JofA Article
By Jeff Drew
March 13, 2020
As the coronavirus pandemic rattled stock markets, closed school systems, and shut down major sports leagues this week, Jim Bourke, CPA/CITP/CFF, CGMA, had his head in the cloud, his work applications at his fingertips, and his feet planted on the front porch of his home in New Jersey.
Bourke, a partner and managing director of advisory services for N.J.-based regional accounting firm WithumSmith+Brown, has been urging firms for years to move as much of their IT infrastructure and data to the cloud as possible. Because his firm did so years ago, he is accustomed to working remotely and is well prepared if the efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 require him to stay away from the office.
Not all accounting firms, or other businesses for that matter, are as prepared for all or large segments of their staff to work remotely. What can organizations do if quarantines or other travel restrictions preclude staff from coming into the office? What technologies will be needed? What policies will need to be in place? Can even organizations that have so far eschewed remote work cobble together a workable solution? The article addresses those questions and more.