SmartVault Will Lead Two Sessions at Scaling New Heights 2014
Scaling New Heights is 7 weeks away, so we thought we’d help you get a head start on your planning for the event by featuring articles, interviews and content from some of the speakers and representatives who you can/will learn from during the event. Today we're featuring SmartVault, a provider of cloud-based file sharing designed from the ground up for accountants and business.
What is SmartVault?
SmartVault is a cloud-based file sharing system that was designed from the ground up for accountants and businesses. Today, a typical accounting firm or business has files stored in many places – your computer, maybe a network drive – if you share files, you might have a separate solution for doing that (like DropBox or another file sharing service) and if you are using apps like QuickBooks, you might also be ‘attaching’ files inside that app. With SmartVault, you can eliminate these document silos, and store all of your files online in one central location, and share them securely with clients or colleagues, or access them right from the apps you are already using today.
What educational sessions will SmartVault be hosting at Scaling New Heights?
SmartVaults sessions will be centered around 2 themes: How to BE Smarter. And How to WORK Smarter.
If accountants want to earn the role of ‘trusted advisor’ to their clients, then they need to continue to educate themselves on the top issues and concerns facing their clients. Security continues to be the number one concern for businesses adopting or using cloud services – and advising their clients to do the same. So if accountants aren’t a) making sure they are using best practices when it comes to securing their clients’ data and b) don’t understand how security should inform their business decisions – then they are putting not only their data, but their reputation at risk.
Session 1 - Security Health Check – Why You’re at Risk, and How to Protect Yourself and your Clients
Lead by: Michael Webb, CTO, SmartVault; Joel Swift, Director of IT, SmartVault
This session not only provides attendees education on security, but it also gives them an actionable framework to help them understand the basic steps toward improving their security posture today (impact of mobile on security, the ‘DropBox effect’, secure file sharing, password hygiene, etc.). Session leaders will help attendees develop a customized security policy that will help them make smarter business decisions tomorrow. Bottom line, an accounting professional needs to be able to demonstrate that they’ve taken commercially reasonable steps to ensure that their client’s data is secure. This session will help them do that.
Session 2: Building a High Value, High Efficiency Workflow with SmartVault
Attendees will learn how to embed workflow right inside the apps they are already using. There are lots of choices when it comes to online document storage and client portals for sharing, but SmartVault is focused on embedding workflows inside apps to really have a transformative impact on workflows. This session will focus on both Client Accounting Services / Bookkeeping and Tax Prep Workflow.
Attendees will also receive a "First Look" at a brand new integration SmartVault has with Intuit's Lacerte and ProSeries tax apps. A game changer for tax prep firms using these tax apps! Jennifer Katrulya will speak about wrapping SmartVault into attendees own service offering, and how to offer services that would generate another revenue stream.
This session will be taught by: Eric Pulaski, Founder and CEO, SmartVault and Jennifer Katrulya, BMRG CEO
Who Should Attend These Sessions?
ProAdvisor who engages both in client accounting services/bookkeeping and consulting services; Accountant / CPA engaged in tax prep; Consultant who wants to understand more about the value of integrated apps and workflow and lastly, anyone who wants to improve their security posture.
Are there any size requirements for the company's or their client base that would make them a good fit or not for SmartVault technology? There is no minimum or maximum.
Are these solutions targeted to a specific niche? SmartVault has thousands of business customers, from all industries.
Trade shows are a big investment for vendors and attendees alike.
The leaders at SmartVault attend Scaling New Heights to learn from attendees, to talk to them about the challenges in their business, and learn from these conversations. It’s the single most important ‘voice’ in product development – and we have found that the ‘in person’ connection really helps facilitate those conversations. The event is also a good venue to meet with partners, to learn and brainstorm how we, as a collective ‘ecosystem’, can find better, more creative ways to help joint customers.
What are the 3 most important take aways a ProAdvisor will receive from these sessions?
From the Security session:
- They will leave with an actionable framework to improve their security posture right now.
- They will leave with a better understanding of the responsibility they have in protecting their client’s data
- They will leave with knowledge they can use to develop a simple, but complete information security policy – that they can then use to inform their business decisions
From the Workflow session:
- Get a deeper understanding of how integrated apps can have a transformative impact on workflow
- They will understand how they can leverage SmartVault not only in their practice, but in their service offering, for increased revenue opportunities
- They can bring their tough workflow questions, or their toughest challenges – and we can try to help them get ‘unstuck’
Is SmartVault available nationally, internationally?
SmartVault supports US, Canadian and UK versions of QuickBooks with customers in all three countries. It has not been localized in other languages.
If your looking for data security or workflow solutions, you surely need to consider these two sessions during Scaling News Heights 2014. Both sessions will be held in the afternoon on Tuesday June 17.