The Accounting Function

The Accounting Function

“The information age has important implications for accounting because that is what accountants are—knowledge workers.” (Strand, Bagranoff, & Simkin, 2008, Ch 1 p. 9). Technology has influences the accounting field in many positive ways but also in some negative ways as well. We’ve come a long way from standard 10 key but is that such a good thing. Every area of accounting has been affected by technology and throughout this paper I will discus the pros and cons of how technology has affected accounting.
First I would like to discuss the pros to the boom of technology and how it has affected accounting. Technology, of course, assisted accounting by increasing the speed and efficiency in which data is received, inputted, and transferred into useable information. Some examples of these Accounting Information Systems (AIS’s) would be programs like Peachtree or Quick Books. The faster a company can receive the data and prepare the necessary reports that are beneficial gives them a leg up on the competition. Another type of technology that has helped not only accounting but business in general is Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi provides the accounting field with mobile communication which is changing the way people do business. “Instantaneous access to the Internet, for example, will enable managerial accountants to complete important work tasks while traveling to distant job sites, auditors to communicate with each other even when they are thousands of miles away from one another (but auditing the same client), and tax experts to download information on tax rulings that are even more current than their latest CDs.” (Strand, Bagranoff, & Simkin, 2008, Ch 1 p.13).
Second, I would like to discuss the cons that have come about from the use of technology. With the use of computers and the internet, it has given rise to vulnerability from people such as hackers who want to misuse that information. This requires heavy security such as firewalls and passwords that are required...