AccountingWEB.co.uk's Technology Top 10

AccountingWEB's IT Zone team has consulted site members, colleagues and other sources to come up with a selection of the year's most important technologies.

Things have moved on since we published the first AccountingWEB Technology Top 10 last year. That list was based on tools someone would need if they were setting up in business on their own. This year, on the assumption that all the basic hardware and communication pieces are in place, we are looking for things that have emerged in the past year or so that have had a significant impact on accountants’ working lives. Some of this year’s selections may not appear to be massive breakthroughs in their own right, but fit into this category of "infill" tools that plug functional gaps or deliver new facilities to make other systems more useful.

Here's a summary of the Top Five -log in to read the full listing:

1. Cloud Computing
AccountingWEB members were initially suspicious of the security risks inherent in putting their applications and data on the web, but have embraced the Cloud in increasingly large numbers over the past year.

2. Twitter
Who would have thought that being able to post 140-characters of what you are doing now would have grown into such a massive fad?

3. Smartphones
 Two years after the iPhone launch, touch screen smartphones are beginning to make headway in the business world.

4. Mobile apps
With Microsoft, Nokia, RIM and Palm rapidly following Apple’s lead, business mobile apps will come into their own in the next 12 months.

5. Netbooks
The kids have got their kicks from machines like the Asus Eee PC. But prepare for more mini-notebook standardisation in 2010 as 12in screens become the norm for business laptop users.

Do you agree with our listing? Have we missed your favourite? Feel free to let us know your suggestions, or join the Gadget Zone discussion group. We are also compiling our Christmas Gadget Countdown for December (the fun things you REALLY want, but can't justify solely for business use). All nominations gratefully welcomed.

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