Tools of the trade: what office tech one CPA uses--and why.

• Author: Fox, Woody
• Position: IntheOffice

Since I've joined the CalCPA Technology Committee, I've been asked many times what technology we use at my firm. So when we recently replaced four desktops I decided to document what we use--and why.

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The Hardware

We decided to replace four desktops that have been in use since 2007. They were running Windows XP and joined to our local domain.

We selected Dell OptiPlex 3010s with a 3.2 GHz i5-3740 processor, 4 GB of RAM, AMD Radeon HD 7470 graphic card, 250GB WD HDD, USB 2.0 and a RW DVD. We have used Dell for more than 20 years and found their commercial grade OptiPlex line virtually trouble-free and durable. We have a Dell that was placed in service in 2001 and is still running, 24/7, to support old legacy programs.

We plan on keeping these machines in service for several years, but wanted current generation processors. We didn't want to pay top dollar for the latest and greatest, so we selected the i5 processor over the i7. Four gigabytes of RAM will be plenty, even if some of our users like to keep all their programs open at once because we don't run any memory intensive programs.

A critical feature is dual monitor support, as our office is basically paperless. Having two monitors is a must. Most of our data is on the server with a gigabyte connection. The RW-DVDs were added for the occasional DVD burn: however, most data is transferred over the internet or on a USB drive.

We reused the existing 21- to 23- inch monitors with DVI connections from various manufacturers. 1 use a 23-inch Spectra in landscape mode with a 21-inch Dell in portrait mode.

The mouse and keyboard are wireless and were selected by the users. My preference is a Logitech K360 keyboard and a Logitech mouse.

For the operating system we selected Windows 7 Pro 64 bits. Mac OS and Linux are not acceptable because they don't run the business software we use. Windows XP is nearing the end of its support cycle, and Windows B had not been adequately tested on the software we use.

Windows 7 is faster and more secure than XP: the 64-bit version allows access to more memory and the Pro version allows you to join a domain.

The Software

Office 2013: The standard office suite fills all of our needs. We moved to Office 2013 to take advantage of the Office 365 integration.

Office 365: We are using die E1 version of Office 365, which provides email. SharePoint and Lync IM. We used to have a Small Business Service that hosted our email on an Exchange server. When...