CPA's are going paperless as No. 1 priority for 2005

There's a very interesting article at webcpa.com regarding the technology trends and priorities for CPA firms in 2005. No question the top priority is going paperless with proper document management. This should be something that I think Microsoft and SBS can really capitalize on.

What better way to move SBS into these small CPA firms than to hone in on the wonderful document capabilities of Sharepoint. If you throw in a document scanner that is networked then you have a network capable of handling document management that won't break the bank of some other document management products.

One thing that Microsoft might even want to look into is tailored versions of SBS or downloaded parts that are specific to CPA's, lawyers, doctors, etc. They have some of this already with their Microsoft Business Solutions unit that currently is doing specific verticals for it's Retail Management System . What better way to increase volume of the product than focusing on specific pain points for the industry you're addressing?

Even if Microsoft doesn't come out with such a thing I think that solution partners and providers could do much of the work and prepackage a simple Sharepoint system that encourages specific industry focuses and lowers the total cost by repeating delivery time and time again. I know it's something we'll look into as a team.