Tech - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

AI in Business: Current Applications and Future Opportunities

The business landscape is rapidly evolving with artificial intelligence (AI) becoming increasingly accessible and powerful. While large corporations have been early adopters, small and medium-sized businesses now have unprecedented access to AI tools that can dramatically improve efficiency and competitiveness. Here’s what business owners need to know about leveraging AI effectively in 2025 and beyond.

Current Business Applications

Document Management and Analysis

AI excels at processing and analyzing large volumes of documents – from contracts and invoices to emails and reports. Law firms are using AI to review contracts and identify potential issues in minutes rather than hours. Manufacturing companies are automating purchase order processing and inventory documentation. Wineries are streamlining compliance documentation and sales reporting.

Customer Service and Communication

AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants now handle routine customer inquiries 24/7, freeing up staff for more complex interactions. These systems can schedule appointments, answer product questions, and even handle basic troubleshooting. More importantly, they learn from each interaction to provide increasingly accurate and helpful responses.

Financial Analysis and Forecasting

AI tools are revolutionizing financial planning by analyzing historical data to identify trends and make predictions. Businesses can now get instant […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2025-01-28T21:04:45+00:00January 28th, 2025|AI, Tech|0 Comments

IRS, Security Summit Partners Urge People to Watch Out for Bad Tax Advice on Social Media

The Internal Revenue Service and the Security Summit partners issued a consumer alert about the growing threat of bad tax advice on social media that continues to dupe people into filing inaccurate tax returns.

The IRS and the Security Summit partners are spotlighting the wildly inaccurate tax claims that continue building across social media. These scams take many different forms and make outlandish promises to inflate refunds.

“The growth of bad tax advice on social media continues to grow, luring unsuspecting taxpayers into filing bad tax returns,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “We urge people to do some research before falling for these scams. Finding a trusted tax professional or visiting IRS.gov is a better way to research a tax issue than relying on someone talking in their car or their kitchen about a non-existent tax hack.”

For years, members of the Security Summit – representing state tax agencies, tax professionals, tax software companies, and the financial industry – have worked to raise awareness about tax-related identity theft and related tax scams. To counter this growing threat of tax scams, many of the Summit members have joined together to launch a related group, the Coalition […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2024-12-17T19:16:41+00:00December 17th, 2024|irs, IT, Tech|0 Comments

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Reminder: IRS and Security Summit Online Safety Tips

As National Cybersecurity Awareness Month ends and preparation for next tax season begins, the Internal Revenue Service and its Security Summit partners today reminded taxpayers to be wary of online threats like identity theft and fraud.

Whether shopping online or browsing social media, people unfamiliar with online security could be putting themselves at risk. Lax online behavior can open the door to swindlers eager to swipe people’s personal information and leave themselves vulnerable to tax-related identity theft.

The IRS and Security Summit alert taxpayers to remain vigilant and to teach children and teens how to recognize and avoid online scams to minimize their chances of falling prey or unwittingly exposing their families to identity theft and tax fraud.

The public-private sector partnership encourages everyone to be aware of the many security vulnerabilities they face online and to review a wide range of resources available to them as October’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month has drawn to a close.

Members of the Security Summit – a coalition that includes tax software and financial companies, tax professionals, state tax administrators and the IRS – also offer multiple online safety recommendations to protect taxpayers from […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2024-11-05T17:14:34+00:00November 5th, 2024|cybersecurity, Tech|0 Comments

IRS Encourages All Taxpayers to Sign Up for an IP PIN for the 2025 Tax Season

As the 2025 tax season approaches, the IRS encourages all taxpayers to take an important step to safeguard their identity by signing up for an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN).

This simple yet crucial step can provide an added layer of security, helping protect against tax-related identity theft.

The IRS encourages taxpayers to sign up for IRS Online Account, which provides a quick and easy way to obtain an IP PIN. Signing up early will ensure taxpayers have extra safety by having an IP PIN to electronically file their returns when the filing season begins in 2025.

The IRS encourages people to sign up for an IP PIN before Nov. 23, 2024. After this date, the IP PIN system will undergo maintenance and will not be available again until early January 2025. Signing up for an IP PIN now will ensure that a taxpayer’s identity is protected when the filing season begins. New IP PINs are generated for the 2025 filing season during this period, so online enrollees must retrieve their new IP PIN starting early January 2025.

An IP PIN is a six-digit number that prevents someone else from filing […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2024-10-30T14:21:56+00:00October 28th, 2024|irs, Tech|0 Comments

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Reminder: IRS and Security Summit Online Safety Tips

As National Cybersecurity Awareness Month ends and preparation for next tax season begins, the Internal Revenue Service and its Security Summit partners today reminded taxpayers to be wary of online threats like identity theft and fraud.

Whether shopping online or browsing social media, people unfamiliar with online security could be putting themselves at risk. Lax online behavior can open the door to swindlers eager to swipe people’s personal information and leave themselves vulnerable to tax-related identity theft.

The IRS and Security Summit alert taxpayers to remain vigilant and to teach children and teens how to recognize and avoid online scams to minimize their chances of falling prey or unwittingly exposing their families to identity theft and tax fraud.

The public-private sector partnership encourages everyone to be aware of the many security vulnerabilities they face online and to review a wide range of resources available to them as October’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month has drawn to a close.

Members of the Security Summit – a coalition that includes tax software and financial companies, tax professionals, state tax administrators and the IRS – also offer multiple online safety recommendations to protect taxpayers from […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2024-11-05T17:04:11+00:00October 4th, 2024|cybersecurity, Tech|0 Comments