August 14-15, 2023

The impact of current and emerging technologies on accounting, finance, and other business professionals has never been greater than it is today. It’s critical that professionals stay on top of this ever-changing landscape. NCACPA partners with the powerhouse experts from K2 for this annual conference. With up to 16 hours of continuing education, take a look at what this program has to offer.

August 14, 2023

Randy Johnston
K2 Enterprises

General Session: K2’s Tech Update

More information coming soon! 

Stephen Yoss, Jr.

1A: Selecting & Vetting Technology Providers

Managing Information Technology (IT) is difficult when team members, contractors, and others all sound alike. If you manage IT, wouldn’t it be nice to know the questions you should ask? Join us in this session to learn the questions to ask your technology providers and how to identify some warning flags. The session materials can serve as a starting point for your discussions with your providers.  Attend this session and learn many of the things you need to know as you navigate your journey through the world of technology.

Randy Johnston

1B: Online Meeting & Collaboration Tools

We could work with team members at all levels and in all locations with today’s collaboration and meeting tools. While the COVID-19 pandemic may have been the trigger event that forced many to use these tools for the first time, we discovered the advantages and capabilities. Which tools make sense for your organization?

In this session, we will cover the leading meeting and collaboration tools. We will note the features and benefits of options available and will provide a comparison of critical items. We will also explain deployment and control considerations from a management perspective, citing questions you can pose to technical consultants. If you want to improve your team’s productivity, this session will give you independent guidance.

Tommy Stephens, Jr.

1C: Formatting Excel Spreadsheets the Right Way

Some estimates indicate that business professionals spend as much as half their time in Excel working on formatting. If you are interested in getting better formatting results in less time, participate in this session to learn the best practices for applying formats in Excel.

In this session, you will learn the right way to apply formats in your workbooks. More specifically, you will learn about features such as Custom Format Codes, Templates, Styles, the Accounting Format, Precision as Displayed, date formats, and many others, all of which can save you substantial amounts of time when working in Excel.

Randy Johnston

2A: CPA Firm Technology Strategies

CPA firms have always had challenging times, and the last two years emphasized that point. Technology changes, new service offerings, and profitable compliance will have to be executed well during the next five years. What technologies will you choose for 2021 and beyond? What is the best way to handle everything from better client interaction from PBC to eSignature through the best Advisory service strategy? How do the cloud, next-generation software, and client demands affect partner profitability? Attend this session to get an independent overview of the state of technology in the profession.

Stephen Yoss, Jr.

2B: Ten Teams Features You Can’t Afford to Miss

Microsoft Teams is one of the most exciting technologies available today. Businesses of all sizes now use Teams to communicate and collaborate and enhance control over critical workflows and information.  Yet most organizations running Teams have only scratched the surface of all it can do for them. In this session, you will learn about ten critical features in Teams that you and your team can use right away to make the most of this technology.

Tommy Stephens, Jr.

2C: The Power of Array Formulas in Excel

Array formulas have been available in Excel for decades. But recent enhancements to Excel have breathed new life into this feature. With the new “dynamic array” concept, you can leverage Excel’s array formulas in ways that you may have never imagined possible. In this session, you will learn how you can put the power of array formulas to work for you.

This session begins with an overview of Excel’s “legacy” array features and shows you how you can continue to take advantage of these tools. The course then discusses the recent enhancements to Excel that facilitate “dynamic arrays” and why these enhancements are so significant. To wrap up the conversation, you will learn from numerous practical examples of dynamic arrays and how you can put them to work for you.

Tommy Stephens, Jr.

General Session #2: Password Management Tools – Why and How You Should Use Them

Correctly implemented passwords help protect valuable information. Both the complexity and the number of passwords required have multiplied. Further, it has been shown that using the same password for multiple sites or easy to guess passwords enable bad actors. Password management tools have emerged as a leading option for enhancing security to address these challenges.

In this session, you will learn how password management tools can help you implement, update, and manage your passwords. You will also learn about the features of leading password management tools and why these tools are necessary to improve security. Finally, if you hope to implement a passwordless approach, we will spend time on the current options. If you are seeking to enhance security, this session is an absolute must!

Brian Tankersley

Optional Session: Technology Town Hall

The K2 Enterprises instructional team invites you to participate in the Technology Town Hall, a free-form 45-minute session that explores contemporary technology issues and trends. During this session, you will have the opportunity to ask questions and offer your insights and opinions on technology issues affecting business professionals. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity, and we look forward to seeing you there. Please note that there are no CPE credits associated with this session.

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Stephen Yoss, Jr.

General Session #3: Security Roundtable

Security issues continue to plague businesses of all sizes and in virtually all industries. Unfortunately, for many professionals, there are more questions than answers. In the Security Roundtable discussion, you will learn how to address your security issues and concerns and, in turn, mitigate your risk of a data breach. In this roundtable discussion, you will learn from the K2 Enterprises instructional team’s collective experience, with all the instructors for your conference participating in this panel discussion.

Stephen Yoss, Jr.

3A: Amazing Accounting Add-Ons

A complete accounting software solution almost always includes additional add-on products. For example, it is hard to accurately calculate sales tax, do budgeting, or have adequate reporting without third-party add-ons. This session provides guidance on some of the best add-ons in the market. If you have needs that your current solution does not meet, you may not need to change it. You may just need the right add-on! Attend this session to discover the best of best extensions for accounting software.

Randy Johnston

3B: Hosting, Self-Service, and Managed Service Options

Remote access has evolved beyond anywhere, anytime, any device access to full-service remote support. Various tools help us work virtually, starting with hosting productivity applications. In this session, you will learn about supporting tools needed, too, including multi-factor authentication, VOIP telephony, video conferencing, document management systems, portals, and Microsoft 365. Learn about options from Self-Serve to hosting to managed service provider options.

Of course, the goal is to have all team members effectively work wherever they are with a full complement of tools. Attend this session to learn the best ways to make these technologies work.

Tommy Stephens, Jr.

3C: Excel’s Best New Features

With recent Excel updates provided through Microsoft 365/Office 365 subscriptions, Microsoft continues to pack new features into the popular spreadsheet tool. Enhancements to data analysis tools, new functions, and improved collaboration opportunities are available in more recent Excel versions. For those who know about these new features and apply them, exciting opportunities for improved productivity await. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn how you can put Excel’s best new features to work right away!

Stephen Yoss, Jr.

4A: Selecting Small Business Management Systems

Small businesses have new and traditional choices in accounting solutions. In addition to traditional solutions like QuickBooks and Sage 50, you can choose from Cloud-based tools such as Gravity Software, Zoho Books, QuickBooks Online, Xero, Accounting Suite, Accounting Power, and many more. This session covers accounting solutions that should work for businesses that are startups up to $10 million in size. Attend this session so you will know the best options for accounting in small business.

Randy Johnston

4B: Technology Planning for a Post-Pandemic Environment

Strategic and tactical business planning contributes to short and long-term success. Your technology plan should follow your business plan. But what if your goals become disrupted in the short term, and these events have long-term effects? Think 9/11, smartphones, or COVID-19 and consider if things will go back the way they were.

This session will consider the impact of remote work, security risks, collaboration tools, VOIP, and other tools your team require. How do we manage our various applications and meet our business plan goals? Attend this session to consider how technology planning works in the new normal.

Tommy Stephens, Jr.

4C: Power Automate Your Approvals

We live in a new normal: work-from-home. Applying this reality to our approval processes can be challenging. It requires a solution that functions regardless of location or device. What if I told you there was such a solution already available in many Office 365 / Microsoft 365 subscriptions?

In this session, we will introduce you to Power Automate. It is a wonderful service with hundreds of connectors that will allow you to automate a wide range of everyday approval actions. In this session, you will learn how to send documents from person-to-person, and review and approve them quickly and securely.

Randy Johnston

5A: Choosing Your Mid-Market Accounting Solution

Legacy solutions are holding back businesses. Many mid-market companies are being transformed by upgrading their accounting solutions. In this new world of Software as a Service, workflow-enabled, data-centric, and connected solutions, you can solve existing and future business problems in new ways. This session covers integrated and ERP solutions that should work for businesses in the $10 Million to $1 Billion range. If your system has been in place for seven or more years, it is time to consider an upgrade or replacement system. Leverage the instructor’s knowledge of the market to minimize your risk.

Stephen Yoss, Jr.

5B: Backups Done Right

Where is your data? Do you have it controlled and backed up? If all your information is in the cloud, how do you verify that the backup recovery is rapid? If your data is in various silos from your application providers, how do you ensure you have the necessary protection and disposal approaches?

This session will help you understand and guide your IT team and providers to take the right actions to protect your business. Backup considerations, including cloud, backup appliance, disaster recovery, and business continuity approaches, are included. If you are from the trust but verify school of thought, this session will help you ask the right questions.

Tommy Stephens, Jr.

5C: Turbocharging Small Business Reporting With Power Query

Every small business accountant knows and accepts the reporting limitations associated with entry-level tools. Most of these same professionals periodically export data to Excel, text, or other file formats to create custom reports to manage their business.  The related data transformations required to utilize exported data can be automated using Microsoft’s Power Query tool in Excel. With Power Query, these professionals can perform simple and complex tasks almost instantly.  Participate in this session to learn how to use Power Query – a tool you already own – to create more accurate and timely reports for your small business.

Stephen Yoss, Jr.

General Session #4: Tales of True Crimes – Ripped From the Headlines

2020 was an exceptional year for everyone, and like everyone, the hackers, scammers, and other technology criminals took advantage of new opportunities brought by COVID.  Criminals reportedly used innovative approaches to exploit weaknesses created by the pandemic.  You will learn tips and techniques from these events to help protect you, your company, and your data.

Attend this session and learn more about how high-profile control failures occurred so you can be more effective at preventing crimes such as theft, malware, ransomware, phishing, and hacking.

NCACPA is a NASBA-approved sponsor of continuing education.

For complete program information (course registration, learning objectives, instructional delivery methods, CPE, field of study, prerequisites, program knowledge, level, advance preparation, program description, and speaker information), please visit the event links above.

The North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org/.

For information regarding refund, complaint, program cancellation or other policies, visit our Registration Policies page or call 800-469-1352.