Software Support from McDaniel & Company, PLLC

Choosing the right type of business software can be very confusing, but McDaniel & Company, PLLC is here to help you. Our website features a variety of information about QuickBooks and Sage products. Current news, comparison charts, pricing and demos of the software products are all featured on our website. There are also Contact Forms provided for you to fill out with your contact information and any questions you may have. Being Certified Premier Advisors, we are fully trained and prepared to answer any questions you may have.

 

 If you would like to speak directly with someone from our office regarding software support, call us at 336-996-3338, or visit our website.

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

 

 

Software Tax Rate Updates

 

As 2013 comes to close and 2014 approaches, please be advised that your State Unemployment Tax Rate needs to be updated in your software for 2014. The Federal and State Tax Tables also need to be updated if you process your payroll internally. If you would like assistance with updating tax rates and/or tax tables, please contact us! If you are not processing your payroll internally, you will need to provide your State Unemployment Tax Rate for 2014 to the company that will be processing your payroll. As Federal, State and local payroll tax rates change frequently, it is important to keep your software updated to ensure accurate payroll withholding and reporting. Please call our office if you have any questions or need assistance updating your software!

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

 

New Reversible USB

Everyone has dealt with the annoyance of trying to plug in their USB cable and inserting it the wrong way. Well, a new USB is being introduced to solve that problem. The new USB Type-C connector is a completely new design that is smaller than USB connectors are now, and will be reversible. This new connector will not work with existing USB plugs, but will be able to deliver power, data and video across all of your devices without the need for another connector. The Type-C connector is currently being designed, and will be up for industry review in 2014. Final specifications are expected to be published by the middle of next year.

Tell us in the comments: Are you excited about this new USB connector?

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/12/new-usb-type-c-connector-is-smaller-reversible-supports-usb-3-1/

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2068940/planned-new-usb-connector-will-fit-both-ways.html

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

 

Need to Order Tax Forms?

If we are not preparing your 1099s, W-2s, etc., it is a good idea to go ahead and order those tax forms! You can order these forms from many places including the Internal Revenue Service website, Staples, or Intuit, among others. Most companies have tax preparation forms available for purchase now. 1099s and W-2s are due to be delivered to the recipient by January 31, 2014, so do not delay ordering your forms! If you have questions about what kind of tax forms you need to purchase for your business, please contact us.

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

 

What You Need to Know About Bitcoin

If you have paid attention to the news lately, chances are you have heard something about Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a digital currency on an open source payment network that was introduced in 2009. Funds are transferred between Bitcoin addresses, and spending these funds requires users to send a payment message that has been digitally signed with the customer’s cryptographic key. The popularity of this payment technology is relatively new, but is growing very quickly. With such a new currency, it is important to be safe and protect your information should you decide to test Bitcoin out. Computer World has posted an article that relays the top three risks of Bitcoin:

1.      Bitcoin fund transfers are irreversible, so it is important to be extremely cautious when completing Bitcoin transactions. Once you send the funds, there is no guarantee that you will get them back.

2.      Bitcoin funds are processed through electronic keys, and if these keys were decrypted they could be used by sent to another user. Although you do not want to over-encrypt the keys, it is important to keep them safe and protected from hackers.

3.      Some federal agencies are on board, but most commercial banks are still unsure of Bitcoin. Although Bitcoin is deigned to run without any bank interference, the lack of support from commercial banks reduces the amount of regulation that is put on Bitcoin.

It is highly suggested to thoroughly do your research before using bitcoins. If you have any questions, please contact us, or click on the links below for more information.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9244672/3_reasons_bitcoins_aren_39_t_in_your_wallet_yet?taxonomyId=203&pageNumber=1

http://bitcoin.org/en/

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

 

2 Million Social Media Passwords Stolen by Hackers

My Fox 8 recently reported that hackers had stolen almost two million usernames and passwords for social media accounts such as Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter, Google, and more. The hackers stole roughly 1.6 million website log-in credentials and over 320,000 e-mail account credentials. According to USA Today, the numbers of breaches to website accounts is as follows:

·         318,121 passwords from Facebook

·         59,549 passwords from Yahoo

·         54, 437 from Google

·         21, 708 from Twitter

·         8,490 from LinkedIn

7,978 ADP (payroll service provider) accounts have also been hacked, which could have serious financial repercussions for the account holders. This hack attack is global, with passwords being stolen from the Netherlands, Thailand, Germany, Singapore, Indonesia, and the United States. It is strongly recommended to update all of your log-in credentials for your website accounts, and be wary of any suspicious activity occurring on your accounts.

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

 

The Importance of Smartphone Security

Smartphones hold so much of our personal information, yet we tend to not use the best security on these devices. It’s very important to keep personal information in your smartphone secure, especially if you use your smartphone for banking purposes. ABC News posted an article with the top 5 tips for keeping your smartphone secure:

1.      Lock your phone: Set a password on your phone, and make it hard to guess. Experts recommend using a difficult password, not 1111, 1234, etc.

2.      Install security software: You probably would not think that a phone needs security software, but smartphones are basically small computers. The article recommends contacting CNet and MacWorld for the best security software options for your smartphone.

3.      Don’t save financial passwords: When you log into your banking website, do not select the option to remember that password. If your smartphone were to be stolen and the thief was able to guess your lock password, then they will have all of your banking information at their fingertips.

4.      Install track and wipe software: Track and wipe software will track your phone if it is stolen, and wipe out all the contents of the phone so that thieves will not see any of your information.

5.      Don’t use the same password for everything: This tip applies for all of your online accounts. Using the same password for every account you have increases the likelihood of hackers getting into your personal information.

Tell us in the comments: What do you do to keep your smartphone secure?

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

 

CryptoLocker Virus: What You Need to Know

A new computer virus called the CryptoLocker has infected more than 12,000 computers in a week, mostly in the United States. This virus is opened by victims clicking on what appear to be normal e-mails, claiming to be from banks or other financial institutions, and downloading the attachments in the e-mail. What the CryptoLocker does then is hack into your system, locate the most sensitive files, and then hold those files ransom until you agree to pay the given ransom to get your files back. In the average case, the virus’ authors allow 72 hours for victims to pay roughly $200 through BitCoin or MoneyPak. If you do not pay up, they will destroy the files. Recently, the Massachusetts police department has admitted to paying the BitCoin ransom when the CryptoLocker attacked their system after an employee clicked on an infected attachment. To avoid downloading this virus, be wary of e-mails you receive and do not open attachments unless you were expecting the e-mail or it is from a company you trust.

For more information about the CryptoLocker virus and how to protect your software, please visit the websites linked below:

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/21/us-police-force-pay-bitcoin-ransom-in-cryptolocker-malware-scam

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/170842-cybercrime-evolved-cryptolocker-virus-gets-user-friendly-with-brilliantly-twisted-update

http://www.ibtimes.com/cryptolocker-virus-infects-12000-computers-one-week-how-hackers-are-avoiding-detection-1473046

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

Accept Payments Anywhere with Sage Mobile Payments

 

Sage Mobile Payments has been released! Similar to Square, Sage Mobile Payments lets you process debit or credit cards through your smartphone or tablet. Your mobile devices can be used anywhere, and now you can accept payments everywhere you go. Sage Mobile Payments offers end-to-end encryption, which ensures that your customer’s credit card data will remain encrypted throughout all stages of the transaction. What sets Sage Mobile Payments apart from other mobile payment applications is that Sage Mobile Payments integrates fully with your Sage 50 accounting software (formerly known as Peachtree). This allows you to pull up customer’s invoices and make payments directly on them, so recording transactions is seamless. To learn more about Sage Mobile Payments or to inquire about pricing, visit Sage. If you have any questions about Sage software, please contact us.

 

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

Top Three Tips for Keeping Your Personal Information Safe

The number one concern when using technology today is keeping personal information safe. Stay Safe Online has posted an article with the top three tips for keeping your personal information safe. Although it is impossible to avoid all risks, there are many simple steps you can take that will ease your mind and lower the risks of safety threats.

1.      Review privacy policies: most companies begin gathering information about us as soon as we view their websites. Some of this information is used to give you a better shopping or browsing experience, but sometimes this information can be used or even sold without your knowledge or permission. Stay Safe Online reports that “all organizations are not required by either state laws or federal guidelines to have easily accessible privacy statement or policies that provide specific information about on what data is collected, how it is collected, how it is going to be used, and if they will be sharing information with any other organizations”. Before you provide any information to a new website, read their privacy policy!

2.      Check out as a guest: Most websites give you an option to create a log-in or check out as a guest. To avoid giving out personal information, check out as a guest.

3.      Save online shopping for your computer: Security solutions are not as advanced for mobile devices as they are for computers. Stay Safe Online reports that “mobile malware has grown by as much as 3,000 percent in the last year”.

If you have any questions about cyber security, please contact us!

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

 

Cyber Security-The Importance of Using a Secure Network

People use the internet for everything: banking, shopping, communicating with friends, etc. If you are doing all of this on an unsecured network, people may be able to see everything that you are looking at, and could steal personal information. If you are using the internet on an unencrypted server, your information could be accessible to anyone who hacked into that server. Browsing the internet while connected to public Wi-Fi can seem harmless, but you have to imagine that everyone on the network can see what you are looking at. If you log into anything personal that requires a password, you are potentially giving everyone on the network access to your information. If at all possible, only look at websites that contain personal information on a secure network that requires a password, so no one else on the network can view your information. But since that is not always possible, here are some tips that will help keep your information safe on public networks:

• Never click 'Keep me logged in' on websites.
• Try to use websites that have an SSL certificate. Many websites have an SSL certificate on the internet page that requires a password but not on the other pages. Any internet page that has ‘https:’ has an SSL certificate, and is significantly more secure than a regular internet page with ‘http:’

 

• Always click 'Log me out' or 'Sign Out' when you are done with an internet page.
• Know that anything you look at while on an unsecured network can be seen by everyone on the same network, so be cautious about what pages you view.

If you have any questions about staying safe while online, please contact us!

 

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

 

Sage Business Care Plans

Sage offers Business Care plans to maintain your BusinessWorks software. These plans include customer support, discounts on checks and forms, and software upgrades. Sage offers three Business Care Support plans: Bronze, Silver and Gold. The higher-level the plan is, the more services and support you will receive. The differences between the plans are outlined below (click on photo to enlarge):

Business Care Support Plans renew yearly, and this can be done through us or through Sage directly.  All Business Care Plans include access to a toll-free support phone number, and you can also contact us with any questions you may have regarding your software or Support Plan. For pricing information, please contact us! We will be more than happy to assist you with any questions you may have.

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

Cyber Security Tips for your Business

Cyber security is important, especially when it comes to your business. We hear of businesses suffering from security breaches every day, but the real targets are small businesses. “According to the 2013 Internet Security Threat Report from Symantec there was a 42% increase in targeted attacks in 2012, and 32% of all attacks were aimed at businesses with fewer than 250 employees” (Fox Business). Although the idea of an attack is alarming, there are simple tips you can follow to keep your business safe from cyber criminals. Fox Business came out with an article regarding the top 5 cyber security tips you should follow to protect your business.

 1.Create strong passwords: Don’t use the same password for every website, and don’t use a password that is really easy to guess. Experts recommend using a minimum of 12 characters for a password.
 2.Always log-off: Forgetting to log off from your computer or mobile device allows cyber-criminals to easily hack into your system. If you will be away from your device for longer than a couple minute, experts recommend logging off.
 3.Update systems: Regularly updating all of your software is essential to keeping your software secure and up-to-date.
 4.Regular backups: It is important to make backup copies of all of your data in case your system is attacked. Backup your database at least once a week, or set your system to backup automatically if possible.
 5.Limit employee access: Employees should only have access to information that is necessary for their work. Fox Business recommends requiring employees to have unique passwords that are changed every 90 days.

 For more tips on cyber security, subscribe to Tech Talk, and feel free to contact us with any questions!

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

Intuit and Square Join Forces

 

Intuit, the developer of financial software such as QuickBooks, and Square, the mobile card reader, have announced that they will be combining their services to make payment collection and reporting more accurate and efficient. Transactions occurring through Square can now be posted directly to QuickBooks. “Built on Intuit’s open platform, the integration will allow small business owners to import their transactions from Square into QuickBooks more efficiently by saving time and ensuring accurate reporting” (CPA Practice Advisor). The integration between Square and Intuit will begin on November 19, and will be a seamless integration for existing customers. New customers to either company will simply have to sign up for the combined services.

http://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/news/11179543/intuit-and-square-integrate-to-offer-a-simplified-payment-solution

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

National Cyber Security Awareness Month

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which is the perfect time to relay the importance of creating a safe and secure cyber environment. The Department of Homeland Security notes that: “Constantly evolving cyber threats require the engagement of the entire nation — from government and law enforcement to the private sector and most importantly, the public” (DHS). For the month of October, we will be posting blog articles on the importance of cyber security, and how you can stay safe and secure while online.

Our first tip is to keep all programs and software current. By keeping all security software updated, you will dramatically lower the risk of viruses and malware programs attacking your computer. If your software is not up-t- date, it is not performing at its strongest level. Viruses and malware programs will attack your software and could potentially leak private information to hackers and/or wreck your system. 

You should also use your security software to check jump drives or USBs that you will be plugging into your computer. Viruses can attack your computer through USB drives or other plug-ins you may use.

It is also a good idea to set your computer to automatically install updates, so that all software programs update regularly.

For more tips on staying safe and secure while online, subscribe to Tax Talk for new articles every week. If you have any questions, please contact us!

 

http://www.dhs.gov/national-cyber-security-awareness-month