CPA Tech Wiki - Recent changes [en]

Podcast

Bftcpa606 — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 01:50:11 GMT

Episode List (2025-Present, episodes 187-)

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	\|-		\|-
	\|273		\|[https://cpate.ch/273 273]
	\|[[ATL273\|Reinventing Your Practice with Advisory (Guest: Nancy Sperry, Sage)]]		\|[[ATL273\|Reinventing Your Practice with Advisory (Guest: Nancy Sperry, Sage)]]
	\|atl273pub		\|[https://cpate.ch/atl273pub atl273pub]
	\|8/7/2026		\|8/7/2026
	\|8/28/2026		\|8/28/2026
	\|-		\|-
	\|272		\|[https://cpate.ch/272 272]
	\|[[ATL272\|The Gathering Storm: Open Source AI]]		\|[[ATL272\|The Gathering Storm: Open Source AI]]
	\|atl272pub		\|[https://cpate.ch/atl272pub atl272pub]
	\|8/7/2026		\|8/7/2026
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	\|[[ATL271\|Why Your WISP Is Essential in 2026]]		\|[[ATL271\|Why Your WISP Is Essential in 2026]]
	\|atl271pub		\|[https://cpate.ch/atl271pub atl271pub]
	\|8/7/2026		\|8/7/2026
	\|8/21/2026		\|8/21/2026
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	\|[[ATL270\|Hardware Hullabaloo]]		\|[[ATL270\|Hardware Hullabaloo]]
	\|atl270pub		\|[https://cpate.ch/atl270pub atl270pub]
	\|7/2/2026		\|7/2/2026
	\|8/14/2026		\|8/14/2026

ATL273

Bftcpa606 — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 01:43:14 GMT

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	= ATL273 — Reinventing Your Practice with Advisory =		= ATL273 — Reinventing Your Practice with Advisory =
	'''With Guest Nancy Sperry of Sage'''		'''With Guest Nancy Sperry of Sage'''

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Bftcpa606 — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 01:42:47 GMT

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ATL273

Bftcpa606 — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 01:32:25 GMT

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ATL273

Bftcpa606 — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 01:23:49 GMT

Created page with "= ATL273 — Reinventing Your Practice with Advisory = '''With Guest Nancy Sperry of Sage''' '''Program:''' Accounting Technology Lab '''Episode:''' ATL273 '''Release date:''' September 4, 2026 '''Hosts:''' Randy Johnston and Brian F. Tankersley, CPA.CITP, CGMA '''Guest:''' Nancy Sperry, Senior Vice President of U.S. Partner Sales, Sage '''Approximate runtime:''' 33 minutes '''Primary topic:''' Using trusted AI, agentic automation, and the Sage partner ecosystem to move..."

New page

= ATL273 — Reinventing Your Practice with Advisory =
'''With Guest Nancy Sperry of Sage'''
'''Program:''' Accounting Technology Lab
'''Episode:''' ATL273
'''Release date:''' September 4, 2026
'''Hosts:''' Randy Johnston and Brian F. Tankersley, CPA.CITP, CGMA
'''Guest:''' Nancy Sperry, Senior Vice President of U.S. Partner Sales, Sage
'''Approximate runtime:''' 33 minutes
'''Primary topic:''' Using trusted AI, agentic automation, and the Sage partner ecosystem to move accounting professionals from transaction processing toward higher-value advisory work.
== 200-Word Episode Summary ==
In ATL273, Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley talk with Nancy Sperry, Senior Vice President of U.S. Partner Sales at Sage, about how AI can help accounting firms and finance professionals reinvent their practices around advisory services. Sperry argues that AI adoption in accounting depends on trust: systems must be explainable, auditable, secure, controllable, and subject to human approval. That “glass box” approach can reduce the time professionals spend validating transactions and manipulating data, freeing them to interpret results, advise clients, and look forward instead of backward. The discussion explores Sage Copilot, finance and close agents, partner-built agents, and a future agent marketplace where solutions created for one client may be reused across the Sage ecosystem. The hosts and Sperry also examine how AI could accelerate micro-vertical specialization in industries such as construction and nonprofit organizations, while integrations and Model Context Protocol connections may reduce dependence on traditional middleware and point solutions. The episode closes with Sage’s broader platform strategy, including Sage Intacct, Sage HCM, and acquired products, and with a clear message for firms: advisory growth will require both AI-enabled productivity and disciplined governance, security, accountability, and human oversight as firms redesign workflows and deepen trusted relationships with clients today.
== Key Takeaways ==
'''Trust is the gating factor for accounting AI.''' Explainability, auditability, approval workflows, security, and accountability matter as much as model capability.
'''Advisory becomes more practical when the mechanical work shrinks.''' Automation can move professionals away from manipulating data and toward interpreting what the numbers mean.
'''Finance will not become autonomous overnight.''' Sperry notes that only a small portion of finance functions are autonomous today; confidence must be earned through reliable results and controls.
'''Agents create a new partner opportunity.''' Sage partners may be able to build agents for specific client problems and then distribute reusable solutions through a broader marketplace.
'''Industry specialization can get much deeper.''' AI and agent builders may allow firms to move beyond broad verticals such as construction into highly specialized micro-vertical workflows.
'''MCP and cross-system agents can change the technology stack.''' Agents that work across systems such as CRM, payroll, and ERP could eliminate some traditional integration layers—but also introduce new security concerns.
'''Advisory becomes forward-looking.''' The opportunity is to spend less time looking through the rearview mirror and more time helping clients see through the windshield.
'''Human oversight remains essential.''' The accountant, CFO, or advisor remains responsible for consequential decisions even when AI performs more of the underlying work.
'''Sage is broadening the platform''' around finance, HR, payroll, expenses, construction, forecasting, practice management, and other adjacent workflows.
'''The strategic opportunity is bigger than efficiency.''' AI can change the relationship between the accounting professional and the client by making interpretation, specialization, and continuous advice economically feasible.
== Catchy Quotes and Video Locations ==
''Times are based on the supplied transcript and may shift slightly if the published video contains a different intro, edit, or advertising insert.''
'''00:55 — Nancy Sperry:''' “AI is the most exciting and really going faster than either of those two kind of major changes.”
'''04:34 — Nancy Sperry:''' “Anything that is explainable and that I can click through and see the result… gives a lot of confidence.”
'''06:48 — Brian Tankersley:''' “When the math’s not mathing, it’s not good for anybody in accounting.”
'''08:24 — Nancy Sperry:''' “I see it being a really big revolution in the relationship.”
'''10:37 — Nancy Sperry:''' “Turn the headlights on and see into the future.”
'''13:36 — Nancy Sperry:''' Partners can “solve real business problems that are really critically important to that client.”
'''15:58 — Randy Johnston:''' Advisory is “looking out the windshield as opposed to looking in the rearview mirror.”
'''20:44 — Nancy Sperry:''' “Partners are the intersection of that for us at Sage.”
'''26:26 — Nancy Sperry:''' Sage’s “glass box approach” is designed to provide confidence, control, oversight, and accountability.
'''31:39 — Nancy Sperry:''' AI creates an opportunity for partners “to just create amazing outcomes.”
== 20 Social Media Posts ==
'''Accounting advisory gets a lot easier when accountants stop spending most of their time manipulating data.''' ATL273 explores how trusted AI could shift the profession toward interpretation, judgment, and forward-looking advice. #AccountingTechnology #Advisory #AIinAccounting
What does trustworthy AI actually mean for an accountant? '''Explainable. Auditable. Approvable. Secure. Accountable.''' Nancy Sperry of Sage joins ATL273 to explain why those controls matter. #AIGovernance #Accounting #Sage
“'''When the math’s not mathing, it’s not good for anybody in accounting.'''” Brian Tankersley sums up one of the profession’s biggest concerns about blindly trusting AI output. #AIinAccounting #CPA #AccountingTech
AI should help accountants spend less time looking in the rearview mirror and more time '''looking through the windshield.''' That is the advisory opportunity explored in ATL273. #AdvisoryServices #FutureOfAccounting
The best accounting AI may not be the model with the flashiest demo. For regulated financial workflows, '''auditability, security, controls, and human approval''' may matter more. #AIGovernance #RiskManagement
What happens when an accounting technology partner builds an AI agent that solves a difficult problem for one client—and can then offer it to hundreds more? ATL273 explores the emerging '''agent marketplace''' opportunity. #AgenticAI #AccountingTechnology
An AI agent does not have to solve every accounting problem. A highly specialized agent that solves '''one expensive recurring problem really well''' may be far more valuable. #Automation #CPA
Construction is not one market. Nonprofits are not one market. AI may allow accounting firms and technology partners to specialize far beyond traditional verticals into '''micro-vertical workflows.''' #Advisory #VerticalMarkets
The future accounting technology stack may contain fewer traditional middleware products. Agents and MCP connections increasingly allow systems to communicate and execute work across platforms. '''That creates opportunity—and new security risks.''' #MCP #Cybersecurity #AI
Advisory is not simply another service line. AI could fundamentally change the client relationship by giving accountants more time to '''interpret what happened, explain why it matters, and recommend what comes next.''' #TrustedAdvisor #Accounting
Nancy Sperry says partners are critical to Sage’s AI strategy because they sit where software meets the messy reality of the customer’s business. That may make partners some of the most important AI innovators in accounting. #Sage #PartnerEcosystem
Imagine building an AI agent for one unusual client workflow, refining it until it works, and then turning that intellectual property into a reusable solution. That is a very different business model for accounting technology consultants. #AgenticAI #Innovation
AI can compress the journey from '''question → analysis → decision.''' But faster decisions only create value when the underlying data, controls, and reasoning can be trusted. #FinanceTransformation #AIGovernance
Sage calls its approach a '''“glass box.”''' Accountants can see how the system reached an outcome instead of being expected to trust an unexplained black-box answer. That distinction matters in regulated workflows. #ExplainableAI #Accounting
If automation handles more transaction processing, reconciliations, extraction, and validation, the accountant’s scarce resource increasingly becomes '''judgment.''' ATL273 examines what that means for advisory practices. #FutureOfWork #CPA
The interesting question is no longer simply, “Can AI automate this?” A better question is: '''“What higher-value work can our people do once it does?”''' #AdvisoryServices #Automation #Accounting
ERP, payroll, CRM, HCM, expense management, forecasting, practice management—the finance stack keeps expanding. Agents may provide a new connective layer across all of it. ATL273 looks at where Sage believes this is heading. #ERP #AgenticAI
Technology partners have spent decades customizing software for clients. Agent builders could turn that same problem-solving expertise into reusable digital workers—and potentially a new source of recurring revenue. #PartnerChannel #AI
Trustworthy AI is not just a technical requirement. It is a '''business-model requirement''' for accountants whose professional relationships depend on clients trusting their numbers and recommendations. #TrustedAdvisor #ProfessionalJudgment
AI will change accounting faster than cloud computing did, according to Nancy Sperry. The firms that benefit most may be the ones that pair aggressive experimentation with equally serious attention to '''security, governance, controls, and human oversight.''' #AccountingTechnology #AIinAccounting #Sage
== Products, Services, Companies, and Social Accounts ==
Product names are grouped under their parent company when a separate official product account is not appropriate. “Not verified” means an official account could not be confirmed confidently enough to publish without guessing.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Entity
! Products/services mentioned
! X
! Facebook
! LinkedIn
! Instagram
'''Sage'''
Sage Intacct; Sage Copilot; finance agent; close agent; agent builders; proposed agent marketplace; Sage HCM; Sage 300; Sage Labs; construction and nonprofit solutions; Compass; AutoEntry; Criterion HCM; Fairsail; Brightpearl; Fyle; ForceManager/Sage Sales Management; Corecon; Futrli; GoProposal
@SageNAmerica / @sagegroupplc
Sage
Sage
@sageofficial
-
'''Microsoft'''
Microsoft Copilot; underlying enterprise AI/compliance capabilities discussed by Brian
@Microsoft
Microsoft
microsoft
@microsoft
-
'''OpenAI'''
ChatGPT
@OpenAI
@OpenAI
OpenAI
@openai
-
'''Anthropic'''
Claude
@AnthropicAI
Not verified
anthropicresearch
Not verified
-
'''Google'''
Gemini
@Google
Google
google
@google
-
'''Salesforce'''
Salesforce CRM; example of an MCP-connected business system
@salesforce
Salesforce
salesforce
@salesforce
-
'''ADP'''
ADP Payroll; example of an MCP-connected business system
@ADP
ADP
adp
ADP
-
'''Wolters Kluwer'''
Professional accounting/tax technology; cited as another provider emphasizing trustworthy AI
@Wolters_Kluwer
wolterskluwer
wolters-kluwer
Not verified
-
'''Thomson Reuters'''
Professional accounting/tax technology; cited as another provider emphasizing trustworthy AI
@thomsonreuters
@thomsonreuters
thomson-reuters
@thomsonreuters
-
'''LPGA'''
Sage customer/partner example discussed in connection with specialized financial workflows
@LPGA
LPGA
lpga
@lpga_tour
-
'''ACT Construction'''
Construction customer example as named in the transcript
Not verified
Not verified
Not verified
Not verified
-
'''CPA Practice Advisor'''
Publisher of Accounting Technology Lab
@CPAPracAdvisor
cpapracticeadvisor
cpa-practice-advisor
@cpapracticeadvisor
-
'''Model Context Protocol (MCP)'''
Cross-system AI integration protocol discussed by Randy
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
}
== Suggested Hashtags ==
#AccountingTechnology #AccountingTechnologyLab #AIinAccounting #AdvisoryServices #TrustedAdvisor #AgenticAI #Sage #SageIntacct #AIGovernance #ExplainableAI #Accounting #CPA #FinanceTransformation #Automation #FutureOfAccounting #PartnerChannel #MCP #Cybersecurity #InternalControls #ProfessionalJudgment
== Newsletter / Website Teaser ==
'''Can AI finally give accountants enough time to become the advisors clients keep asking for?'''
In ATL273, Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley welcome Nancy Sperry, Senior Vice President of U.S. Partner Sales at Sage, for a discussion about trusted AI, agentic workflows, advisory services, and the changing role of accounting technology partners.
The conversation goes well beyond automation. Nancy explains Sage’s “glass box” approach to explainability, auditability, approval, security, and accountability; discusses partner-built AI agents and a future agent marketplace; and explores how AI could enable much deeper industry specialization.
The larger opportunity is straightforward: automate more of the mechanical work so accountants can spend more time interpreting information, looking forward, and helping clients make better decisions.
== Suggested Promotional Graphic ==
'''Primary headline:'''
'''Reinventing Your Practice with Advisory'''
'''Secondary line:'''
'''Trusted AI, Agents, and the New Role of the Accounting Advisor'''
'''Guest identification:'''
Nancy Sperry
Senior Vice President, U.S. Partner Sales — Sage
'''Suggested visual callouts:'''
'''TRUSTED AI • ADVISORY • AGENTS • MICRO-VERTICALS'''
'''Best quote overlay:'''
“Turn the headlights on and see into the future.” — Nancy Sperry
'''Alternative humorous quote for social graphics:'''
“When the math’s not mathing, it’s not good for anybody in accounting.” — Brian Tankersley
'''Visual direction:'''
Use Nancy prominently with Randy and Brian, with subtle imagery suggesting a transition from transactional accounting/data processing toward forward-looking analytics. A restrained Sage-inspired green accent would reinforce the guest/company connection without allowing vendor branding to overwhelm the ATL identity.

Podcast

Bftcpa606 — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 01:23:01 GMT

Episode List (2025-Present, episodes 187-)

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	! Ep# !! Title !! CPAPA Link !! Record Date !! Publish Date		! Ep# !! Title !! CPAPA Link !! Record Date !! Publish Date
			\|-
			\|273
			\|[[ATL273\|Reinventing Your Practice with Advisory (Guest: Nancy Sperry, Sage)]]
			\|atl273pub
			\|8/7/2026
			\|8/28/2026
	\|-		\|-
	\|272		\|272

ATL272

Bftcpa606 — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:49:42 GMT

Created page with "= ATL272 - The Gathering Storm = '''Episode:''' ATL272 '''Title:''' ''The Gathering Storm'' '''Hosts:''' Randy Johnston and Brian F. Tankersley, CPA.CITP, CGMA '''Podcast:''' Accounting Technology Lab, brought to you by CPA Practice Advisor == Promotional Hook == AI is making cyberattacks faster, cheaper, and more scalable at exactly the time many accounting firms are carrying too much technical debt. ATL272 examines what firms should do before that combin..."

New page

= ATL272 - The Gathering Storm =

'''Episode:''' ATL272 
'''Title:''' ''The Gathering Storm'' 
'''Hosts:''' Randy Johnston and Brian F. Tankersley, CPA.CITP, CGMA 
'''Podcast:''' Accounting Technology Lab, brought to you by CPA Practice Advisor

== Promotional Hook ==

AI is making cyberattacks faster, cheaper, and more scalable at exactly the time many accounting firms are carrying too much technical debt. ATL272 examines what firms should do before that combination turns into a very expensive problem.

''Quote timestamps come from the supplied SRT transcript and should correspond to the video if the audio and video edits are identical.''

== Episode Summary ==

In ATL272, “The Gathering Storm,” Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley argue that AI is changing cybersecurity faster than many accounting firms are changing their defenses. The issue is not simply smarter phishing or more malware. AI can automate reconnaissance, vulnerability discovery, exploit development, credential testing, and lateral movement at machine speed, while open-weight models and falling token costs may make those capabilities cheaper and more widely available. That matters especially for CPA firms because they hold an unusually valuable combination of tax data, identity information, client credentials, banking access, payment authority, and long-retained documents.

The hosts also point to a dangerous mismatch: attackers are getting faster while many firms still rely on home-grade routers, unsupported operating systems, aging hardware, and definition-based security tools. Human error remains a major weakness, when convincing phishing messages land during stressful periods.

Their recommendation is practical: harden systems now, eliminate unsupported technology, rehearse incident response, shorten detection-to-containment time, test backup restores, inventory every AI tool and agent in the firm, map where client data goes, inspect audit trails, and maintain control of firm data. The takeaway is caution without panic: this is not “Terminator and Skynet,” but waiting for certainty is not a cybersecurity strategy.

== Pull Quotes ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Time
! Speaker
! Quote
|-
| 00:01:07
| Randy Johnston
| “We want you to start being proactive now on protecting your businesses.”
|-
| 00:02:32
| Brian Tankersley
| “I think that security is going through a similar transition right now.”
|-
| 00:04:47
| Randy Johnston
| “The time to first attack after a vulnerability is exposed is well below an hour now.”
|-
| 00:07:02
| Brian Tankersley
| “We have pretty much the dream identity theft set of data.”
|-
| 00:11:58
| Randy Johnston
| “We are trying to have you think about how you stand up your defenses and how the attackers are trying to defeat your defenses or guardrails.”
|-
| 00:16:59
| Brian Tankersley
| “You really need to step up your cybersecurity posture now, because we’re going into a very bad neighborhood with very scary things going on.”
|-
| 00:17:35
| Randy Johnston
| “The attackers’ tools are actually dropping in cost very rapidly.”
|-
| 00:18:17
| Brian Tankersley
| “When these things are out, they’re out, and there’s no real coming back.”
|-
| 00:20:17
| Brian Tankersley
| “We have cheaper attacks, we have more targets. We have the machine speed shrinking the response time.”
|-
| 00:21:09
| Randy Johnston
| “It’s not Terminator and Skynet at this point.”
|-
| 00:22:27
| Randy Johnston
| “Get the fundamentals right, including testing the backups.”
|-
| 00:23:33
| Randy Johnston
| “If you’re waiting for things to be certain, that ain’t going to happen.”
|-
| 00:25:12
| Randy Johnston
| “Pollyanna Randy is suggesting that you may well have some really ugly conditions in front of you, and I’m trying to keep you out of the storm.”
|}

=== Suggested Short-Video Clips ===

The strongest clips for Shorts/Reels are '''00:16:59''', '''00:20:17''', '''00:22:27''', and '''00:25:12'''. The final quote is particularly useful because it ties directly to the episode title.

== Social Media Posts ==

# '''AI isn’t just making attackers smarter. It’s making them faster, cheaper, and able to work in parallel.''' ATL272 asks the question every accounting firm should be asking: Is your cybersecurity posture keeping up? #AccountingTech #Cybersecurity #AI
# CPA firms don't just hold data. They hold '''identity information, tax records, bank details, credentials, payment authority, and access to client systems.''' That makes accounting firms unusually attractive cyber targets. ATL272: ''The Gathering Storm.''
# Your incident response plan isn't a compliance document to put on a shelf. '''It's a fire drill. Rehearse it before you need it.''' #CPA #Cybersecurity
# '''Backups don't count until you've tested the restore.''' One of the simplest recommendations in ATL272 may also be one of the most important.
# The cyber response window is shrinking. When attackers operate at machine speed, '''“we'll patch it next week” becomes a business risk.''' ATL272 examines why.
# '''Technical debt is becoming security debt.''' Unsupported operating systems, aging hardware, and consumer-grade network equipment become much bigger liabilities when attacks can be automated.
# Open-weight AI changes the economics of cybersecurity. Powerful capabilities can become '''cheaper, portable, replicable, and difficult to contain once they're released.'''
# Security that works is largely invisible. Security that fails can stop the business. That's why cybersecurity spending is difficult to appreciate—'''right up until the moment you desperately wish you had spent it.'''
# AI may make phishing better, but the human layer hasn't disappeared. A convincing message delivered to a tired, distracted professional can defeat a lot of expensive technology.
# '''Inventory your AI stack.''' Which applications and agents touch client data? Where does the data go? What do your audit trails show? Who controls that information afterward? ATL272 gets into the governance questions behind the AI boom.
# If your cybersecurity strategy begins and ends with traditional antivirus, '''the game has changed.''' ATL272 looks at why accounting firms need more proactive detection, response, and containment.
# Tax season is a terrible time to discover that your router, server, operating system, or other critical infrastructure is unsupported. '''Fix the boring infrastructure before the storm arrives.'''
# “'''We have cheaper attacks, we have more targets. We have the machine speed shrinking the response time.'''” That's the cybersecurity business problem behind ATL272.
# “'''Get the fundamentals right, including testing the backups.'''” Sophisticated AI security tools won't compensate for sloppy cybersecurity basics.
# “'''If you're waiting for things to be certain, that ain't going to happen.'''” Cybersecurity decisions rarely arrive with perfect information. Waiting is still a decision.
# '''Not Skynet. Still serious.''' ATL272 avoids the science-fiction answer and focuses on the operational problem: AI is reducing the cost and increasing the speed of cyberattacks.
# Accounting firms sit at the intersection of '''money movement, identity data, tax records, and client-system credentials.''' That's a high-value target whether we like it or not.
# There's a governance problem hiding inside the cybersecurity problem: '''Which AI vendors can access your client data, what happens to it, and can you prove it?'''
# A cybersecurity policy isn't resilience. '''Rehearsed incident response, tested backups, supported systems, useful audit trails, and controlled data flows are resilience.'''
# ''The Gathering Storm'' is a warning, not a prediction of doom. Use the time you have now to '''harden, patch, rehearse, test, inventory, and govern.''' ATL272 from the Accounting Technology Lab. #CPA #AccountingTechnology #Cybersecurity

== Companies, Products, and Services Mentioned ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Company / Service
! Products or Context Mentioned
! X
! Facebook
! LinkedIn
! Instagram
|-
| CPA Practice Advisor
| Publisher/sponsor of Accounting Technology Lab
| @cpapracadvisor
| CPA Practice Advisor
| CPA Practice Advisor
| Not independently verified
|-
| OpenAI
| ChatGPT; GPT models; GPT 5.2
| @OpenAI; @ChatGPTapp
| @OpenAI
| OpenAI
| @openai; @chatgpt
|-
| Hugging Face
| AI model hosting/community platform
| @huggingface
| Not verified
| Hugging Face
| Not verified
|-
| Anthropic
| Claude; Claude Code; Mythos; Fable; Project Glasswing referenced
| @AnthropicAI; @claudeai
| Not verified
| Anthropic
| Not verified
|-
| Microsoft
| Vulnerability patching; operating systems; security
| @Microsoft
| Microsoft
| Microsoft
| @microsoft
|-
| Ubiquiti
| Networking/infrastructure equipment; rendered as “Ubiquity” in transcript
| @Ubiquiti
| Ubiquiti/UI
| Ubiquiti Inc.
| @ubiquiti
|-
| Cisco
| Networking/infrastructure vendor
| @Cisco
| Cisco
| Cisco
| @cisco
|-
| Google DeepMind
| Frontier AI/model-development discussion
| @GoogleDeepMind
| Google DeepMind
| Google DeepMind
| @googledeepmind
|-
| DeepSeek
| Open-model comparison
| @deepseek_ai
| No official account verified
| No official account verified
| No official account verified
|-
| Z.ai
| GLM models; GLM 5.2
| @Zai_org
| Not verified
| Z.ai
| Not verified
|-
| GitHub
| Distribution/hosting of open-source or open-weight material
| @github
| GitHub
| GitHub
| Not independently verified
|-
| Reddit
| Distribution example for model weights/configurations
| @Reddit
| @reddit
| Reddit, Inc.
| @reddit
|-
| Yandex
| Example of another redistribution location
| @yandexcom
| Not independently verified
| Yandex
| Not independently verified
|-
| BitTorrent
| Peer-to-peer distribution analogy
| @BitTorrent
| Not independently verified
| BitTorrent, Inc.
| Not independently verified
|}

== Other Organizations, Technologies, and Regulatory Concepts Referenced ==

* AICPA
* CPAmerica
* Stanford
* U.S. Department of Defense
* NSA
* GLBA
* Written Information Security Plans (WISPs)
* Model Context Protocol (MCP)
* CVEs
* Open-source/open-weight AI models
* AI agents
* Incident response
* Antivirus and endpoint security
* Backups and disaster recovery
* Routers and networking infrastructure
* Operating systems
* ACH and wire-transfer systems

== Transcript Note ==

One passage discussing an earlier state-linked AI campaign contains the phrase '''“Pageantic coding tool.”''' The supplied transcript does not establish that as a company or product name, so no entity has been inferred or added to the social-media table.

Podcast

Bftcpa606 — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:35:59 GMT

Episode List (2025-Present, episodes 187-)

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:35, 21 August 2026
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	! Ep# !! Title !! CPAPA Link !! Record Date !! Publish Date		! Ep# !! Title !! CPAPA Link !! Record Date !! Publish Date
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			\|272
			\|[[ATL272\|The Gathering Storm: Open Source AI]]
			\|atl272pub
			\|8/7/2026
			\|8/28/2026
	\|-		\|-
	\|[https://cpate.ch/271 271]		\|[https://cpate.ch/271 271]

CPA Tech Wiki:About

Bftcpa606 — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:24:57 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:24, 21 August 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[[File:CPAtechbloglogo.png\|thumb]]		[[File:CPAtechbloglogo.png\|thumb]]
	CPA Tech Wiki is a passion project - my intent here is to share some of the research I've done with the world so that we can all do better work. (I started down this road in 2004, when I began [https://www.cpatechblog.com CPATechBlog.com]. Since my Podcast is called Accounting Technology Lab, welcome to my somewhat public workbench.		CPA Tech Wiki is a passion project - my intent here is to share some of the research I've done with the world so that we can all do better work. (I started down this road in 2004, when I began [https://www.cpatechblog.com CPATechBlog.com].) Since my Podcast is called Accounting Technology Lab, welcome to my somewhat public workbench.
	The site includes:		The site includes:
	* AI Prompts		* AI Prompts

CPA Tech Wiki:About

Bftcpa606 — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:24:29 GMT

Created page with "thumb CPA Tech Wiki is a passion project - my intent here is to share some of the research I've done with the world so that we can all do better work. (I started down this road in 2004, when I began [https://www.cpatechblog.com CPATechBlog.com]. Since my Podcast is called Accounting Technology Lab, welcome to my somewhat public workbench. The site includes: * AI Prompts * Episode Tracking for Accounting Technology Lab, including detailed..."

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[[File:CPAtechbloglogo.png|thumb]]
CPA Tech Wiki is a passion project - my intent here is to share some of the research I've done with the world so that we can all do better work. (I started down this road in 2004, when I began [https://www.cpatechblog.com CPATechBlog.com]. Since my Podcast is called Accounting Technology Lab, welcome to my somewhat public workbench.
The site includes:
* AI Prompts
* Episode Tracking for Accounting Technology Lab, including detailed show notes
* CPA firm and association profiles
* Links to other resources.

Thanks for visiting, and I look forward to meeting you sometime in the future.
[[File:BFT.jpg|thumb]]
Brian Tankersley
August 21, 2026

CPA Tech Wiki:About

Bftcpa606 — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:16:58 GMT

Bftcpa606 deleted page CPA Tech Wiki:About content was: "CPA Tech Wiki is a place for some of my Mad Scientist projects and research which doesn't have a natural home. My goal here is to share some of my work with the world so that we can collaborate and make it better through understanding.", and the only contributor was "Bftcpa606" (talk)

ATL271

Bftcpa606 — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 23:12:49 GMT

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Bftcpa606 — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 23:11:58 GMT

Bftcpa606 uploaded File:ATL271.jpg ATL271: Why Your WISP Is Essential in 2026

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== Summary ==
ATL271: Why Your WISP Is Essential in 2026

ATL271

Bftcpa606 — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 23:11:10 GMT

Created page with "= ATL271 - Why Your WISP Is Essential in 2026 = '''Accounting Technology Lab''' '''Hosts:''' Randy Johnston and Brian F. Tankersley, CPA.CITP, CGMA '''Presented by:''' CPA Practice Advisor '''Episode length:''' Approximately 25 minutes == Episode Summary == In ATL271, “Why Your WISP Is Essential in 2026,” Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley explain why a written information security plan is no longer a compliance document that can sit on a shelf...."

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= ATL271 - Why Your WISP Is Essential in 2026 =

'''Accounting Technology Lab''' 
'''Hosts:''' Randy Johnston and Brian F. Tankersley, CPA.CITP, CGMA 
'''Presented by:''' CPA Practice Advisor 
'''Episode length:''' Approximately 25 minutes

== Episode Summary ==

In ATL271, “Why Your WISP Is Essential in 2026,” Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley explain why a written information security plan is no longer a compliance document that can sit on a shelf. Accounting firms hold concentrated stores of tax, financial, identity, and sometimes health information, making them attractive targets for phishing, credential theft, ransomware, fraudulent wire instructions, and AI-enhanced attacks. The hosts walk through the overlapping expectations of the IRS, FTC Safeguards Rule, and HIPAA, including written policies, multi-factor authentication, encryption, logging, incident response, training, governance, vendor oversight, and regular risk assessment. They emphasize that penalties can be severe, but the larger business risk may be client loss, reputational damage, litigation, and disruption during tax season. The episode also highlights practical governance: assign accountability, review the WISP regularly, connect security spending to risk, and report results to leadership. Randy and Brian close with five high-impact controls—MFA, full-disk encryption, tested backups, a written incident response plan, and vendor security questionnaires—plus a recurring calendar for log reviews, backup restores, phishing simulations, vulnerability scans, training, patching, and annual WISP updates. Their message: security is an operating discipline, not paperwork. For firms of every size, preparation now is cheaper than recovery.

== Key Takeaways ==

* '''A WISP should be an operating system for security—not shelfware.''' It needs ownership, periodic review, documented changes, and executive oversight.
* '''Accounting firms are unusually attractive targets''' because they aggregate tax, financial, identity, payroll, and other confidential information.
* '''Credential theft and phishing remain central risks,''' while AI is making fraudulent messages and attacks more convincing.
* '''Vendor management belongs inside the security program.''' Cloud applications, hosting companies, MSPs, AI services, and other third parties expand the firm's attack surface.
* '''Incident response must be planned before the incident.''' Firms should understand regulatory notification obligations, internal responsibilities, legal resources, and PR response.
* '''Security has a recurring calendar.''' Log reviews, backup restores, phishing tests, vulnerability scanning, access reviews, training, patching, and WISP updates need assigned frequencies and owners.

== Catchy Quotes ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Approx. Time
! Speaker
! Quote
|-
| 02:04
| Brian Tankersley
| “The firms get hit because you and I are the Fort Knox of confidential data.”
|-
| 03:33
| Brian Tankersley
| “The bad guys are getting better faster than the good guys are getting better.”
|-
| 07:40
| Brian Tankersley
| “Anything that touches client data is a death sentence for a hard drive in my office.”
|-
| 12:10
| Brian Tankersley
| “If you don't have an adequate WISP, you're in violation of the FTC safeguards rule.”
|-
| 18:20
| Randy Johnston
| “You've got risk on any provider.”
|-
| 18:42
| Brian Tankersley
| “As soon as you know something's happened, the clock is ticking.”
|-
| 23:11
| Brian Tankersley
| “Multi-factor authentication, full disk encryption, tested backup strategies, written incident response plans, vendor security questionnaires.”
|-
| 24:55
| Randy Johnston
| “Make sure that you've got your WISP … pulled out, dusted off, and updated for this year's regulations.”
|}

''Note: Timestamps are approximate where the quote occurs inside a longer timestamped speaker segment in the transcript.''

== Social Media Posts ==

# Your WISP isn't supposed to be the PDF nobody has opened since last year. In ATL271, Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley explain why cybersecurity governance has become an operating requirement for accounting firms. #WISP #Cybersecurity #AccountingTechnology
# Accounting firms may not look like Fort Knox—but they often hold Fort Knox quantities of confidential data. Tax records. Payroll. Bank information. Identity data. That's exactly why attackers care. ATL271 tackles the risk. #CPA #Cybersecurity
# Phishing emails aren't getting worse. They're getting '''better'''—and AI is helping the bad guys improve faster. ATL271 looks at what CPA firms should be doing about it now. #AI #Phishing #InfoSec
# A written information security plan isn't just a compliance exercise. It's the playbook your firm needs when somebody clicks the wrong link at 4:45 Friday afternoon. Listen to ATL271. #WISP #IncidentResponse
# MFA. Encryption. Tested backups. Incident response. Vendor questionnaires. Five controls that can materially improve an accounting firm's security posture—and they're all discussed in ATL271. #Cybersecurity #CPAfirm
# Your firm's security perimeter doesn't stop at the office door. It includes every SaaS vendor, MSP, cloud provider, AI platform, remote employee, and third party touching client information. ATL271 digs into vendor risk. #VendorRisk #AccountingTech
# Buying a WISP template isn't the same thing as managing information security. Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley explain why governance, accountability, testing, and periodic updates matter in ATL271. #Governance #WISP
# Who owns cybersecurity at your firm? Who approves changes? Who reviews the logs? Who reports problems to leadership? If the answer is “I'm not sure,” ATL271 belongs on your playlist. #CyberGovernance #CPA
# A backup isn't really a backup until you've restored it. ATL271 recommends making backup restoration testing part of your recurring security calendar. That's boring—right up until the day it saves the firm. #Backup #Ransomware
# Cybersecurity isn't an annual checkbox. Access logs, terminated users, phishing tests, vulnerability scans, MFA coverage, patching, training, and backups all operate on different schedules. ATL271 explains the cadence. #InfoSec
# The uncomfortable truth about a breach isn't just the remediation bill. It's clients asking, “Why should I still trust you?” ATL271 examines the compliance '''and reputational''' stakes of information security. #RiskManagement #CPAfirm
# What happens after an incident can be every bit as important as what happened before it. Legal counsel, regulatory notification, communications, documentation, and PR belong in the response plan. ATL271 explains why. #IncidentResponse
# The shiny new accounting app may solve a workflow problem—and create a vendor-risk problem. ATL271 makes the case for asking security questions before sensitive client data goes into somebody else's system. #AccountingTech #VendorManagement
# Your terminated employee shouldn't still be able to log in six months later. ATL271 recommends regularly confirming that departed users actually lost access. Simple control. Serious consequences if you skip it. #AccessControl #Cybersecurity
# Security awareness training on Day One isn't bureaucracy. It's part of onboarding someone who is about to receive access to some of your clients' most sensitive information. ATL271 explains the governance behind the practice. #SecurityAwareness
# Accounting firms have spent years adopting cloud systems. The next maturity step is managing the '''governance''' around those systems: access, logging, vendors, policies, responsibilities, and incident response. ATL271 tackles the issue. #CloudSecurity #CPA
# “We've never had a breach” is not a cybersecurity strategy. Neither is “our IT guy handles that.” ATL271 explains why firm leadership has a role in WISP governance and security oversight. #CyberRisk #Leadership
# AI is changing both sides of cybersecurity. Firms can use better tools—but attackers also get better tools. ATL271 looks at why yesterday's WISP may not adequately address today's threat environment. #AIsecurity #WISP
# Before you recycle an old laptop, copier, scanner, drive, or network device, ask a better question: '''What client data touched this device?''' ATL271 discusses secure disposal as part of the security lifecycle. #DataSecurity #Privacy
# Pull out the WISP. Dust it off. Read it. Test it. Assign owners. Update it. Then make sure what the document says is what the firm actually does. That's the central message of ATL271: ''Why Your WISP Is Essential in 2026.'' #AccountingTechnologyLab #Cybersecurity

== Products, Services, Companies, and Organizations Mentioned ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Company / Organization
! Product or Service Mentioned
! X
! Facebook
! LinkedIn
! Instagram
|-
| CPA Practice Advisor
| Accounting Technology Lab / media
| @cpapracadvisor
| CPA Practice Advisor
| CPA Practice Advisor
| Not independently verified
|-
| YHB {{!}} CPAs & Consultants
| Firm security/vendor due-diligence example
| Not independently verified
| YHB {{!}} CPAs & Consultants
| YHB {{!}} CPAs & Consultants
| YHB {{!}} CPAs & Consultants
|-
| Mandiant / Google Cloud
| Cybersecurity / incident response
| @Mandiant
| Mandiant
| Mandiant (part of Google Cloud)
| Not independently verified
|-
| Data Center Inc. (DCI)
| Bank core processing / technology
| Not independently verified
| Not independently verified
| DCI / datacenterinc
| Not independently verified
|-
| Jack Henry
| Bank technology and processing
| @JH_Fintech
| JackHenryAssociates
| Jack Henry
| @jackhenry_fintech
|-
| Ubiquiti
| UniFi / Dream Machine networking and VPN hardware
| @Ubiquiti
| UIeverywhere
| Ubiquiti Inc.
| @ubiquiti*
|-
| Microsoft
| BitLocker, Microsoft VPN, Copilot
| @Microsoft
| Microsoft
| Microsoft
| @microsoft*
|-
| Apple
| Device/full-disk encryption
| @Apple
| Apple
| Apple
| @apple*
|-
| Wolters Kluwer
| Professional tax/accounting technology provider
| Not listed in current corporate directory
| Wolters Kluwer
| Wolters Kluwer
| Wolters Kluwer
|-
| Thomson Reuters
| Professional tax/accounting technology provider
| Thomson Reuters
| thomsonreuters
| Thomson Reuters
| thomsonreuters
|-
| AICPA / AICPA & CIMA
| Professional association / §7216 discussions
| @AICPA
| AICPA
| AICPA
| Not independently verified
|}

*Apparent account shown for identification; it was not verified to the same first-party standard during this research pass.

== Regulatory and Technical References Mentioned ==

* Written Information Security Plan (WISP)
* IRS
* FTC
* HHS
* FTC Safeguards Rule
* Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)
* HIPAA
* IRC §7216
* IRS Publication 4557
* IRS Publication 5708
* IRS “Security Six”
* Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
* Encryption
* Firewalls
* VPNs
* Password managers
* Backup and restoration testing
* Vulnerability scanning
* Phishing simulation
* Incident response plans
* Business associate agreements (BAAs)
* Vendor security questionnaires
* Access logging and monitoring
* Secure equipment disposal
* Patch management
* Security awareness training

== Suggested Hashtags ==

#AccountingTechnologyLab #ATL271 #WISP #Cybersecurity #CPA #AccountingTechnology #DataSecurity #InfoSec #RiskManagement #VendorRisk #MFA #IncidentResponse #Ransomware #CyberGovernance

Podcast

Bftcpa606 — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 23:10:26 GMT

Episode List (2025-Present, episodes 187-)

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:10, 18 August 2026
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	! Ep# !! Title !! CPAPA Link !! Record Date !! Publish Date		! Ep# !! Title !! CPAPA Link !! Record Date !! Publish Date
			\|-
			\|[https://cpate.ch/271 271]
			\|[[ATL271\|Why Your WISP Is Essential in 2026]]
			\|atl271pub
			\|8/7/2026
			\|8/21/2026
	\|-		\|-
	\|[https://cpate.ch/270 270]		\|[https://cpate.ch/270 270]

Podwiki

Bftcpa606 — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:32:35 GMT

Redirected page to Podcast

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#REDIRECT [[Podcast]]
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