"This is a very significant step for the profession; it's a LEADERSHIP step."

What's the security value of a name? CPA.com CEO Erik Asgeirsson outlines the many security and branding benefits of .cpa, a new top-level domain for the finance and accounting profession.

OUR GUEST

Erik Asgeirsson, President and CEO of CPA.com

Our Guest. Erik Asgeirsson has been President and CEO of CPA.com for the past fifteen years and was part of the original founding team. Under his leadership, CPA.com has established itself as a leader on emerging technologies and as a key solution provider to accounting firms in the United States, with a growing global focus. Erik also led the creation of RIVIO, a private company financial information clearinghouse, and is overseeing the launch of .cpa, a new top level domain for the profession. Before joining CPA.com, Erik held a variety of positions over a ten-year period at AT&T in business development, operations, and product management. He holds an MBA in Finance from The New York University Stern School of Business and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University, where he was elected to the Eta Kappa Nu engineering honour society. Connect with him at www.cpa.com/speakers/erik-asgeirsson

INTERVIEWER

Kacee Johnson, Strategic Advisor at CPA.com

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

These are just some of the topics discussed in this episode.

• what a top-level domain is.
• why it's been developed.
• who'd find it useful.
• the benefits to members of the accounting and finance profession.
• its cybersecurity value, especially in assurance, credibility and verifiability

Here are links to AICPA and other guidance and other explanatory content on the topics discussed in this episode:

• Learn more about .cpa at domains.cpa.
• Find technology and cybersecurity resources for CPAs at CPA.com.
• Discover how Cybersecurity Month is being marked in the USA as "NCSAM", and the EU as "ECSM".
• Visit dedicated coronavirus online resource centres for our AICPA and CIMA networks.

Share. Know someone who should hear this podcast? Click on these links to automatically share this episode with colleagues and friends. Recommend it to your LinkedIn connections, send to Twitter, auto-share on your Facebook page, or simply tell someone via email.

Social. Use #GoBeyondDisruption, @AICPANews or @CIMA_News.

About Our Podcast. These conversations with expert guests are recorded by different members of the AICPA & CIMA team from our offices around the world. While the sound quality may vary, we hope that the insights will be consistently useful.

Get in touch. How did you discover our podcast? Where do you listen? What would you like to hear more of? Finance pro or not, we're keen to know what you think. Email us here.

"You do have to be equipped to ask enough of the RIGHT questions."

October is Cybersecurity Month in the EU and the USA, so all month we'll be sharing episodes about IT risks, threat-mitigation and security strategies. The founder and CEO of NMGI, our guest Randy Johnston is recognised as a Top 25 thought-leader in accounting and technology. Hosted by Kacee Johnson, Strategic Advisor at CPA.com (the business and technology arm of the AICPA), this conversation with Randy introduces the concept of 'shadow IT'.

OUR GUEST

Randy Johnston, Founder and CEO of NMGI

INTERVIEWER

Kacee Johnson, Strategic Advisor at CPA.com

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

Definition of "Shadow IT". The increased risks associated with the decentralised and remote workforces which are the new normal for business. How to identify risks. Best practices to minimise potential threats. Our Guest. Randy Johnston is a veteran technologist with almost 40 years' experience guiding accounting firms and businesses to select the most appropriate technology tools, manage security, and optimise systems. Recognised as a Top 25 thought-leader in accounting and technology, he's regularly featured in Accounting Today's list of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the profession. Connect with him at www.randyjohnston.com.

Here are links to AICPA and other guidance and other explanatory content on the topics discussed in this episode:

• Find technology and cybersecurity resources for CPAs at CPA.com.
• Randy's additional suggestion for further help.
• Discover how Cybersecurity Month is being marked in the USA as "NCSAM", and the EU as "ECSM".
• Visit dedicated coronavirus online resource centres for our AICPA and CIMA networks.

Share. Know someone who should hear this podcast? Click on these links to automatically share this episode with colleagues and friends. Recommend it to your LinkedIn connections, send to Twitter, auto-share on your Facebook page, or simply tell someone via email.

Social. Use #GoBeyondDisruption, @AICPANews or @CIMA_News.

About Our Podcast. These conversations with expert guests are recorded by different members of the AICPA & CIMA team from our offices around the world. While the sound quality may vary, we hope that the insights will be consistently useful.

Get in touch. How did you discover our podcast? Where do you listen? What would you like to hear more of? Finance pro or not, we're keen to know what you think. Email us here.

Listen as Elinor Litwack, CPA and Partner at Outsourced Accounting and Advisory Services (GRF CPAs and Advisors), shares her insights of attending prior Digital CPA conferences. “It’s like a shortcut to be amongst your peers and other firms and have the opportunity to brainstorm ideas. Use takeaways and apply what we learn, it’s just not for checking off another CPE box.” “It’s Digital CPA time.”

Kurt Kunselman, COO & Product Architect at AccountingSuite shares his perspective on the product road map. As the continual need to analyze data grows, AI and ML are in the reactive phase and cloud customization and extensions are the next phase of accounting technology.

Listen as Rafael Skovron, Enterprise Account Director with Xero, shares thoughts on machine learning, the latest breakthroughs in AI and what they mean for client accounting services. How general automation platforms stack up against robotic process automation. Get insight on how firms can identify a technology partner that can de-risk projects across service lines.

Listen as Michelle Voyer, CPA MBA, Director of Client Accounting Services with XCM® Solutions, now a part of Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting, shares her insights on the right mix of three key areas: people, process and technology. The centralization of information and guidance that is taking place to help staff be more productive is transforming the CAS workflow to help firms better manage processes and focus on growth.

Listen as Todd Robinson, Head of Strategic Accounts with Vic.ai, shares what accountants need to know about artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) and why it’s more important than ever to embrace that technology today. Some questions Todd puts forth: “What is your firm’s AI strategy? What will you use it to solve? How will it benefit your people? How can you better leverage it? How are you going to continue to grow and scale your business with AI?” All relevant questions as the shift to remote work continues to evolve.