IT Consulting
Accountants
have traditionally been involved with clients in
the consulting on information technology, because
accountants understand the system and business models
present in each client's operation. Accountants
have been designing systems since the industrial
revolution, and mechanizing the process seems a
natural extension of the process.
Unfortunately,
many accountants have failed to keep current in
the rapidly exploding technology field and have
fallen behind other more publicly traded companies,
(who used the stock markets to build huge consultancies
to service business). It is simply economies of
scale working in the marketplace. Today, you would
no more buy your computer hardware from your accountant,
than you would get your tax return done by your
typewriter or photocopy machine salesman.
There are however, valid necessary issues that
must be addressed when "re-engineering" the information
process in a business. The first and foremost is
internal accounting controls need to be maintained.
Checks and balances are built into accounting systems,
so they tip off others to problems that may arise.
For example, if the payroll department is not making
payroll tax transfers timely, the general ledger
accountant will notice the accrual on the general
ledger going higher and higher. Since the overall
penalty is over thirty-five percent of the un-deposited
taxes, it is hopeful this would be discovered shortly
by the general ledger accountant using the internal
accounting controls built into the system. You will
find this exact fact pattern flaw in many mainline
expensive relational databases on the market today.
When streamlining an accounting system, internal
accounting controls often get overlooked, because
it might be simpler to alleviate the control bottlenecks,
and gain a tremendous productivity increase. However,
as our illustration shows, this efficiency, can
be costly. It may also occur because the people
writing this code, while very good at languages,
often are not fluent in accounting systems and internal
accounting control. Simply put, IT consultants are
good at programming, and accountants are good at
designing adequate controls and systems.
Obviously, each person is needed to make an implementation
work in an information system conversion, and that
is where the accounting consultant can provide value.
Key Benefits
| • |
Reviewing the product specifications
and design for initial feasibility. |
| • |
Flow charting the current strengths
and weaknesses in the existing accounting
system and comparing it to the proposed
system. |
| • |
Analyzing the overall subsidiary subsystems
and inter-relationship with the general
ledger and physical flow of goods. |
| • |
Consulting with current users of a package
product to get independent feedback on their
experiences with the product. |
| • |
Documenting any custom changes in the
system, to determine if any leaks of security
or transactions are occurring. |
| • |
Determining guide-posts in the implementation
process and determining punch-list items
unfulfilled. |
| • |
Staffing considerations necessary to
accomplish the transition and running parallel
for a period of time to assure reliability. |
| • |
Training of company personnel in new
technology and providing backup staffing
assistance in case of client turnover in
personnel. |
| • |
Making sure that adequate duplication
exists for hardware, communication, and
casualty situations. |
Capabilities
At Bodtke & Stewart we are and continue to be one
of the frontrunners in the IT consulting area of
small and medium businesses. Our skill sets in operating
systems covers Novell, Windows 2000, and UNIX servers.
Our understanding of Novell Directory Services,
Active Directory, and UNIX file permissions enable
us to study security issues pertinent to each platform
you choose to implement. Finally, our understanding
of topography in TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, and NetBIOS enable
us to consult with you on physical security features
you may have, especially if you are connected to
the world wide web for messaging and communications.
Our primary strength however is in sizing up
applications programs for suitability, scalability,
and implementation. We can perform the internal
accounting control flowcharts, and perform strength
and weakness tests on software you plan to implement,
prior to purchasing. This is where we provide you
with the greatest value.
Implementing
Desktop Peer-to-Peer Can Programs
Currently
we support Peachtree multi-user with record locking
in a peer-to-peer and client/server environment.
Most small businesses with only a few workstations
and less than $5 million in revenues earned, find
this cost effective and sufficient.
Implementing Client/Server databases and
Three-tiered Servers
We are currently
supporting MS-SQL and Interbase server side databases
as well as FoxPro database on a share. Primarily
the users of these systems are manufacturing, distribution,
and construction contractors with over $5 million
in revenues earned.
Implementing
Exchange and Communications Software
We also support popular mail and communications
software for workgroup and collaboration packages,
as well as Time slips/Peachtree integration for
Professional Offices, and many other off the shelf
products.
If you would like to discuss implementation
or selection of software, please
contact us.
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More information on our services:
Accounting
Auditing
Tax
Consulting
Pension
Services
Litigation Support
Business Valuation
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