Wednesday. However, e-filed returns by tax preparers were down 1%. Overall, the committee estimates that for major form types, 59% of returns
Revamped IT Certification Available
The AICPA on Monday unveiled revisions to the Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP) credential that will reward accountants for real-world experience, life-long learning and, optionally, similar credentialsfrom other organizations. The announcement came at the AICPA Tech+ Conference in Las Vegas. Because CPAs have taken on more responsibility in the areas
Explaining the Sample Fixed-Price Agreement
Editor’s note: This is a Web-exclusive sidebar for “Pricing on Purpose: How to Implement Value Pricing in Your Firm.” Also see Exhibit 7, a sample fixed-price agreement. Date of the FPAThe fixed-price agreement (FPA) shown in Exhibit 7 can be either for a calendar or fiscal year, depending on
A Lesson in Value Pricing Ice Cream: From an Accountant
Editor’s note: This is a Web-exclusive sidebar for “Pricing on Purpose: How to Implement Value Pricing in Your Firm.” The history of business is the history of epiphanies. Sometimes the fog clears up, and the right path is seen. This certainly happened—with respect to pricing—for Ben Cohen and Jerry
After Action Review
Editor’s note: This is a Web-exclusive sidebar for “Pricing on Purpose: How to Implement Value Pricing in Your Firm.” The following questions should be answered by the pricing council/CVO after each major engagement: Did we add value for this client? How could we have added more value? Did we
Sample Change Order
Editor’s note: This is a Web-exclusive sidebar for “Pricing on Purpose: How to Implement Value Pricing in Your Firm.” Client: Date: Project description and scope of services [and estimated completion date, if appropriate]: ________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ Price:$_____________ We believe it is our responsibility to exceed your expectations. This Change Order
Pricing Council and CVO Purpose and Criteria
Editor’s note: This is a Web-exclusive exhibit for “Pricing on Purpose: How to Implement Value Pricing in Your Firm.” Examples of purpose and strategy statements for the role of the pricing council and chief value officer (CVO) are: To ensure the firm prices on purpose, according to the value received
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