Technology Conference
Live Virtual Conference
16.00 Credits
Member Price $500.00
Price will increase by $50 on 5/27
Non-Member Price $560.00
Price will increase by $50 on 5/27
Overview
Get ready for a tech-fueled adventure at the 2025 Technology Conference! The nationally recognized speakers from K2 Enterprises will equip you with practical solutions to real-world technology issues faced by accounting, financial and other business professionals. Dive into a wealth of actionable insights with cutting-edge strategies ensuring you're not just keeping up but surging ahead in today's dynamic tech realm.
Highlights
See the agenda tab above for the full conference schedule.
Prerequisites
Beginning computer skills.
Designed For
CPAs and other business professionals.
Objectives
To provide the tools and skills needed to keep up with changes in technology.
Notice
- Login information and eMaterials will be distributed to attendees via email 3-5 days prior to the conference and posted in the My Upcoming CPE section of the ISCPA website.
Monday, June 9
General Session
- Tech Update
Staying up to date with advances in today's technology has never been more vital, and K2's Tech Update equips you with the knowledge to stay ahead of the rapid pace of innovation. This comprehensive session is designed for accountants who want to understand the evolving technological landscape and its implications for the accounting profession. Which technology trends are worth monitoring? What are the proper hardware and software products for your strategic and tactical plans? How do Artificial Intelligence, quantum computing, Software-as-a-Service, and productivity suites like Microsoft 365 influence practice, especially since this year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Excel? Separate vendor hype from reality and discover how to achieve a 2X or more return on investment from your technology expenditures. Attendees will leave with actionable insights, including ideas they may not have previously considered.
Speaker: Tommy Stephens
This session is available to registrants only.
Breakout Session
- CPA Firm Update
In a rapidly evolving public practice accounting landscape, K2's CPA Firm Update continues to be your essential guide to staying ahead. This session provides actionable insights into transformative technologies and management strategies reshaping the profession. With a focus on data analytics, cybersecurity, practice management, and client service excellence, this year's update delves into how firms can thrive amidst change. Key technologies covered include AI-powered auditing, blockchain applications for financial processes, advancements in cloud computing, robotic process automation (RPA), and workflow optimization tools. Gain clarity on significant trends and how they affect your firm's strategy, enabling you to make well-informed decisions for sustainable growth.
Speaker: Steve Yoss
This session is available to registrants only.
- Taking A Fresh Look At Teams
Just because Microsoft Teams is no longer a new tool doesn’t mean it hasn’t evolved…it certainly has! Since its introduction in 2016, Teams has become the de facto business productivity platform for organizations worldwide. Yet, many users barely scratch the surface of all that Teams offers. Participate in this session to learn how to get more from Teams and enhance your ROI on the platform.
In this session, you will learn about the core options available in Teams and how to leverage them. You will also learn about new enhancements in Teams, including threaded conversations, enhanced meeting features, and integration with Microsoft’s Copilot platform. If you use Teams and want a deeper understanding of the platform, don’t miss your opportunity to participate in this session.
Speaker: Tommy Stephens
This session is available to registrants only.
- Top Ten Productivity Booster Apps In Microsoft 365
This two-hour CPE course is designed for accounting professionals and technology enthusiasts seeking to enhance productivity through Microsoft 365's versatile applications. Participants will explore ten key apps — including Shared Mailboxes, Planner, Lists, To Do, Stream, Viva Learning, Forms, Bookings, Approvals, and Places — and learn to integrate them effectively into their workflows. The course emphasizes practical applications within accounting contexts, aiming to streamline operations and foster collaboration.
Speaker: Mac McClelland
This session is available to registrants only.
Breakout Session
- Automation – Beyond The Basics With The Microsoft Power Platform
This session is for accounting professionals aiming to enhance their automation expertise with the low-code/no-code tools in Microsoft Power Apps and Power Automate. Participants will explore techniques to create simple workflows and develop custom applications, including “describe it to design it.” The session focuses on automating processes, such as approvals, workflow automation, and data manipulation, while accessing and utilizing data from Microsoft Fabric and external databases. Attendees will learn about different types of workflows and the platform’s tools for Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Further, they will leave with a better understanding of the Power Platform so they can drive digital transformation in their organizations.
Speaker: Mac McClelland
This session is available to registrants only.
- Collaboration Tools And Best Practices
Collaboration remains one of today’s hottest topics. Technology has fueled today’s collaboration options, and work-from-anywhere environments virtually demand collaboration platforms. In this session, you will learn today’s best tools and practices to facilitate more effective collaboration in your organization.
In this session, you will learn about today’s mainstream collaboration platforms – Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Zoho – and how these options are similar and differ. You will also learn about other collaboration options, including Slack, Zoom, and Webex, and you can incorporate these tools into your collaboration environments. Further, you will learn about some of the best practices and procedures that must be in place to optimize your collaborative environments and experiences.
Speaker: Tommy Stephens
This session is available to registrants only.
- Expense Reporting Automation
Managing and auditing employee spending on personal and corporate credit cards is a challenge everywhere. Legacy manual expense reporting preparation and approval processes are tedious and repetitive and are an excellent place to start your company’s use of business process automation solutions. This session will cover a variety of expense workflow tools which use technologies and features like bank feeds, mobile receipt capture, OCR data extraction/filling, automated policy enforcement, and artificial intelligence-based validation to automate and eliminate the tedium. Attend this session and learn how to use automation and cure the expense reporting blues for you and your employees.
Speaker: Steve Yoss
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- Excel Tips – Today’s Best Features
Wow! So many new Excel features and so little time! Microsoft continues to add tremendous functionality to Excel – the business professional’s tool of choice. Yet most Excel users have not discovered these new tools and remain mired in yesterday’s practices for working in Excel. In this session, you will learn how to use many of Excel’s latest features to work more efficiently and effectively with your spreadsheets.
Participate in this session to learn about recently released features such as PIVOTBY, GROUPBY, Office Scripts, integration with Copilot, new ways to share and collaborate in Excel, and data entry and formula improvements. If you work with Excel – and who doesn’t – this session is necessary to help you improve your efficiency and effectiveness when using Excel.
Speaker: Mac McClelland
This session is available to registrants only.
Tuesday, June 10
General Session
- Data Security And Privacy Issues And Solutions
Data security and privacy issues continue to plague businesses of all sizes. No matter where you look, the numbers are bad – really bad! But that doesn’t mean you can’t take steps to reduce these risks. In this session, you will learn about the key security and privacy risks facing businesses today and the steps you can take to mitigate these risks.
This session starts with a review of how cybercriminals attack businesses of all sizes and the related costs of these attacks. From there, you will progress into discussions of practical tools, policies, and other solutions you can use to mitigate cybersecurity risks to prudently acceptable levels. This is a “must-see” session for all concerned about data security and how to mitigate threats to sensitive and confidential data.
Speaker: Tommy Stephens
This session is available to registrants only.
Breakout Session
- CRM – The Ultimate Business Automation Tool
This course provides an in-depth exploration of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems as a critical tool for business automation. Designed for accounting professionals, it emphasizes CRM’s role in streamlining workflows, organizing communications, enhancing client relationships, and improving efficiency. Participants will learn about key CRM features, integration with accounting software, and best practices for successful implementation. We will highlight practical applications with actionable insights to help attendees optimize their processes. This two-hour session ensures you walk away with a basic understanding of CRM’s transformative potential for business and financial management.
Speaker: Mac McClelland
This session is available to registrants only.
- ClIent Accounting Services For CPA Firms: Strategies For Growth And Success
Client Accounting Services (CAS) have become a cornerstone of modern CPA firms, offering opportunities for enhanced client relationships, recurring revenue streams, and streamlined operations. This course provides accounting professionals with practical guidance on implementing and optimizing CAS within their firms. Participants will explore the foundational elements of CAS, including service offerings, pricing models, and client communication strategies. The course delves into the technology tools essential for CAS, including accounting software, workflow automation, and reporting platforms. It offers insights into best practices for managing client expectations and delivering consistent, high-value services. In addition, participants will examine case studies of successful CAS implementations, review current trends impacting CAS, and identify critical steps to build a scalable CAS practice that aligns with their firm's goals. The course also addresses the importance of data security, governance, and compliance in providing CAS to ensure ethical and professional service delivery.
Speaker: Steve Yoss
This session is available to registrants only.
- Taking Another Look At Power BI
Although Power BI has been available for ten years, most business professionals don’t fully appreciate all it can do and its easy use. Further, many are intimidated by the platform and continue to use less efficient and effective reporting practices. If this describes you, invest some time in this session to learn how to work with Power BI almost immediately.
In this session, you will learn how to use Power BI to create compelling dashboard reports. You will also learn how to optimize these reports to enhance their effectiveness. If you want to improve financial and operational reporting processes, this session is for you!
Speaker: Tommy Stephens
This session is available to registrants only.
Breakout Session
- Better Prompts, Better Results
Generative AI is seemingly everywhere, and business professionals are embracing the technology. And for a good reason – generative AI provides opportunities for enormous gains in efficiency and productivity. However, those gains can be even greater if you understand best practices for issuing AI prompts.
In this session, you will learn the best ways to ask questions of your AI platforms so that you get the information you seek quickly and easily. Stop wasting time with inefficient and ineffective prompts! Learn the best ways to get the information you seek!
Speaker: Mac McClelland
This session is available to registrants only.
- Next Level Home Networking
In this course, accounting professionals and technology enthusiasts will explore advanced home networking concepts to support remote work and modern digital needs. Learn to select prosumer-grade hardware, configure multi-SSID networks, and integrate functionalities like VPNs, media servers, and remote file access to boost productivity and security. Discover cutting-edge technologies, including SPF+ (10G networking), to future-proof your setup for data-intensive workflows. With practical demonstrations and relevant use cases, this session equips you with the tools to optimize your home network for efficiency, security, and scalability.
Speaker: Steve Yoss
This session is available to registrants only.
- What’s New With QuickBooks
QuickBooks Desktop, Online, and Enterprise Solutions remain three of the most widely used accounting applications in use today. However, each platform continues to experience major changes across several fronts. Feature sets, licensing requirements, and price changes all impact users at unprecedented levels. Further, competition continues to emerge in the small business accounting battleground, adding confusion to the options existing QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online users may have. In this session, you will learn about many of the changes impacting QuickBooks Desktop, Online, and Enterprise users, and you can manage these changes for the benefit of your company or your clients.
Speaker: Tommy Stephens
This session is available to registrants only.
Breakout Session
- AI – Security And Privacy Issues
Security and privacy issues must be top-of-mind concerns for business professionals using AI. Yet, for far too many of these professionals, no concern is given for the potential security and privacy risks associated with AI, setting the stage for potentially disastrous results!
In this session, you will learn about AI security and privacy risks and how to manage them. This session includes discussions of the major AI companies’ security and privacy policies, how AI platforms might use your data, and how you can stay in control. Given how quickly AI is spreading, this is one session you simply cannot afford to miss.
Speaker: Tommy Stephens
This session is available to registrants only.
- After QuickBooks, What’s Next?
Accounting professionals face a critical technological shift with the discontinuation of QuickBooks Pro and Premier sales in 2024. This course explores the transition to modern platforms, including QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zoho Books, FreshBooks, and more. Participants will gain insights into key features, integration capabilities, add-on solutions, and payroll and reporting functionalities. Learn strategies for seamless implementation and discover how to guide clients effectively through this change. Comparative tables and expert insights will equip you to make informed recommendations for your practice or small business. Attend this session and learn more about platforms available for small businesses.
Speaker: Steve Yoss
This session is available to registrants only.
- Ten PDF Tips You Need To Know
Portable Document Format (PDF) documents are everywhere! Yet few know how to work effectively with these documents. If you are interested in working more effectively and efficiently with PDFs, this session is for you.
In this session, you will learn valuable tips you can use to assist you with creating, editing, and securing PDFs. You will also learn how to convert PDFs to fillable forms and secure PDFs, among other features. Don’t miss this chance to learn ten PDF tips you need to know to increase your ROI on PDFs.
Speaker: Mac McClelland
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- Ripped From The Headlines: Lesson From Interesting Tech Crimes
Generative AI and “ransomware for hire” have helped cybercriminals thrive in the post-pandemic period – but how do they do it? This all-new session is a series of case studies that examine actual criminal filings and news accounts and use them to highlight some of the actions you can take to limit your exposure to similar schemes. Attend this session and learn more about how high-profile control failures occurred so you can be more effective at preventing crimes such as theft, malware, ransomware, phishing, and hacking.
Speaker: Steve Yoss
This session is available to registrants only.
Leader(s):
Leader Bios
Lawrence McClelland, K2 Enterprises LLC
Lawrence (Mac) McClelland, an attorney and accounting professional, is an associate of K2 Enterprises of Hammond, Louisiana, and Network Management Group of Hutchinson, Kansas.
Mac was formerly the director of the Centre for Financial Studies at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, where he lived and worked for seven years from 1990 to 1997. He was also a member of the faculty of the Advanced Business Programme, ranked in the top 100 MBA programs in the world by The Economist, specializing in business strategy and strategic management accounting.
He gained his practical experience in information systems with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and has an established practice in business and technology consulting. Mac has taught hundreds of continuing professional education seminars to accountants and business managers in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Southeast Asia. His presentations are highly rated, and he has won several awards for teaching excellence.
Mac has been published in leading business and practitioner journals, including Tax Ideas, Computers in Accounting, Journal of Accounting Education, Chartered Accountants Journal of New Zealand, and the top-rated Journal of Accounting Research.
Steve Yoss
At age 10, Stephen began working with technology; he started his first IT company at just 13, which focused on designing web applications for local businesses. At 15, he began writing original computer code and has been designing and implementing technological solutions continuously since then.
Stephen is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, with degrees in Accountancy and International Business. While at Loyola, he served the campus as student body president and as the student representative to the Board of Trustees. He has a Master’s of Science degree in Information Systems and Technology from Claremont Graduate University with a concentration in Geographic Information Systems.
In 2017, Stephen formed Devmatics, a company focused on helping organizations develop technology strategies to streamline their business operations. He specializes in taking on high-difficulty, mission-critical organizational issues that require technological expertise and an ability to find solutions to problems that no one else can answer. With all of his clients, he emphasizes the need to embrace technology at every opportunity and utilize the latest technological trends and breakthroughs in order to gain a competitive advantage while increasing efficiency and productivity.
Prior to starting Devmatics, Stephen worked as an accountant in his family’s practice, Yoss & Allen. At Yoss & Allen, he completely redesigned the firm’s technology practices and instituted a technological infrastructure to streamline the firm’s practices and allow them strategic flexibility. Many of the technologies, strategies, and concepts that Stephen uses himself (and consults companies on how to use) were designed, perfected, and implemented to help his family’s business and their clients. In addition to his time with Yoss & Allen, Stephen worked in New Zealand as a management accountant.
Since 2009, Stephen has also been teaching continuing professional education, providing written, webcast, in-house, and live instruction. He has presented to thousands of practitioners worldwide on topics such as cloud computing, mobile technology, Excel tips and best practices, data modeling and analysis, big data, information security, identity theft prevention, and more.
Stephen is also a professionally licensed pyrotechnician and works on major fireworks displays throughout the nation for Pyro Spectaculars, North America’s largest full-service fireworks display production company. He’s proud to have helped produce incredible displays, including the Macy’s July 4th Spectacular in New York City, the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, KGB Skyshow in San Diego, and many more.
Whether it’s teaching in the classroom, consulting clients in a boardroom, or shooting a fireworks display, Stephen brings passion, hard work, value—and above all else—technological expertise to each of his clients. With an open, honest approach, he creates a unique strategy for each client specifically designed to benefit their needs and streamline their operations in order to create efficiency and maximize their financial potential.
Stephen calls Big Bear Lake, CA, home; when he’s not at the desk, in a boardroom, at the podium, or producing a fireworks display, he spends as much time as he can pursue his other passions. He is an avid music lover and attends multiple festivals each year. At the Burning Man, Stephen helps setup and produce pyrotechnic displays for the city. In Big Bear Lake, he regularly volunteers his time to perform various community services. He’s also an avid outdoorsman and regularly carves out time to scuba dive, camp, hike, and photograph both close to home with family and friends and on his many travels.
Thomas Stephens Jr, K2 Enterprises LLC
Tommy Stephens received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree (Major in Accounting) from Auburn University in 1985. In 1992, he earned a Master of Science degree (Major in Finance) from Georgia State University in Atlanta. Presently, Tommy is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Information Technology Professional, and a Chartered Global Management Accountant.
During his professional career, Tommy has gained valuable experience in a variety of positions, including:
• Working as an auditor and technology consultant for an Atlanta-based public accounting firm; • Leading an Internal Audit staff and managing a Cost Accounting team for a Fortune 500 company; • Serving as a Chief Financial Officer for an international engineering organization; and • Founding and managing his public accounting firm that provides accounting, tax, and consulting services to individuals and a variety of small and emerging businesses In 1995, Tommy began authoring and presenting continuing professional education courses to accounting and finance professionals. In 2003, he affiliated with K2 Enterprises, and in 2007, he joined the firm as a partner. To date, he has lectured internationally on subjects such as internal controls for small businesses, technology strategies, computer hardware and software applications, tax strategies and compliance, and financial accounting standards and applications. Over the past twenty-five years, Tommy has presented over 2,900 educational sessions to over 73,000 participants throughout the United States and Canada.
Presently, Tommy resides in Woodstock, Georgia, where he enjoys an active personal life with his wife. His hobbies include snow skiing, fishing, running, and other outdoor activities. Tommy maintains professional memberships with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants. Additionally, he is a past member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.
Non-Member Price $560.00
Member Price $500.00