CloudSolutions Alliance Expands to Include Cloud-based Document Management Leader SmartVault

CPA-focused alliance helps firms of all sizes make informed choices related to business-critical Cloud, SaaS, and Paperless technologies

Houston, TX – The CloudSolutions Alliance, comprised of Fujitsu Computer Products of America, XCM Solutions, and SpeedTax, today announced the addition of SmartVault, a leading provider of Software-as-a-Service-based document management products that give accounting professionals and business users an easy and affordable solution for going paperless.

The CloudSolutions Alliance is an educational collaboration established in 2010 to help accounting professionals understand the value of Cloud, SaaS, and Paperless technologies, as a rapid shift toward these technologies changes the way successful, growing firms conduct business. SmartVault is a key addition to the alliance, as paperless document management, including online file storage and secure, easy file sharing has become one of the most widely-accepted services adopted by firms of all sizes. In addition, the SmartVault executive team, specifically CEO Eric Pulaski, will provide valuable knowledge resources in the areas of Cloud security, privacy and compliance.

SmartVault recently released a Software Developers Kit, which gives application developers the ability to embed document management capabilities into their applications. The value of this to the customer is that the document is stored online, but can be accessed via familiar applications, creating a very user friendly interface. SmartVault shares with the CloudSolutions Alliance the core business belief that Cloud, SaaS and Paperless services and technologies should be integrated to allow for easy-to-use solutions that accounting professionals can implement and see immediate gains in productivity. Other tenets embraced by the CloudSolutions Alliance include:

• Cloud/SaaS/Paperless is the new normal. Mature Cloud, SaaS and Paperless solutions are readily available, and gaining widespread adoption among firms of all sizes. Accounting professionals should consider the positive impact of these technologies and services on their firms, on their staff, and on their valued clients.
• Increased firm efficiency. Choosing to work in a Cloud environment supports highly efficient processing and the ability to establish standardized operations, so everyone is following the same procedures.
• Newfound mobility and efficiency. Staff can easily and effectively work from any remote environment with Cloud and SaaS tools.
• Focus on client service. Clients benefit directly from Cloud, SaaS and Paperless technologies and applications that support real-time exchange of data and new levels of convenience. With a service like SmartVault, clients access their documents on a 24/7 basis online, and firms can also place other helpful information within SaaS-based portals, including links, notices, and articles, creating a platform for extended client communication, which leads to strengthened client relationships.
• New pricing power. Firms that optimize their operations with Cloud, SaaS and Paper technologies and services gain the ability to confidently charge a premium for their enhanced services with little risk of losing business to a competitor.
• Access to Cloud equality. Firms of all sizes, with or without IT staff, can leverage SaaS solutions to offer their clients the assurance of the highest levels of data security and privacy, via their service provider(s). This key aspect of Cloud computing allows small firms to compete aggressively in the market with a service offering comparable to the Top 100 firms.

“SmartVault’s entry into the CloudSolutions Alliance reinforces our conviction that firms need access to the best possible information related to how Cloud, SaaS and Paperless technologies can work together to significantly improve client service and make firms more competitive and profitable,” Said Eric Pulaski, CEO at SmartVault. “Getting firms of all sizes up to speed with new technologies that create greater efficiencies through digital interactions with clients will be a group effort – and we’re excited to be participating in the upcoming initiatives being planned by the CloudSolutions Alliance.”

“SmartVault is an important add-on to the CloudSolutions Alliance portfolio, joining a group of solution providers that are continuing to provide guidance to firms on how to take their internal processes, and all of their client interactions into the Cloud,” said Jason Blumer, CPA.CITP, CFE, Managing Shareholder, Blumer & Associates, CPAs. “SmartVault is also a great technology solution with a value proposition that any firm can easily grasp – make interaction with clients much more efficient and transparent, allowing for the exchange of documents any time and from any location via secure and super easy-to-use portals. I’m looking forward to seeing the next brainstorm from the CloudSolutions Alliance, and being part of their growing community!”

Recent CloudSolutions Alliance initiatives have included:

• A research study of Top 100 accounting firms conducted by Bay Street Group focused on profit margins, competition between firms and getting up-to-date with technology. Managing partners, partners, senior executives and senior staff from Top 100 firms participated in the survey, which shows that the best-managed, most successful firms are aggressively adopting Cloud, SaaS and Paperless solutions. The survey results show that firms are adopting these technologies in order to become more competitive, provider better client service, and improve client retention.
• A white paper by James Bourke, CPA.CITP, and Partner at WithumSmith+Brown, “3 Key Tech Strategies of Successful 21st Century Accounting Firms,” describing how competitive, growth-oriented firms are leveraging technologies like document management and SaaS to better serve clients and improve internal operations.

Meet CloudSolutions Alliance members at the AICPA Conference on Tax Strategies for the High-Income Individual, Scaling New Heights 2011, and the AICPA Practitioners Symposium and TECH+ Conference. Follow us at www.twitter.com/cloud_alliance for updates on conference and trade show attendance, and be the first to hear of new Alliance initiatives aimed at helping accounting professionals put Cloud, SaaS and Paperless technologies to work for improved firm performance and happier clients.