Technology is wonderful – when it is simple and works.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways – some low-tech, others leading-edge – to simplify your tech life.

More than half of us use both a Mac and PC, either at home or work, according to a recent survey by Lab42. If given their choice, 53 percent of us would prefer to use a Mac that also runs Windows PC applications without rebooting for work, the survey revealed. Getting Windows applications to work on a Mac used to be a complicated, technically arduous process. Many users got around the issue by running a PC and Mac side by side. Today products like Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac simplify the task. The software enables users to run Windows and Mac applications side-by-side on their Macs without rebooting, thereby eliminating the need for two computers. Parallels will even move your entire PC onto your Mac so you can keep your software investments and enjoy everything you need on one computer.

For many of us, functioning without our smartphones and mobile apps would be impossible. Apps that stream up-to-date news and weather information can be handy, but the rock stars of today’s apps are ones that make our communications, shopping and financial transactions even easier. You can download apps that let you block unwanted calls, connect to Facebook and Twitter, shop at Amazon, and access your bank or brokerage to view balances, deposit checks or trade stocks.

Sure you wouldn’t dream of traveling without your laptop, but isn’t it great to know if you don’t want to carry a computer that you actually don’t have to in order to use it? It’s no longer necessary to tote around a Mac or PC to capture all your communications and any changes you need to make to files that normally live on your desktop at home or work. Remote access software allows you to connect to and work off of your Mac or PC at home or work as if you were actually there using it. For example, Parallels Mobile for iPad and iPhone lets you remotely access and run all of your Mac and Windows files and applications on your Macs when you’re on the go.

Most of us have multiple email accounts, from ones we use only for work to personal accounts associated with the various social media we use. Managing multiple email accounts can be easy if you use a desktop email client such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird which can do the task for you. You’ll need to remember your email addresses and passwords just once – when you enter them into the tool. After that, you’ll be able to easily check all your email accounts from.

Speaking of passwords, how often have you tried to access an online account only to realize you couldn’t remember the password? Yet you’ve also heard that it’s not a great idea to keep passwords written down anywhere. Password managers can solve the problem. The software stores your passwords and automatically places them in the appropriate field when you need them. The manager is protected by a single, powerful password and many tools can now be used from your smartphone. Even better – some very good ones such as LastPass 1.72 are completely free to download and use.

Online degrees offer flexibility and adapt well to the rapid pace of technology advancement in the field of accounting. While an online degree does not guarantee you a quicker finish than traditional accounting programs and will still need to be coupled with the completion and fulfillment of the Certified Public Accountant exam, it’s almost a certainty that it will be significantly cheaper than a traditional degree, although tuitions will still vary. The level and nature of your degree can vary too, ranging from associate to bachelor’s to master’s in the sub-specialties of finance, federal accounting and auditing, accounting information systems, accounting in the public sector, and statistics.

Once you have your accounting degree, it’s important to keep it up-to-date by exploring certificate programs. These are non-degree credentials that afford a degree holder with additional, more specific, areas of knowledge. Certificate programs are critical in professions such as accounting, in which new technologies and government regulations are continually creating the need for specialization. Certificate programs do not take as much time as a full accounting degree and they offer the possibility of considerable upgrades in both salary and title.

Certificate programs vary widely in nature, from basic programs directed towards high school graduates to more advanced programs which aid in preparing for the Certified Public Accountant examination. They usually focus on bestowing specialization in the fields of managerial accounting, business law and taxation, corporate finance, forensic accounting and financial analysis. The diversification of areas of expertise in accounting testifies to its long term stability as a career profession as well as its ubiquity in virtually all forms of business and commerce.

Certificate programs are a great way for accounting graduates to update their skills and prepare themselves for changes in the industry. They are also extremely important for people who wish to keep several different career options open. For example, specialized certification can make you qualified to work for a private company as an internal auditor, or to secure a post in a government agency or an organization in the public sector. That’s three different job markets that a certified accountant will be prepared for. As opposed to other industries that are bottlenecking into certain directions, accounting continues to expand into many different fields and is accessible to many different people.

There are a variety of options for where to acquire your online accounting degree-DeVry, Kaplan, Strayer, Capella-and just as many options for pursuing certificate programs thereafter. This career path promises greater job security than most other professions, and in a number of different fields. For these reasons and more, accounting jobs are projected to grow extensively between now and 2018, making accounting the most stable career choice in the nation, ahead of even business. The Bureau of Labor Statistics isolates four major sectors for accounting jobs in the coming years: public accounting, government accounting, management accounting, and internal auditing. A career in any of these fields, bolstered by several certificate programs, is a good option for professionals with an interest in finances, accounting, and auditing.

According to a recent study from Infinite Research, Americans adoption of tablets—such as the iPad or Galaxy Tab —is happening at a faster pace than any other electronic device in history, including computers, game consoles and smartphones.

In fact, a recent report from eMarketer projects that by 2014, nearly 90 million Americans will be using tablets monthly. And already, almost half of the respondents in a Google AdMob survey of tablet users said they use their tablet more often than their computer or laptop. This popularity is driving people to find ways to make using tablets easier and more convenient.

To this end, tablet accessories can help take entertainment and content creation to the next level. Here are five fun ways to trick out your tablet:

Type Up a Best Seller
Tablets can be used for more than surfing the Web and reading books. With the array of wireless keyboards designed for tablets, heavy-duty typing is completely doable. Compact and wireless keyboards like the Logitech Keyboard Case for iPad 2 (also for Samsung Galaxy Tab) combine the luxury of typing on a comfortable surface within a protective case that also holds your tablet upright.

Work and the Web, Smarter
Touch-screen cursor control isn’t the best for everything, especially when working on something that requires more than simple pointing or clicking. In fact, a mouse is a must-have for any task that requires formatting text and images, or navigating the Web for any length of time. No longer just accessories for PCs, there are a few mouse options designed for tablets. Look for one that brings laser precision to interacting with the tablet, and Bluetooth wireless pairing will make it easy to use on the go.

Beat Your Highest Score
Strong graphic performance and processing speed make tablets a great tool for gamers—from the casual to the serious. If you want game-winning precision not afforded by touch-screen controls, attach the Logitech Joystick for iPad or iPad 2 for the familiar feel and responsiveness of a thumb-stick-style controller.

Get Help in the Kitchen
The kitchen is one place a tablet can be at the center of a domestic experience. Using an adjustable tablet stand, the chef can pull up and display an online recipe while being inspired by a favorite playlist, all at once.

Set the Backyard BBQ to Music
Bringing music to your backyard can be a hassle, often compromising selection or sound. However, when an iPad (iPhone or iPod touch) can wirelessly stream music to a speaker, such as the Logitech Wireless Speaker for iPad (also available for Android devices), you enjoy more control over the music. Plus, the speaker can blast tunes from your tablet’s full library from up to 50 feet away.

Whether you’re looking for more function or more fun, you can trick out your tablet with accessories designed to make your life easier.

“The Saver’s Credit is particularly great because it offers many workers an added incentive to save for their future retirement, while potentially lowering their tax bill today,” said Catherine Collinson, president of the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies®.

Here’s how it works:

Check Your Eligibility
For singles, anyone earning up to $28,250 in 2011 or $28,750 in 2012 is eligible. For the head of a household, the income limit is $42,375 in 2011 or $43,125 in 2012. For those who are married and file a joint return, the income limit is $56,500 in 2011 or $57,500 in 2012. (All income requirements are based on Adjusted Gross Income.)

You must be 18 years or older by January 1 and cannot be a full-time student or be claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return. If you fit within these parameters, the Saver’s Credit may be for you.

Depending on your filing status and income level, you may qualify for a nonrefundable credit of up to $1,000 (or $2,000 if filing jointly) on your federal income taxes for that year when you contribute to a 401(k), 403(b), 457, 501(c)(18)(D), SEP or SIMPLE plan, or an IRA.

Save for Retirement
If your employer offers a retirement plan, make sure you enroll. Or open a traditional or Roth IRA with the financial institution of your choice. If you are enrolled in your employer’s retirement plan, you may already qualify for the credit.

In general, for every dollar you contribute to a qualified retirement plan or IRA, up to the lesser of the limits permitted by an employer-sponsored plan or the IRS, you defer that amount from your current overall taxable income on your federal tax returns.

File Your Tax Return and Claim the Credit
When you prepare your federal tax returns, you then claim your Saver’s Credit by subtracting this tax credit from your federal income taxes owed.

If you use a professional tax preparer, ask about the Saver’s Credit, called the “Retirement Savings Contributions Credit” on Forms 1040, 1040A and 1040NR. Or if you use tax preparation software, be sure to use Form 1040, Form 1040A or Form 1040NR to file your return.

The Saver’s Credit is not available with Form 1040EZ, although the IRS has included instructions with the EZ directing you to a different form if you choose to claim the credit.

Lastly, if you prepare your tax returns by hand, start with Form 8880, “Credit for Qualified Retirement Savings Contributions,” to determine your credit rate and corresponding credit amount. Then use Form 1040 or Form 1040A to file your return.

Transfer the amount of the Saver’s Credit from Form 8880 to line 50 of Form 1040, line 32 of Form 1040A or line 47 of Form 1040NR. Have questions? See IRS publication 590, ask a tax professional or log on to the IRS website at www.irs.gov.

The 12th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey found that just 21 percent of American workers with an annual household income of less than $50,000 are aware that the credit exists. Don’t overlook Uncle Sam’s Saver’s Credit; it may help you pay less in your current federal income taxes while saving for retirement.

For more details on the Saver’s Credit and online retirement planning calculators, visit the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies® at http://www.transamericacenter.org. The Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies® is a non-profit corporation.

On Thursday, January 26, they will be sponsoring a Data Privacy Day event, “The Intersection of Privacy and Security,” featuring the Honorable Julie Brill, Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission.

Although it falls on a Saturday this year, the National Cyber Security Alliance will be celebrating with events throughout January and into February. There will also be a live-streamed Facebook event, accessible here, and live panel discussions on Thursday, January 26th from 9:30 to 11:30 am EST at http://on.fb.me/dctalkslive.

A successful business is a trusted brand that protects customer and employee data, privacy and security. Businesses small and large have opportunities to improve privacy awareness and promote best practices among employees, management, clients, customers, subscribers, partners, and other audiences. Consider doing the following in honor of Data Privacy Day:

• Become an official sponsor, partner or champion of Data Privacy Day.
• Sponsor or host a Data Privacy Day event in your area.
• Ensure that your company has a designated employee in charge of privacy and that you are complying with all applicable privacy laws.
• Develop internet privacy policies for your business. The Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection Business Center is a great resource http://business.ftc.gov/privacy.and.security. If you already have policies in place, review and update them to ensure they address current threats and best practices.
• Conduct employee training on privacy as it relates to employment, helping employees learn how to protect the privacy of clients’ and customers’ personal information and teaching employees how to manage their own privacy at work.
• Host a series of educational events or a brown bag lunch for your employees designed to increase
• awareness about data privacy in an area of interest to your employees including: mobile privacy; social networking; identity fraud and theft; online tracking; health privacy; online reputation management. Use materials, posters and videos available at http://www.staysafeonline.org/dpd.
• Create a plan in the event the privacy of customer data is compromised by a data breach. Check out the Debix Data Breach Incident Response Workbook for ideas (http://www.debix.com/workbook/index.php).
• Communicate with your clients, membership, or workforce about privacy awareness in the month of
• January in honor of Data Privacy Day using company newsletters, intranets, networks, and other internal communications. Blog about privacy throughout the month of January. Use social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to disseminate information and encourage customers and employees to learn more about privacy. Feel free to use content found at http://www.staysafeonline.org/dpd.
• Become a fan of Data Privacy: NCSA on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DataPrivacyNCSA) and
• follow Data Privacy Day on Twitter (@DataPrivacyDay).
• Encourage the privacy and security professionals in your workplace to visit local schools to talk with teens about privacy and share the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. message.
• Create and disseminate engaging educational materials for your customers, for consumers, for employees or for businesses.
• Conduct a study to advance understanding of privacy practices and share the results in honor of Data Privacy Day.
• Hold a shredding event to raise awareness about data privacy.

For more information, as well as tip sheets and other promotional materials, visit http://www.staysafeonline.org/.

Helpful Tip Sheets:

Privacy Tips for Social Networking

Mobile Privacy Tips

“We added quick-switch multi-profile management and unlimited analytics reporting to Statf.ly Pro to meet the growing demands of time-strapped agencies and brand managers overseeing content distribution and communications for multiple social client profiles,” says Statf.ly CEO, Bryan Crick. “Statf.ly will continue to grow its suite of management and analytics features with a usability-first philosophy that is both economical and efficient.”

Statf.ly enables users to store Twitter and Facebook history, keywords, and report annotations for up to one year, which is valuable for generating more compelling long term analysis, in depth quarterly reports and annual strategy reviews.

The Statf.ly platform provides users the ability to efficiently:

• Manage and distribute content on multiple social profiles
• Monitor keywords and conversations on Facebook and Twitter (Google analytics coming soon)
• Perform live searches on Twitter and Facebook
• Measure the results of interactions through a filtered set of data points
• Create and monitor campaigns via Bitly
• Generate unlimited one-click analytics reporting (for Statf.ly Pro)
• Collaborate with team members on data analysis with data point annotation, sharability and PDF export
• Store social data such as Twitter and Facebook history, keywords, and report annotations for up to 1 year

The StatFly platform makes the management, interactivity and analysis of social engagement strategies as effective and efficient as possible for business. For more information, visit http://statf.ly.

If you’re already employing remote workers or are planning on it, take into consideration the following:

Getting it in Writing
The latest contract management software can make a strong case for calls to abandon paperwork completely. But while such technology certainly provides you with court-friendly templates, e-signing is not the way to go when dealing with remote workers, especially if surety bonds and other obligatory steps are taken. Even if it means overnighting documents across the country, it pays to put it in writing.

Confirmation of Identity is Critical
A true identity is a precious commodity on the Internet. Confirming a worker’s identity through documentation and a face-to-face is a mainstay of the hiring process, but it gets a little difficult when distance is added into the equation. But with the help of scanners and Skype, confirming someone’s identity online is not as difficult as it seems. With that said, it’s most certainly as critical as it seems when it comes to your remote workers.

Cost Benefits
One thing many a greenhorn e-entrepreneur fail to consider is the fact that non-commuting workers do not need to be paid as much as those who are asked to travel for their job. Once you’ve established the fair pay for a particular job, subtract the cost of what you deem would be a realistic average commute for a would-be office worker, then make that your opening offer.

Deadlines are More Useful than Daily Quotas
When developing your e-business model that includes remote workers it’s probably a smart idea to anticipate a wide range of hourly productivity rates on a weekly basis. Those working from home are going to juggle their schedules more than they otherwise would in an office especially if they have families. Instead of demanding daily levels of work, make them adhere to deadlines at the end of the week and focus on enforcing this instead, as well as coordinating the sales end to this schedule.

Outsourcing is Cheap, but Exercise Caution
The elephant in the room when it comes to entrepreneurs developing e-offices is of course the issue of outsourcing. The thing that can be said about this issue is that, while there are clear economic advantages to hiring labor outside of the country, keep in mind that the laws that small business owners can rely on when it comes to enforcing surety bond agreements and other arrangements may not protect you. Unlike corporations that have armies of lawyers to handle these affairs, you will be on your own. If you hire outside the country, make sure you’re hiring the right people.

The virtual office is one of the best ways today’s business minded individuals can see success in a struggling global economy. The slashed overhead and other cost-savers provide real incentive to those looking to cut every ounce of fat from their entrepreneurial ideas. But so long as you will be relying on others, it pays to ensure that you take the best first steps possible when hiring such remotely placed workers. Do this, and there’s virtually no way an e-office won’t enhance your level of success.

Whether they are volunteering, helping fund community-based projects or working to strengthen public-private partnerships such as United Way, more companies are taking Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) seriously and investing in communities where they are located.

Here are some examples:

U.S. Bank works closely with United Way and its partners in communities across the United States to provide financial education, affordable housing and more. United Way is U.S. Bank’s largest grant recipient and sole partner of the annual employee giving campaign. Employees are encouraged to volunteer through eight hours of paid time off. In 2010, more than 36,000 employees volunteered.

Microsoft provides software and cash grants and employee fundraising—overall providing $14.3 million in cash, software and in-kind donations to United Way in 2010. Plus, when its employees volunteer more than 10 hours for an eligible organization (employees volunteered 363,000 hours last year), Microsoft provides a $17 matching donation for every volunteer hour.

Bank of America employees volunteered more than 1 million hours last year. The bank was also the first financial institution to support the United Way Financial Stability Partnership, with $4.5 million in grants over the past few years, plus employee volunteers, providing free tax preparation and filing assistance, resulting in $2 billion in total tax refunds, reinvested into communities.

Procter & Gamble works each year to touch and improve lives around the world through its partnership with United Way. Last year, P&G employees joined together to participate in more than 145 volunteer events. Since 2007, more than 300 million children worldwide have benefited from the company’s Live, Learn and Thrive Program.

Dominion granted $24 million and partnered with United Way to provide heating assistance in 2010. Last year, Dominion employees volunteered 150,000 hours.

To learn more, visit http://liveunited.org/soa.

Scary Numbers
Only 6 percent of small-business owners say they’re not at all confident about being adequately protected against a disaster, according to a survey conducted by Travelers at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce America’s Small Business Summit. That same survey found that 44 percent of small businesses are operating without any type of business continuity plan, a plan designed to keep the business operating after an unexpected event.

That false sense of security and lack of preparation could easily spell disaster for a business. One- quarter of small businesses hit by a major disruption never reopen their doors, according to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. Other data suggests that even if businesses did reopen, most wouldn’t fully recover.

The Solution
A strategic business continuity plan, combined with securing the right insurance coverage, is critical in making sure a business can continue to thrive after a disaster. Policies to consider include a standard multiperil or business owner’s policy and business interruption coverage. Business owners should also talk to their agents about additional options like flood coverage.

Formulating a business continuity plan, depending on the complexity of the business, may only take a few hours and can help ensure a business lasts years after a disaster.

The plan should include everything from important phone numbers of service providers to locations of backup data. For help getting started, business owners can visit http://www.travelers.com for free tips on developing a plan. These plans can provide the necessary road map to assist in handling a crisis, but they work best when communicated effectively and frequently with employees. Once a business continuity plan is developed, owners should walk employees through different scenarios that can significantly affect a business and explain how to manage the consequences.

Small businesses play a vital role in helping the nation’s economic recovery. Properly protecting a small business through risk management is essential to its long-term survival.

There are many good reasons for this. For one thing, it saves fuel. For another, it saves time and money for both employer and employee.

One thing making telecommuting easier is cloud computing. It involves several computers connected though the Internet or an Intranet. Together, they can reach out and retrieve data processed elsewhere. Now you can even add business voice service to the cloud through Voice over Internet Protocol, or “VoIP.” Essentially, the phone system works over the Internet rather than over traditional phone lines.

That means workers can be at home or on the road but appear to customers to be sitting in company headquarters.

One system that serves nearly 15,000 small businesses, many with multiple locations to be tied together via the Internet and their phone system, offers such features as:

• Business communications that can be provisioned quickly and grow as you grow
• The ability to let workers plug in and get working nearly anywhere they have a broadband connection
• Auto call attendant
• Music and messages on hold
• Call forwarding and follow me
• Different greetings according to the time of day and the day of week
• A dashboard that keeps track of real-time status of workers
• Extension-to-extension, click-to-call functionality
• Companywide directory
• Outlook integration
• Mobile command and control through iPhone and Android devices.

All that because the company, Vocalocity, specializes in bringing remote office workers together for virtual collaboration.

As one customer expressed it, “I unpacked the box, assembled the phones, plugged them in and they worked. It was a very simple process. With our headquarters being 3,000 miles away and having to travel a lot, I needed a phone system that worked and that I could count on having no troubles with. Vocalocity eliminated the need for any IT support in my company.”

Another, describing how handy the system was when an ice storm shut down his city for a week, said, “We forwarded all phones to our home the night before and remoted in with the computers. We might as well all have been in the office for the whole week.”

The storm had left many workers stranded at home and forced many businesses to lose a distressing week of work, sales, profits and production. Roads became ice-skating rinks and driveways became sledding terrains. Public transportation, the post office, schools and donation centers all closed. Gas ran short, as did supplies at grocery stores and city hospitals.

A poll of the people in the community who had the telecommuting system in place, however, found that 92 percent were at full functionality and no one could tell that they were not in the office.

Free Information and Advice
You can learn more and get a free quote at http://www.vocalocity.com.