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By Scott H. Cytron, ABC
Xcentric, LLC co-founder Trey James has found a way make life easier for CPAs. Based on personalized hardware and software solutions , along with a knack for technology , he and his brother, Chris, started a company completely dedicated to the technology side of the accounting profession. Xcentric, LLC allows CPAs to focus on what they do best, leaving the IT issues to the experts.
Scott Cytron: What did you do before starting Xcentric?
Trey James: I began my career as a network and communication engineer at a nuclear power facility south of Fort Worth, Texas, and was primarily focused on fiber-optic networking. After leaving the power station, I started a small technology consulting practice in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and worked with companies such as Wal-Mart, the U.S. Postal Service, legal firms and a number of accounting firms. |
Trey James |
In 1996 I joined CPA Systems, Inc., which was, at that time, a leading national network technology company. I spent six years with the company, transitioning from my initial role as Senior Consultant to Sales Executive, and eventually ending up as Director of Sales.
SC: So where does Xcentric come in?
TJ: In 2002, after six years with CPA Systems, my brother Chris and I left the company to start a new technology consulting firm. In the process, we purchased CPA Systems from its previous shareholders and immediately re-branded the company as Xcentric, LLC.
Typical of small businesses, we ran our new firm out of my basement for a few months until we moved our three employees and seven phone lines into our first office space. Today, we have 35 employees working out of our headquarters in Atlanta, as well as in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
SC: Your Web site says you make life easier for CPAs can you give me a few examples of how Xcentric does this?
TJ: CPAs didn't start their firms to provide technology expertise. However, sometime after 1984 when personal computers displaced the service bureaus, the accounting profession became completely dependent on technology solutions in order to serve clients, and even their own firms, more efficiently.
At Xcentric, we encourage firms to view technology as a strategic initiative rather than a necessary evil by helping CPAs focus on their core competencies and allowing us to handle their day-to-day concerns. To accomplish this we provide the following services:
Totally Hosted Network Infrastructure and IT Management
We own and maintain a Fortune 1000-class network in a secure SAS70, type II rated data center, and own the management and administration of all things technical.
Strategic IT Planning and guidance based on the experience we've gained from working with hundreds of accounting firms, we offer CPA-specific assessments and guidance.
Managed Services
We provide complete outsourced management of a firm's locally-hosted technology. This gives them a scaled, redundant and expert IT department.
SC: Give me a quick glance into a day in the life of Trey James.
TJ: I get in early so I can get home early to spend as much time as possible with my beautiful wife and two young kids. My typical day consists of leadership meetings, conversations with the marketing team on product development matters, calls with strategic partners and e-mails. Lots of e-mails!?
SC: What are some of the most notable recent changes in accounting solutions? What is the main cause for change?
TJ: Market consolidation among accounting software vendors has paved the way for better integration between the various applications. In addition, this consolidation has reduced the total number of software titles that firms are required to use. This, in turn, decreases the training and licensing requirements.
SC: What are some up and coming tech trends in network and electronic storage?
TJ: With the pursuit of going paperless, firms are learning that data security, management, backup and retention are becoming topics of significant importance. Paperless firms consume exponential amounts of data storage compared to those who have not yet made the transition. Data retention policies become important from a legal perspective and must be dealt with by using technology; manual management is impossible.
Given the large volumes of data that firms are generating, Storage Area Networks (SANs) are quickly becoming a necessity for even small- and mid-sized firms. SANs accommodate large volumes of data, but are more expensive and infinitely more complex than standard server storage.
More than ever, we see firms being forced to use more sophisticated technologies that provide redundancies, capacities and security features that only enterprise-level technologies provide. This makes it increasingly difficult for small- and mid-sized firms to keep pace.
SC: What are some ways Xcentric tailors software directly to a CPA firm's clients?
TJ: Six years ago Xcentric introduced the ?axessPoint Portal? to the accounting profession. The portal provides a customizable intranet platform through which all of a firms software tools, such as tax, engagement and practice, can be accessed anywhere, anytime, via the Internet.
AxessPoint Portal provides real-time status of staff availability, a firm-wide notification solution, a menu of intranet links and an IT helpdesk solution. The AxessPoint Portal also is used as a team collaboration solution to share data and information among team members through a web-based portal.
SC: What are your thoughts on how the world has gone paperless and how has it affected the accounting profession?
TJ: Much like the rest of the world, the accounting industry is still working to go paperless. Firms are learning that while paperless technology solutions are important, workflow process and partner buy-in are the most critical elements to going paperless. The transition requires a significant change in workflow, processes and in a firm?s overall culture.
SC: What form of technology do you find most useful in your daily life?
TJ: I use Gray Matter, Xcentric's completely outsourced networking platform. Gray Matter allows me to access all of my applications from anywhere as long as I am connected to the Internet. I can work from the coffee shop, from home or from the airport, and the experience is the same no matter where I connect. It allows me to truly be mobile.
SC: What is your life mantra or motto?
TJ: Serve others as you would like to be served.