TBS Educates Northern Virginia Society of CPAs about Cloud Computing

December 13, 2011 -- Technology & Business Solutions LLC founders Jay Ethridge and Joe Jezior presented an educational workshop titled “The Cloud for You and Your Customer’s Business” at the annual winter gathering of the Virginia Society of CPAs’ northern chapter in Falls Church, Virginia.

“At our last Northern Virginia CPAs meeting, everybody said they wanted to learn more about cloud computing,” said NVSCPA professional development committee member, Cindy Laporta, a Principal at Kositzka, Wicks and Company. “I can think of no one better qualified than TBS to provide that education for CPAs.”

The TBS educational session provided a practical overview on the types of cloud services available in the marketplace, highlighted by a hands-on guide that helps organizations decide when and if cloud-based solutions are appropriate for their business systems.

“The rapid evolution of cloud services presents most organizations with more questions than answers,” says TBS co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Joe Jezior. “So, it’s important to critically assess your business requirements system-by-system, in order to determine which cloud is best for you.”

Mr. Jezior says that consumer demand – not business demand – has given rise to proliferation and innovation in cloud computing. “Consumers now see the very best portability, capabilities and security in their personal computing lives, with services like GMail and Evernote and iCloud,” he says. “Increasingly, they’re asking -- Why can’t my business IT systems be safe, portable and cost-effective too.”

As shared with the Virginia Society of CPAs audience, TBS believes that well-defined business requirements should fuel an organization’s move to The Cloud. So, whether it’s an Accounting, CRM, Document Management or Performance Management system, organizations should consider critical and measurable factors like remote system access, hardware and software maintenance, security requirements, regulatory compliance mandates, reporting needs, and whether their IT systems should integrate together when considering their cloud options.

“There are two fundamental types of clouds available to businesses – Private Clouds and Public Clouds,” says TBS co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Jay Ethridge. “With Private Clouds organizations transfer their internal IT expense to an outsourced provider that typically costs just about the same, plus a margin. This is pure cost transfer, but there are real benefits with this approach.”

One drawback Mr. Ethridge points out with the private cloud model is that customers must monitor and request improvements or enhancements to their private cloud, if the provider’s environment does not meet their changing business needs. “You do get a higher level of IT resource with private clouds, but you also must baby-sit that resource,” says Mr. Ethridge.

Public Clouds, like those provided by TBS and Salesforce and Microsoft Office 365, provide a best-in-class platform for accessibility, scalability, security, regulatory compliance, reporting and integration, for all customers. And, Public Clouds eliminate any worries around software maintenance, as this is typically included free of charge.

Under a public cloud model all customers – whether they have 5 or 5,000 employees – receive the benefits of platform delivery. It is the public cloud provider’s responsibility – NOT the customer’s -- to ensure the highest standards for the IT environment. With the TBS Cloud for Deltek and QuickBooks products, for instance, the public platform provides 256-bit encryption security, SSAE16-SOC2 regulatory compliance (which includes SOX, MA201, ITAR, CMS, DISA, and other high-impact data rules), automatic disaster recovery, instant contract performance management, preconfigured integration tools that connect accounting systems to CRMs, HR and other software, and the ability to add and subtract users at any time.

“The public cloud model comes with built-in incentives for the provider to innovative, enhance its offering and keep costs fixed,” says Mr. Jezior. “Public Clouds deliver software as a service -- the very best benefits we see in our lives as IT consumers, are now available for your business’s accounting system too.”

To download a copy of the TBS presentation “The Cloud for You and Your Customer’s Business” or to schedule your own educational workshop with TBS on Cloud Computing email Brent.Stinar@TBS-llc.com or call 703.444.6562 x501.