The objective of this paper is to design and recommend an information system (IS) for a start-up CPA business. The system must be both cost-efficient and serve the needs of the said start-up.
For this accounting firms requirements, the size of the business and the start-up cost must be carefully considered. The business will be manned by only the owner and his executive assistant and will be situated in a 1,000 square meter office space.
For this, the writer chose to have one unit of HP Proliant Server ML115 G5 and two units of the Compaq 500B Microtower Desktop PC and an HP Officejet J3600 All-in-one Printer for its hardware requirements. For the software requirements, the writer chose Intuit Quickbooks Enterprise 10.0 Accountants edition. For the connectivity requirements, the writer determined the need for a 1000Mbps internet connection.
Proposed Information System for CPA Start-Up
Background
A reliable and cost-efficient Information Technology (I.T.) infrastructure is essential to any company in todays business environment. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firm is no different.
As more and more companies are using automated accounting systems and software, the CPA Firm must keep up with this trend by having an IT infrastructure that is flexible, scalable, and cost-efficient.
Flexibility is needed to support various accounting system platforms being used by companies. Whether it be a proprietary accounting management system, a popular accounting software, or plain old Microsoft Excel and Word, the CPA firm must be able to cater to these varying platforms and deliver professional CPA services tailor-fit to the clients needs.
Scalability is also needed as the CPA firms IT infrastructure must be able to grow with the CPA firms roster of clients. As more clients come in, expanding present infrastructure to support this change must be easy and seamless. The CPA firm must have an IT infrastructure that would support changes in capacity effectively without disrupting present operations and requiring costly upgrades.
Lastly, cost-efficiency is an obvious need as no company would want to spend thousands of unnecessary dollars for maintenance and support costs when it could have been easily prevented in the first place. The ultimate goal of the CPA firm is to put a reliable IT infrastructure that addresses both reliability and performance needs of the firm and its clients with the least cost possible.
Software
Choosing the right software package can be a tedious task. In order to make it more manageable, one must carefully identify the exact needs of a business from the said software. For this proposal, the owner specifically identified the following requirements for the chosen software.
They will both need to be able to write letters
Do spreadsheet style calculations
Manage their customer relationships
Manage their projects
Prepare graphical presentations
Remotely monitor and transfer customer accounting data
Support current most popular accounting systems
While there are numerous accounting software products available in the market, the writer has narrowed down the proposal to two leading software providers - Netsuite Small Business and Intuit Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions 10.0 Accountants Edition.
Netsuite Small Business is a reliable, web-based accounting and customer relationship management (CRM) software that is subscribed to for 499 a month base fee and a 99 per user, per month additional fee.
The other option is Intuit Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions (QBES) 10.0 Accountants Edition. This is an installable accounting software capable of multi-user mode as well as major CRM functions. Its 5-user license is available at 3,000 inclusive of a full service plan which is renewable annually for 850.
A brief total-cost of ownership comparison would clearly show that Intuit QBES 10.0 Accountants Edition would be more cost-efficient.
Feature-wise, the Intuit QBES 10.0 Accountants Edition is far more advanced than the web-based Netsuite Small Business. Features like multi-currency, free online back up, templates manager, and fixed assets management tool are some of the advantages of Intuit QBES 10.0 Accountants Edition over Netsuite Small Business.
Aside from lacking in features, one of the most compelling reasons not to use Netsuite is that its speed and performance is based on the quality of ones internet connection. Being a web based application Netsuite Small Business does not offer continuity in case of slow or failed ISP performance while Intuit QBES 10.0 Accountants Edition can run offline using only a simple Local Area Network Connection to work in multi-user. This ensures that the CPA firm can service its clients needs more effectively and reliably.
Further, the Intuit QBES 10.0 Accountants Edition software can easily convert any file format to its own, making managing different accounting file formats from different clients possible. One can also monitor remotely the clients company files simply be sending an accountants copy of the file to anyones email.
These and more are the reasons why this writer strongly recommends the Intuit Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions 10.0 Accountants Edition to be used by this CPA start-up.
Hardware
A reliable information system requires a reliable network set-up. A reliable and low-cost local area network must be put into place for the business. For the hardware requirements of the start-up CPA firm, this writer took into consideration several factors.
Ease of installation is a top consideration because of the limited number of manpower in running the business. The business must not worry about complicated network set-ups or configurations but stick to the basics.
Another consideration is the price-performance measure of the said hardware. The price points of the equipment must be in proportion to the level of performance it is expected to show.
The final consideration was the scalability of the network equipment. The network set-up must be friendly to expansion and upgrades without sacrificing the initial hardware investment and the business operations.
Since the start-up would only consist of the owner and the executive assistant, the business would initially require two (2) workstations, one (1) server, and one (1) office printer.
In line with these, this writer strongly recommends the following infrastructure to start-up the business
For the server, HP Proliant Server ML115 G5 which costs only 389.00 is the perfect fit for the companys first server. This low-cost and entry-level server is especially made for start-ups and small and medium enterprises looking to set-up their first local area network. This server is equipped with the Microsoft Server 2008 for its operating system.
For the workstations, the writer recommends the two (2) Compaq 500B Microtower Desktop PC which costs only 359.00 each. This entry-level business desktop has the basic features needed for an office workstation at a price lower than some consumer models. These workstations are equipped with the latest Windows 7 operating system and Microsoft Office 2010.
For the printer, the 49.99 HP Officejet J3600 All-in-one Printer is best as it is a printer, scanner, copier, and facsimile at the same time. This multi-tasking functionality gives optimal price-performance for the business start-ups needs.
Connectivity
Aside from setting-up the local area network connectivity between the server and the workstations, a highly-reliable and fast internet connection is needed. This is because several Intuit QBES Accountants Edition application requires some form of Internet access. The Internet connection will also be used for sending and receiving e-mails to and from clients.
A Comcast High-Speed Broadband connection costs only 149.00 a month and includes two (2) voice lines as well as Norton Security Suite Business Edition, Starter Web Hosting and, 4 Microsoft email boxes which is perfect for a start-up.
The Intuit Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions 10.0 Accountants Edition also comes with a full service plan which enables 247 Intuit phone support, a free 1G online backup account, and free data recovery services. This is renewable for 850 annually and will include the latest Intuit QBES upgrade.
For this accounting firms requirements, the size of the business and the start-up cost must be carefully considered. The business will be manned by only the owner and his executive assistant and will be situated in a 1,000 square meter office space.
For this, the writer chose to have one unit of HP Proliant Server ML115 G5 and two units of the Compaq 500B Microtower Desktop PC and an HP Officejet J3600 All-in-one Printer for its hardware requirements. For the software requirements, the writer chose Intuit Quickbooks Enterprise 10.0 Accountants edition. For the connectivity requirements, the writer determined the need for a 1000Mbps internet connection.
Proposed Information System for CPA Start-Up
Background
A reliable and cost-efficient Information Technology (I.T.) infrastructure is essential to any company in todays business environment. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firm is no different.
As more and more companies are using automated accounting systems and software, the CPA Firm must keep up with this trend by having an IT infrastructure that is flexible, scalable, and cost-efficient.
Flexibility is needed to support various accounting system platforms being used by companies. Whether it be a proprietary accounting management system, a popular accounting software, or plain old Microsoft Excel and Word, the CPA firm must be able to cater to these varying platforms and deliver professional CPA services tailor-fit to the clients needs.
Scalability is also needed as the CPA firms IT infrastructure must be able to grow with the CPA firms roster of clients. As more clients come in, expanding present infrastructure to support this change must be easy and seamless. The CPA firm must have an IT infrastructure that would support changes in capacity effectively without disrupting present operations and requiring costly upgrades.
Lastly, cost-efficiency is an obvious need as no company would want to spend thousands of unnecessary dollars for maintenance and support costs when it could have been easily prevented in the first place. The ultimate goal of the CPA firm is to put a reliable IT infrastructure that addresses both reliability and performance needs of the firm and its clients with the least cost possible.
Software
Choosing the right software package can be a tedious task. In order to make it more manageable, one must carefully identify the exact needs of a business from the said software. For this proposal, the owner specifically identified the following requirements for the chosen software.
They will both need to be able to write letters
Do spreadsheet style calculations
Manage their customer relationships
Manage their projects
Prepare graphical presentations
Remotely monitor and transfer customer accounting data
Support current most popular accounting systems
While there are numerous accounting software products available in the market, the writer has narrowed down the proposal to two leading software providers - Netsuite Small Business and Intuit Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions 10.0 Accountants Edition.
Netsuite Small Business is a reliable, web-based accounting and customer relationship management (CRM) software that is subscribed to for 499 a month base fee and a 99 per user, per month additional fee.
The other option is Intuit Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions (QBES) 10.0 Accountants Edition. This is an installable accounting software capable of multi-user mode as well as major CRM functions. Its 5-user license is available at 3,000 inclusive of a full service plan which is renewable annually for 850.
A brief total-cost of ownership comparison would clearly show that Intuit QBES 10.0 Accountants Edition would be more cost-efficient.
Feature-wise, the Intuit QBES 10.0 Accountants Edition is far more advanced than the web-based Netsuite Small Business. Features like multi-currency, free online back up, templates manager, and fixed assets management tool are some of the advantages of Intuit QBES 10.0 Accountants Edition over Netsuite Small Business.
Aside from lacking in features, one of the most compelling reasons not to use Netsuite is that its speed and performance is based on the quality of ones internet connection. Being a web based application Netsuite Small Business does not offer continuity in case of slow or failed ISP performance while Intuit QBES 10.0 Accountants Edition can run offline using only a simple Local Area Network Connection to work in multi-user. This ensures that the CPA firm can service its clients needs more effectively and reliably.
Further, the Intuit QBES 10.0 Accountants Edition software can easily convert any file format to its own, making managing different accounting file formats from different clients possible. One can also monitor remotely the clients company files simply be sending an accountants copy of the file to anyones email.
These and more are the reasons why this writer strongly recommends the Intuit Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions 10.0 Accountants Edition to be used by this CPA start-up.
Hardware
A reliable information system requires a reliable network set-up. A reliable and low-cost local area network must be put into place for the business. For the hardware requirements of the start-up CPA firm, this writer took into consideration several factors.
Ease of installation is a top consideration because of the limited number of manpower in running the business. The business must not worry about complicated network set-ups or configurations but stick to the basics.
Another consideration is the price-performance measure of the said hardware. The price points of the equipment must be in proportion to the level of performance it is expected to show.
The final consideration was the scalability of the network equipment. The network set-up must be friendly to expansion and upgrades without sacrificing the initial hardware investment and the business operations.
Since the start-up would only consist of the owner and the executive assistant, the business would initially require two (2) workstations, one (1) server, and one (1) office printer.
In line with these, this writer strongly recommends the following infrastructure to start-up the business
For the server, HP Proliant Server ML115 G5 which costs only 389.00 is the perfect fit for the companys first server. This low-cost and entry-level server is especially made for start-ups and small and medium enterprises looking to set-up their first local area network. This server is equipped with the Microsoft Server 2008 for its operating system.
For the workstations, the writer recommends the two (2) Compaq 500B Microtower Desktop PC which costs only 359.00 each. This entry-level business desktop has the basic features needed for an office workstation at a price lower than some consumer models. These workstations are equipped with the latest Windows 7 operating system and Microsoft Office 2010.
For the printer, the 49.99 HP Officejet J3600 All-in-one Printer is best as it is a printer, scanner, copier, and facsimile at the same time. This multi-tasking functionality gives optimal price-performance for the business start-ups needs.
Connectivity
Aside from setting-up the local area network connectivity between the server and the workstations, a highly-reliable and fast internet connection is needed. This is because several Intuit QBES Accountants Edition application requires some form of Internet access. The Internet connection will also be used for sending and receiving e-mails to and from clients.
A Comcast High-Speed Broadband connection costs only 149.00 a month and includes two (2) voice lines as well as Norton Security Suite Business Edition, Starter Web Hosting and, 4 Microsoft email boxes which is perfect for a start-up.
The Intuit Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions 10.0 Accountants Edition also comes with a full service plan which enables 247 Intuit phone support, a free 1G online backup account, and free data recovery services. This is renewable for 850 annually and will include the latest Intuit QBES upgrade.
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