You are so 'right on', MC. And that 'writing it out on the white board' exercise brings back many memories. Niche-ing is a magical strategy and well done on keeping us reminded of the truth. I also think (right now at least) that any firm that's not giving
back, not talking about it and not involving their clients in the process is really missing out on a huge opportunity. And that's an opportunity not just to make a difference but to actually LEAD that process with your clients front and centre. It's what some
people are calling 'the 5th P of marketing. And of course it stands for PURPOSE. It really is all about CONNECTING, connecting with self, with team, with clients (in that order too!) Great piece, MC. Thank you.

We love cloud computing because we find IT maintenance much easier. No need to have an IT guy constantly installing fixes and upgrades. All happens automatically.

The only thing that concerns me about cloud computing is data security - what if the cloud app company goes out of business? Can we get a copy of the data?

The fact we weren't worried about data loss from servers being damaged (we don't have any servers anymore) in the recent floods was a major plus for us. We had enough to deal with, without having to worry about that as well. Plus, we could keep working
from our laptops and iPhones.

I like how easy it is to set up a new employee or workstation. Nothing to install. Just set up a few user accounts on various apps, which any team member can do. Easy peasy.

Pro-Cloud all the way here. Its made such a difference to our business. Faster processing, sharing of data between applications, live assistance for clients, up to date data so we can constantly be on the ball with our clients.....what's not to love :)

Whilst I embrace the cloud as the future for reducing the IT burden on small business, the fact you need an internet connection, don't house your own data and have to learn yet another system are all challenges that my team have put to me. And when two
cloud systems don't talk to each other in a logical way, its a big WHY NOT? from me. Despite all that, bring it on!

Love everything about the cloud – the main thing I’d love to see is that developers go further than jsut making their products operate within the cloud – that they also focus on the backend and make sure their products can seamlessly integrate with a number
of other programs (eg Workflowmax/Xero/Capsule) – encouraging a best of breed environment (minus the multiple databases and clunky integrations)

Some might say all early adopters have their heads in the cloud... Accountants have long been the trusted holders of the files. Cloud networking appears to take that away from them. I'm curious to hear opinion about this, wondering if it's going to be
a deep seated source of resistance to moving client information and transactions to the cloud. I suspect the real driver will not be the accounting firms but their clients. And the firms that capitalise will be those who work to understand it and help their
clients understand. Pro cloud but not for everything. It's about understanding the risks and choosing what is acceptable.

We have dipped more than just our big toe into the cloud space are enjoying the benefits provided. As with all new things, issues arise and we experiment a bit, but what we learn we can pass on to our clients. Now if they could only convert me to using
a Mac!

We are fans of cloud computing for collaborating and sharing information in a whole heap of ways. We find that it brings the advisor closer to the day-to-day business life of clients, and that’s better for everybody. The data security/accessibility question
has been a concern. We feel that cloud providers who remove this risk by offering a “press here to download all your data” feature will win the favour…and loyalty… of subscribers. It will us! Server migration will be much easier because no longer will we have
to engage consultants from software suppliers for days to transfer their precious system……sometimes that process seems to resemble a cross between a live organ transplant and bomb disposal…….will we even need a server for much longer? If a definition of “cloud”
includes “Browser based stuff that helps us work together better and that’s fun to use, regardless of Mac or PC” then we’re interested. We “Like” (sorry for that pun ;) ) Xero, Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook, Twitter, WorkflowMax.

Cloud computing gives me two outstanding benefits; If I am not satisfied with a system I can easily change as it's rental not purchase. Providers know this so are more likely to deliver than lose you! I don't have sunk costs so therefore I am less likely
to persist with a bad system just because its too expensive to change. Well done MC on organising "Beerstorming", should be a great event.

We are moving to cloud computing and it can't happen fast enough. Suddenly everywhere can be your office... like the coffee shop!

We don't have a server. I don't miss it. I also like that integrating (sharing data) between web apps is as easy as copying and pasting an API key from one field to another, then clicking Save. The integration, for example, between Capsule CRM, MailChimp
and Xero is brilliant. These apps are acting like (the Holy Grail of) one database. I like it, I like it a lot. Thanks to everyone for your comments so far. Feel free to add fears/concerns too -- e.g. the one Cameron Patterson (re getting a copy of the data)
is a good one. Will be great to see the panel and fellow Beerstormers in action in September. Diverse views are great. I have a feeling we will all learn about some great apps and tools too.

We have embraced the cloud in a number of areas within our business, and will continue to push the boundaries both internally, and with clients. The clients love it, and so do we. It's time we all stopped being so conservative and scared of the big wide
world, and recognised there are much better ways to operate. It won't be long before our internal servers diminish significantly or disappear completely, and everything we do happens in the cloud.

As you all know, Accounting is a very conservative profession, which means, changing to new ways of doing things doesn't come naturally. Yet, I believe that the future for the accounting profession lies in accepting Cloud computing and all its profound
benefits to your practices and your clients wholeheartedly now. The future is approaching fast! Thanks @PracticeParadox for inviting me to comment, much appreciated.

Looking forward to BeerStorming. Cost savings are very compelling when it comes to the cloud however there are also grey area's to discuss such as - Security, Privacy (data sovereignty) and reliability (data redundancy) to name a few.

I have mixed feeling about "cloud" computing in its current form. Firstly, our firm has had a long history of innovation using our existing technology and leveraging the data in our core database systems. The best example is the level of automation that
we have been able to achieve with our database hosted internally. The reason that we have been able to do this for such a long period of time is that we have maintained in-house expertise and familiarity with the nuts-and-bolts of our software. The way that
cloud computing is currently pitched does nothing but harm our ability to take this "tinkering" and innovative nature forward. The level of abstraction that "putting it in the cloud" offers has a nasty side-effect of removing our local knowledge of how the
system *actually* works, which in turn, hampers our ability to be as “leading edge” as we would otherwise be. This is not to mention the technical restraints or hurdles of integrating databases and systems across the wire. On the other hand, for large organisations
or organisations whose have a core IT strategy of reducing the costs of delivering *base* systems then an offsite solution of either hosted software (SAS) or a hosted environment makes a lot of sense. The difficulty though is what to do when you hear the phrase
“I’m sorry you are not connected, it is a problem with our upstream provider, we will tell you when it is resolved as soon as we know.” And the other issue of being careful to comply with the National Privacy Principles #9 (http://tinyurl.com/3tmf5mt). It
isn’t all terrible though, as we are currently testing the water with our superannuation processing using ClassSuper, the integration with external institutions has promise for what the future holds. I just wish that the certain organisations would get off
their collective asses and give us some of the SBR (http://tinyurl.com/3ge8uqs) goodness we were promised what seems like a long time ago. The trend seems to be going towards a “cloud” solution; I just don’t want to have to lose all the good things that we
already have or be at the mercy of a third party.

I'm very much "pro cloud computing". It's the next step in automation, efficiency & timeliness. As accountants, we need to be very careful about giving third party providers of "software as a service" private client information (eg. email addresses) -
what are the legal issues around privacy of information and trust that we won't abuse that information? Also, we need to understand what happens to our data in the cloud if the provider goes "missing" ie. future access/use of this information. The benefits
for the accountant are well worth while investing in - immediate access to client data without having to tell them that you're having a quick look at their ledger.... wow, how proactive!

Horses for courses! Cloud has its place - but also need to assess risks and compliance issues. Still will require a PC, modem, switch, router - and if something goes wrong - eg. can't get to your cloud service - who do you call? Who will diagnose and then
fix the problem? Many large multinational cloud providers have been down - including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, etc. If everything is in the cloud, how much will this cost your practice in lost billable hours? And then there are the issues of data security
(do you need your own copy?), physical location of your data (legal issuess to consider), ownership of your data and ability to retrieve (if not happy with service or provider goes bust). Having a service level agreement in place that meets the practice's
needs is critical. Using Xero or Saasu for client work makes real sense.

Some great comments here, I look forward to discussing them at the Brisbane event. There are many real concerns, all of which have answers. Hear the answers first hand from those working in the cloud, from those who have done the research and implemented
the solutions. 'Perception management' is as much a part of it as are the black and white details. Security, redundancy, link failure, cloud lock-in, application support, system flexibility, contract terms and conditions, statutory compliance - come along
and fire away with whatever questions you may have.

Great to be part of this event. Cloud computing has certainly been a huge benefit for myself. We use a significant number of cloud applications to grow and develop our business. I understand that there are some significant issues with cloud computing particularly
security (though I think some of the big companies behind cloud have far better security than most accounting firms have) but I believe the benefits outweigh the negatives. Looking forward to discussing this further.

Cloud computing to me is clean, crisp, transparent. I've said that often before, but now that I think about it, it's a lot like a good filtered beer.

The more I work with cloud applications, the more it strikes me that the attitude of most cloud developers is one of collaboration combined with best of breed, as against the old model of guarding the (archaic) proprietary information and trying to be
all things to all users.

I can see that our focus on cloud applications could actually change the mix of our client base over time by attracting more businesses who work on the move and with real time information. It's also crucial to attracting quality team members.

Fears? Backup?-done by the cloud provider, more reliable than our old tapes. Internet security?-most of us use internet banking and the tax agent portal, if we accept that we should accept accounting online. Physical security?-you can't even find out where
these places are. Power outage?-your computer won't work anyway, take a break. Speed? Maybe an issue, but not for too long. Seriously, what else is there?

Still trying to think of a real fear or problem to raise. Most client pushback, say to Xero, has really just been, in my judgement, excuses not to get outside comfort zone and learn a new system. eg. I don't really have that much data entry, I'll be retiring
soon, will it work out west, I've just spent $1800 on MYOB. Haven't had anyone directly talk about cloud concerns, maybe because we're not really focussing on that aspect.

I wonder if the 'Better the Devil you know' principle applies from the accounting firm outwards as well. As the clients stick with their accountant, the accountant sticks with the clients. That lack of a marketing focus translates to new clients being
risky for the accountant to take on.