The general rule of thumb to recognize in the accounting field is that these professionals are typically reluctant to adapt to change. That’s what makes them such reliable resources for tracking P&L. But changes in our use of information technology have forced even the most reluctant accountant to adopt online business models that afford them the flexibility that their clients demand. With these online models comes a need for IT service management to help CPAs control and adapt to these new architectures that add scalability to their practice models.

This post explores some of the trends driving CPA firms of all sizes to supplement or select IT service management as a viable option to improve their on-site workflows.

Get a free assessment of your IT-related workflows. Are you staying relevant in the marketplace?

Trends in IT Service Management

Today’s management accounting solutions have expanded to include consulting services. That’s because cloud technology has allowed everyone access to the accounting software that was traditionally housed within the four walls of the CPA office.

As a result, forward-thinking accountants are shifting their role to create value in this new digitally driven marketplace. New roles are being carved out related to enterprise performance management and more predictive accounting practices. Predicting and understanding the impact of future expenses and market shifts are all part of the trends that are moving accountants from traditional CPAs to the role of trusted advisors.

As these shifts are occurring, accounting firms are seeking new ways to manage their IT infrastructures. Creating a standardized secure platform while leveraging cloud computing models requires a partnership with an IT service management firm that can help accountants manage risk while making the best use of these new workflows.

Today’s IT service management providers help CPA firms of all sizes in the following ways:

• Cloud Security
  This is the biggest concern stated by most accountants as their reason for still avoiding cloud models. But IT service management actually makes cloud models more secure – not less. That’s because the key word in IT service management is “management.” Managed IT service providers can monitor your network 24/7/365, which is not something that most on-premise networks benefit from. IT service management can serve as the foundation for cloud security.
• Stable IT Platforms
  Having a single source of truth around your IT models means that you have one IT management structure to handle all of your different vendors. This will ultimately create stability across even the most diverse architectures. IT service management will help you create interoperability between disparate vendors, which will improve your workflows, potentially automating services that have been traditionally done by hand.
• Device Management
  Today, network security means managing connection points through phones and other digital devices. Simplifying and securing these security interfaces, while still allowing cloud access are important tasks for IT service management personnel.

Accounting providers failing to adapt to the new trends sweeping the marketplace are at risk of falling behind. IT service management is another tool that can help CPAs avoid becoming obsolete in the face of cloud-computing models.

Request a quote on IT service management and change your accounting firm for the better.