Voip free ware

Today's technology buyers face a unique challenge. Just a few years ago buyer beware was the universal watchword for CPAs buying computer equipment. Hardware reliability was so questionable that many cost- and quality-conscious accountants required computer retailers to bench-test hard ware to be sure it was sound before they shipped it. Today's products are generally of such high quality that such testing no longer is necessary. Even bargain-basement hardware suffers relatively infrequent failures.

Functionality has improved, too. Today, computers are faster, more accessible (because of the Internet and wireless technology) and, especially when measured by what they can do, are far cheaper than yesterday's models. So what's the challenge?

SURGING TECHNOLOGY

Computer and software technology is advancing at a record pace, but rather than becoming easier to use, today's products generally are more complicated. Many CPAs lack the time and/or the patience to learn the skills needed to take full advantage of these advances. Even worse, the technology continues to move forward, getting more complicated and thus widening the gap between potential and actual use.

Don't mistakenly interpret this challenge as an excuse not to explore the new technology or to fail to seek new ways to use what you have. If you fail to commit yourself to stay ahead of the game, you undoubtedly will slip into obsolescence, which is what happened to many CPAs when they failed to get aboard the fast-moving computer bandwagon of the 1980s. Admittedly, it takes courage to give up what works well now and explore new technology. But consider the alternative: being left behind while your competitors advance.

To help you focus on recent technology that is especially useful to you now, this article will skip the gee-whiz hardware and software--the so-called bleeding-edge technology-and focus on products that will keep you efficient and effective today and in the immediate future.

Manufacturers' list prices often are heavily discounted; for the most current price, check vendors' Web sites. In some cases 1 list the "street" price, which I obtained by doing a Google search (www.googlo.nom) for the product.

Data backup

Despite warnings of potential disaster, many accountants still fail to regularly back up their critical data. And by "regularly" I don't mean once a month or once a week. I mean every day--and sometimes even several times a day if the data are especially critical and irreplaceable. The excuses for failing to back up data usually include: "It's too time-consuming," "It's difficult," and the lamest of all, "I forgot"

Admittedly, the first two reasons--time and difficulty-are valid, but they're not excusable. When you've lost critical data for lack of a backup, no excuse will satisfy a client, a boss or, upon reflection, even yourself.

Most of the backup programs I've looked at tend to be complicated, slow and often lack reminders to get you to overcome your procrastination and initiate the backup. Many also suffer from an even more critical shortcoming: If they use compression technology (to squeeze the backed-up data into a more easily storable size), typically the compression method is proprietary. That means the only way you can retrieve your data is to run the program's unique retrieval application sort of running the backup in reverse. However, if the backup program fails, your data are not accessible, which means either you're out of hick or terribly inconvenienced until you can get the program running again. Such a problem probably happens rarely, but it has to occur only once to mess up your day.

ZipBackup (www.zlpbackup.com) is a little program that aces those shortcomings. It compacts the files you want to store into the most common, and proven, compression format--compatible with WinZip and PkZip. Both can be added to run natively within Windows; so that eliminates the problem of proprietary compression software.

Also, you can program ZipBackup to back up files onto multiple removable media (such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks and Zip disks) and you even can split the files for storage on multiple low-capacity removable media. ZipBackup can back up or restore over a network, handling up to 18 million terabytes of data and 4 billion fries. A wizard walks you through a few easy steps to initiate a custom backup automatically to fit your schedule. It can perform either incremental, differential or complete backups and can tag files with date and time for easy management.

Its regular price is $39.95, but it's heavily discounted.

Data storage

Last year (see "Hot StufF. What You Need and What You Don't," Jof A, Apr.03, page 28) I wrote about flash mass storage devices--more commonly called memory sticks--which are about the size of a cigarette lighter and can hold many megabytes of data. They are so portable some people stuff them in pockets and purses; some "Fashion-conscious" accountants wear decorative memory sticks oil colorful lanyards. To access its stored data or to add data to it, simply plug the device into a computer's USB (universal serial bus) port and instantly you're in business.

Early memory sticks had limited storage capacity and were pricey, but now, not only have prices fallen but available capacity on some has grown to 1 gigabyte (Gb).

One product, Migo (http://forwardsolutions.info), has added a handy little extra: special software that synchronizes its stored data with the data on the computer it's plugged into. CPAs can load homework on their memory stick, and when they return to the office the next day, Migo will synchronize the revised data with the office machine's data.

Street prices run from about $105 for a 128-Mb model to $144 for 256-Mb device.

Another memory stick product, StealthSurfer (www.stealthsurfer.blz), comes preloaded with its own customized Netscape Web browser. With this feature' users can plug into any Internet-connected computer and surf the Net and access their Internet e-mall inboxes in total privacy. When they unplug StealthSurfer, they leave no record (cookies or cached files) of either their surfing or their mail on that computer. All this information remains stored on the device, not on the computer's hard drive. It also can be password-protected.

Prices: A 128-Mb model sells for $99.95 and a 512-Mb unit sells for $298.95.

Personal data assistant

If you've been resisting investing $500 or more for one of those pocket-size personal digital assistants (PDAs) because you really need one only for an address book, calendar and occasional memos, it's time to rethink your resistance. Palm has introduced a PDA--the Zire 21 (www.palm.com), at a fraction of that cost--$99. It weighs just a few ounces, is only a half-inch thick, synchronizes with Outlook's Contacts and Calendar and contains some easy-to-use memo applications (one even lets you draw diagrams or scribble notes on the screen). For an additional cost, you can add software that also will synchronize files in the rest of the Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook e-mail. Bonus: One charge of the rechargeable battery lasts for weeks.

Screen grab

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but an image of a chart or a section of a spreadsheet copied from your computer screen and inserted into a document can add instant pizzazz and clarity to a report. Sure, you can use your computer's Print Screen, but that function is limited, providing few editing possibilities. Snaglt 7.1) (www.techsmith.com) is software that can grab any graphic (rectangular and nonrectangular) off your screen; it can crop and edit the image, too. Snaglt also can record video snapshots or a running video. Price: $39.95.

Remote access

How often does this happen? It's evening and you're at a client's office or at home and you suddenly realize you need a file that's on your office computer, but your office staff has gone home. Wouldn't it be nice if you could call your computer and command it to send you the file?

With PCAnywhere (www.symantec.com) you can do that from any remote computer with a modern. Once connected to your office computer, you can operate it remotely just as if you were actually sitting in front of it--browse the hard drives and add, erase or transfer files. You even can encrypt the transmission. Price: You can download the product for $29.95.

Firewall protection

Security has become a major issue--and that's especially true for CPAs who are obligated to protect their clients' financial data from the prying eyes of hackers. Like it or not, your Internet-connected computer is a window through which a hacker can access data. The only thing that guards this window--is a class of programs called firewalls--software that stops all but invited guests.