What's Coming Next: Technology Strategies for CPAs

📋 Overview

Technology in the accounting profession doesn't change in one place at a time. In the past year, AI tools moved from answering questions to completing tasks, Microsoft rebuilt how its Office apps work and how they're licensed, accounting publishers reworked their flagship products, and Windows 10 slipped further into paid extended support. This session is a broad, high-level update across all of it: the major trends shaping the profession, what's new in hardware, what the major software publishers changed, and what the year ahead is likely to bring. If you take one technology course this year, make it this one. In two hours you'll get caught up on what changed, what's coming, and what you can safely ignore, without needing a technical background. You'll leave with a short list of updates that affect your organization now, a realistic picture of what next year looks like, and a ranked set of technology priorities to take back to your team.

👥 Who Should Attend

CPAs and financial leaders who need a definitive, all-in-one update on the technology trends and tools that will impact their organizations in the next year.

🎯 Learning Objectives

• Identify the major technology trends affecting the accounting profession in 2027
• Compare current hardware and operating-system options to plan device purchases and replacements
• Summarize recent changes from Microsoft and other major publishers that affect everyday accounting work
• Assess the readiness of emerging technologies for use in an accounting or finance organization
• Prioritize technology investments for the coming year based on business value and risk

🚀 What You'll Walk Away With

• You'll stop guessing which hardware specs your team actually needs for the next replacement cycle.
• You'll identify which AI tools are ready for real work and which ones are still just toys.
• You'll translate complex licensing changes from Microsoft into a clear budget plan for your firm.
• You'll build a ranked list of technology investments that balance business value against modern risks.
• You'll spot the major trends that will define the accounting profession through 2027.

📚 Major Topics

1. Major trends: what's changing across the profession
2. Hardware update: devices, operating systems, and what to replace
3. Publisher updates: Microsoft and the major accounting software vendors
4. Looking ahead: forecasting the next year and setting technology priorities

🏷️ Topics

❓ Questions

✍️ A Note from the Author

I spent years watching firms struggle to keep up with software shifts that they didn't see coming until the invoice arrived. I wrote this update for the busy professional who needs the signal without the noise of the tech industry. It's the briefing I wish I had when I was managing these transitions myself.