Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud computing are two topics on the minds of audit committees, chief financial officers and chief information officers, according to Rick Telberg’s recent analysis of the 2010 American Institute of CPAs’ Top Technology Initiatives Survey.

“Cloud computing/SaaS appeared in two questions, reflecting both growing interest in web-based technology solutions for business and concerns about the new risks that they may introduce,” writes Telberg. “CPAs are providing vendor due diligence for their clients to ensure appropriate controls are in place in SaaS applications and confidential customer information is being protected.”

For the first time in its 20+year history, the Survey asked participants to rank a set of frequently asked questions. Cloud computing and SaaS were included in questions 9 and 10:

• Can our data remain safe if we utilize cloud computing, or Software as a Service (SaaS) applications?

• Can we deliver on our service and product promises to our customers if we utilize cloud computing services?

The AICPA conducts its Survey each year to raise awareness on current and future technologies among all fields of accounting, including public practice, business and industry, government, and education.

According to an article on CNNMoney.com, customers can use their rewards points to pay their federal income taxes. While this sounds like a great idea, it comes with a small caveat: It takes 200 points to pay $1 in taxes. So, for example, a customer would have to charge $1 million on his or her card just to pay a $5,000 tax bill.

Outrageous? Yes. Logical? Well … yes. There are customers who charge sums this high on their cards. I have a friend, for example, who was responsible for booking his law firm’s retreat in Arizona at a posh Scottsdale resort. Instead of asking for a company check to cover the bill, he charged the $150,000+ bill to his corporate American Express card. The firm’s “perk” for employees was that they got to keep their accumulated points.

While his situation is a whole lot less than $1 million in charges, it’s easy to see how high sums could become a reality. The best part of this, in my mind, is the marketing savvy once again demonstrated by American Express. According to the story, the company wanted to give card members a “practical use” for their rewards points.

Now that’s a card I won’t leave home without.

About the author: For more than 20 years, Scott H. Cytron, ABC, has worked with CPAs and accountants, providing public relations, marketing and communications services. He is a frequent contributor to industry publications covering professional services industries, including accounting, healthcare, legal, financial planning, collections and debt, and high-tech. Scott tweets, blogs, and has pages on Facebook and LinkedIn. Contact him at scott@cytronandcompany.com.

That’s why PC Mag’s “Best of the Decade” list caught my eye. Is it really the end of a decade? Yes, and no. Just like a newborn is “0” years old when born, we really won’t enter the new decade until 2011. Regardless, any way you slice it, it’s still hard to believe 10 years have gone by since Y2K!

In addition to the personal references we all share with technology, the list on PC Mag is, of course, also important to the business marketplace and even to the accounting profession. As more and more of the profession’s clients realize their increased capabilities through technology, the firms and companies who serve these clients (and customers) also must realize the benefits technology brings to the table – and use these to their fullest extent.

I won’t reveal my source, but a Louisiana accountant told me the other day that, if they had their druthers, most others in his professional group would still be on DOS… and that “1-2-3” thing.

While amusing at the time, it got me thinking. Is it the profession’s responsibility to educate itself about technology, or should we rely on technology providers to do this for us?

In this day and age, if you are going to deliver tax services to your clients, you had better understand the role technology plays in delivering these services. With technology ranging from cloud computing to the virtual office and remote access, we just can’t get away from technology. Yet, we must use technology in efficient ways, not just for the sake of displaying the latest bells and whistles.

We must be vigilant in absorbing innovations. We must ask others to explain the most complex configurations to us. We must take the initiative to do this as a group – not wait for others to come along and explain it to us first.

In 2010, let’s work hard to meet our clients’ expectations with regard to efficient uses of technology, while trying to stay one step ahead of them.

There’s an app for that, isn’t there?

About the author: For more than 20 years, Scott H. Cytron, ABC, has worked with CPAs and accountants, providing public relations, marketing and communications services. He is a frequent contributor to industry publications covering professional services industries, including accounting, healthcare, legal, financial planning, collections and debt, and high-tech. Scott tweets, has pages on Facebook and LinkedIn. Contact him at scott@cytronandcompany.com.