Ideas in Motion: Michael Dickson Bridges the (Business-Technology) Gap
By Scott H. Cytron, ABC
How often do you run across a client or customer that is 100 percent sure he or she has made the best decision when it comes to purchasing software or implementing a new system? Better yet, how aligned is the purchasing decision to a company’s business objectives?
Michael R. Dickson, CPA.CITP, president of Business Technology Group, LLC, (BTG) in Columbus, Ohio, has spent the better part of his professional career ensuring the equation is balanced on both sides of the business technology continuum. While the landscape is filled with “technology experts,” Mike – whole-heartedly and without hesitation – stakes his career on the intellectual capital, experience and acumen he possesses in providing advice to clients based on his combined business (CPA) and technology skills.
“Business Technology Group is all about bridging the gap that exists between business and technology,” he says. “Many companies have made costly mistakes and fallen into this gap by selecting and implementing technology that was not suited to the business’s objectives. This can happen when high priced and ‘in vogue’ technology does not integrate well with the way a company does business, or when a business is not familiar with other solutions that may result in less disruption of existing processes. The result of a bad technology choice generally is less than an optimal Return On Investment.”
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Michael R. Dickson, CPA, CITP
President of Business Technology Group, LLC
“Business Technology Group is all about bridging the gap that exists between business and technology” |
Dickson says many companies overspend when they buy technology because they do not have a Strategic Technology Plan identifying specific business objectives that are met or enhanced by specific technology proposals. As a result, organizations often purchase technology they don’t really need. On the other hand, it could be a Catch 22: sometimes a significant technology decision is made based solely on what an internal IT manager recommends based on limited experience.
“While it may be true that the company’s internal IT manager may know more than anyone in the industry about the systems that have served the company well in the past, this alone does not make the person an expert on new technology or business practices, says Dickson. “Unless the organization supported the IT manager in obtaining continuing education and training in emerging technologies that are not currently deployed in the business, you’re left with a purchase that feels good to the existing IT staff, but doesn’t always address the objectives of business executives in the most efficient and cost effective manner.”
Dickson formed BTG in 2001 largely to continue assisting clients to bridge the business and technology gap. With 20 years’ experience consulting with clients, he says he found that many C-level (CEO, CFO, COO) business executives did not know how to evaluate the competence of their own IT organizations. In many cases, these individuals were held “captive” to the knowledge contained in the internal IT Group.
“Likewise, IT managers and network administrators, no matter how brilliant they are technically, often have trouble understanding the big picture business objectives (what’s important to the CEO), or how to integrate technology planning and architecture design with business strategy and future needs.”
BTG offers training and implementation support services to companies or CPA firms who use or want to begin a practice area using Trust Services Principles and Criteria that were recently updated by the American Institute of CPAs. BTG also helps clients with information systems strategic planning, and network architecture/infrastructure assessments to determine the adequacy of the network and related systems to handle a new software application or adding users/locations. Dickson also conducts security assessments to identify risk, and recommends action plans and solutions to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to systems. He assists clients with systems selections and implementations based on a set of structured project management principles designed to manage the progress, scope and timeline of a project.
Dickson began his professional career in the late ‘70s, and joined Crowe, Chizek and Company, LLP, in 1988 as partner-in-charge of the Systems Consulting Group in Columbus, where he directed and managed the growth of that technology consulting practice for more than 10 years.
Today, in addition to being the principal consultant for Business Technology Group, Dickson is involved in a number of other ventures that complement his practice. For example, he is part owner of IdentiRISK, a Denver, Colo.-based provider of CPE in topics affecting the security and privacy of client and customer information. The set of courses are becoming increasingly popular as more and more state CPA societies offer them to their members.
“IdentiRISK for SysTrust Security is a self-diagnostic course based on the AICPA’s Security Principles and Criteria,” he says. “This course is unique because CPAs can earn CPE credit and conduct an assessment on their own firm or business, as well as to prepare their clients for SysTrust security assurance engagements.”
Currently chairman of the Ohio Society of CPAs Executive Board, a member of the AICPA’s IT Executive Committee and chairman of the AICPA’s CITP Credential Committee, Dickson is passionate about helping guide the future of the CPA profession, and regularly talks about the external factors affecting CPA firms today – signs that the times must change. For example, as business combinations and rollups continue to decrease the number of prime audit clients in the marketplace, many small- and medium-size businesses are not required to have an audit like they did in the past, and some companies are avoiding going public to avoid the additional cost and burden of subjecting themselves to the audit scrutiny of the PCAOB (Public Company Accounting Oversight Board). Therefore, public accounting firms need to find new services to offer their changing client base.
By recognizing that technology is fundamental to how we provide accounting services, and how our clients “do business,” Dickson says CPA firms that embrace and expand their skills in technology-related services can continue to grow their firms or offset losses in traditional audit-related services. While the PCAOB limits the delivery of some services that CPA auditors can offer their public companies, and the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct independence rules prohibit certain technology consulting services to assurance clients, there are plenty of technology consulting services that can be delivered to attest clients – provided the CPA is not providing a management function.
“At the same time, the demographics of the CPA population continue to change as the percentage of members in business and industry continues to increase. Similarly, the percentage actively engaged in public accounting – more specifically auditing – continues to decrease. As a result of these changes in demographics, CPAs in business and industry are actually becoming a significant purchaser of goods and services from CPAs who remain in public practice.
Adding to his stance and positioning of the CPA as a business and technology professional is the excitement Dickson brings to the CITP (Certified Information Technology Professional) credential from the AICPA. With the credential, he says the CPA technology professional is recognized for his or her unique ability to bridge between business and technology, unlike others holding certifications that recognize only a narrow scope of skills.
“A CPA has a broad base of business experience by consulting with many different kinds of businesses over his or her career; a CPA who is a ‘technology expert’ brings objectivity and integrity to technology engagements with a significant commitment to the long-term client relationship.”
About Author:
Scott H. Cytron, ABC, is an accredited communications and public relations consultant working in the accounting, health care, high-tech and finance industries. He can be reached at scott@cytronandcompany.com or through his Web site, http://www.cytronandcompany.com .
About Column:
Ideas in Motion is a monthly column designed to focus on best practices within CPA firms and organizations involved in providing technology related services.
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