2008 May / June Edition

A Message from Doris:

Using remote access may benefit your company. The term “remote access” is often misunderstood. The definition and technical requirements may differ if you are a client, vendor, employee or internal IT department. The depth and usage of remote technologies vary and should be balanced with data security. Am I a proponent of remote access? Yes, you bet! All types of remote access? No, not really. Here are some reasons remote access may work for you.

For your Clients:

• Desktop support - this use is quick and effective. However, clients may be fearful, but love the solution.
• Training and new client servicing reach Applications such as Citrix®, Go To Meeting®, WebEx® and GoToMyPC ® are great for training at multiple locations and expanding servicing reach. Although not the same as face-to-face, these methods are winners when balanced against travel costs.
• Mobile offices - the once-central office is now mobile and business can occur outside the four walls, reliably improving quality of life (if you remember to turn off your cell phone).

For your Vendors:

• Service contracts - software downloads and licensing contracts are becoming more electronic.
• Shopping the web - for business to business activity, web access simplifies new vendor selection and broadens purchasing reach.

For your Employees:

• Telecommuting - remote E-mail from home computers and laptops improves productivity in the following ways: allows document sharing, knowledge transfer, centralized messaging, and telecommuting from home or elsewhere.
• Human resource management - managing timesheets, expense reports, vacation and other benefits via the web is becoming the norm.
• There are few negatives that come to mind when advising a client, vendor or employee to “go remote.” My biggest fear is security. Easy access may result in costly mistakes and losses. Try to avoid cheap software solutions for accessing remote data; you get what you pay for, but the data exposure risk is higher.
• Costly mistakes may result from poor connectivity, limited printing function, limited concurrent logins and load balancing.
• There are IT management differences between Terminal Services® (Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Connection) and Citrix Presentation Server®.
• My least favorite remote solutions are LOGMEIN® and GOTOMYPC®. Both have lag time and are limited on speed when servicing multiple points of hardware on a network. As such, this limitation may only be acceptable for the one-to-one login of a desktop resource.

Every point of contact on a network impacts remote access and network security. There are differences in routers and Virtual Private Networks (VPN), which are designed to handle security breaches. For instance, MS® VPN is free and Cisco® is not. There are technical reasons to choose Cisco® routers vs. others at $60 off the shelf. Wifi is great, and increases access, but is scary in some respects if not secured and properly configured. More and more I am seeing locking devices on laptops to access back to the corporate networks, but opening your laptop in an airport and turning on the Wifi can invite people to join you! Alternately, thumb drives and data wands are pocket size and slick, and with a “click” and a “drag”, data can be moved easily in a remote location. My security thoughts are not to be taken so ominously, but they should be considered when jumping on the remote access bandwagon. At DMC Accounting + Technology, we try to educate our clients and business partners on current topics, as well as foreseeable technology changes.

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Remote Desktop Connection

Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Connection is an integrated remote connectivity tool used to manage servers and workstations from off-site locations. The advantage of using Remote Desktop is that a user can connect to his or her machine from anywhere in the world. The disadvantage: it can create additional security vulnerabilities. However, these vulnerabilities can be easily overcome by the use of VPNs. If you are thinking about setting up a Remote Desktop Connection for your office to serve your accounting/ project management solution, consider using DMC Accounting + Technology to provide you with guidance regarding the best way to start. Here are a few of the pros and cons of Remote Desktop:

PROS:

• Your users can access their workstations from anywhere in the world.
• Resources (i.e. generating a report) are processed by the workstation you are remotely connected to, not the workstation you are remotely connecting with.
• Plug and Play devices (i.e. data wands, scanners) can be configured to be used with remote applications.
• You can copy and paste text from your local workstation to the remote workstation.

CONS:

• In Windows XP, only 1 user can be connected to a session at a time. This means if IT Support needs to remote in, the user in session will need to log off.
• If you choose to use Microsoft Remote Desktop without a VPN connection to access your network, you will be required to open ports, thereby creating additional security vulnerabilities.
• If you are performing heavy maintenance on your server using Remote Desktop which requires a reboot, it may fail to reboot entirely, requiring someone to physically turn it back on again.
• Most Remote Desktop clients are not cross-platform (i.e. Mac, Linux) compatible.

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Sales & Negotiation Boot Camp Experience by Guillaume Deflers

Two months ago, while at a BSA meeting, I had the chance to meet and listen to a partner from Next Level, Inc., who came in as a speaker for the Marketing Wizards Group that I am part of. I found his approach very different from the typical sales person, so I decided to schedule a meeting. After a few weeks of discussion, we managed to find a program that would address some of the issues that DMC Accounting + Technology encounter on a daily basis. So in May, Doris and I went for 3 days in a row to a boot camp on sales and negotiation!

Even though I was a student up until a year and half ago, I never attended an intensive sales/ negotiation class, so this experience taught me a lot about some of the techniques commonly used, and how to put them into practice. Learning by doing has never been more appropriate to qualify the three days we went through, because in order to understand the value of the training, role playing was the main method used.

The focus for our company was not to become sales people but to realize that there are techniques which can be applied to our business. Like every other business, people call in and request information, and if not qualified correctly you could spend a lot of time and energy on this “opportunity” when actually there is no way this prospect will do business with you. During our training, we spent a lot of time on these issues and how to listen to our clients. In the end, the best value we can provide is to fix your pain and predict additional issues before they happen.

At DMC Accounting + Technology, we believe in ongoing education and that is why we are keeping our consultants at the top of their game so they can help your company in the best possible way.

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Software Product Demos by Catherine Chubbuck

Accounting software changes are hard to make, especially when you don’t have the complete picture. As with everything else these days, computer software is evolving. Gone are the days when you purchased something and you expected it to last forever. Planned obsolescence is more than just a catch phrase; it is in fact a marketing tactic used by all segments of the industry on a daily basis.

For instance, after we purchase the newly developed software, we will also need to buy new computers to run the new software. In our homes, we are being forced to upgrade our television sets or purchase a converter because of the change in television technology. Gas prices are so high we are being forced to purchase “hybrid” automobiles for better mileage to lower our gas costs. No matter where you look, we are being talked into spending more money to help us operate more efficiently. Whether we like it or not, change is here to stay.

Because we as a firm need to keep up with the ever changing technology, DMC has been sponsoring some product demonstrations for us and our clients so we can see firsthand what is going on. We recently held two open seminars on two different accounting software packages, BQE and Axium. Both of these events were well attended, and we hope we achieved our goal which was to disseminate information to those who will need it. It really was exciting for me to see firsthand some of the alternatives that we could possibly offer for our clients.

It is too easy to get into a rut, especially when what you have is working well. It is also very difficult to make capital decisions without getting the full picture. Planning is essential, and knowing what elements to include in the overall plan are even more essential. For those of you who were not able to attend and might like more information or guidance, please don’t be shy. We will be glad to offer you whatever kind of assistance you need.

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