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Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting announced on Wednesday a new agreement with the U.S. military to provide TaxWise Online 2016 software, pro bono, to volunteer tax preparers at various military bases around the world.

The military's tax programs are overseen by the IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, via the Armed Forces Tax Council, and provides free assistance to members of the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, as well as their families.

This announcement is a strong testament to the commitment Wolters Kluwer makes to working with non-profit and volunteer professional tax preparers, who collectively provide an invaluable service to millions of American taxpayers annually, stated Julie Peck, executive vice president and general manager, Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting, US Small Firm Division.

TaxWise Online 2016 represents a secure, cloud-based tax prep platform that offers a number of features including a library of individual and business return forms (both in English and Spanish), return statuses, reports, and client letters, to help preparers best serve their clients.

I would like to thank the Internal Revenue Service and Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting for providing military tax centers with free tax preparation software to facilitate the efficient preparation of military tax returns," said Samuel Kan, executive director of the Armed Forces Tax Council, per a statement. "Our military members and their families will be able to save a considerable amount of money by visiting our free military VITA tax centers across the world, rather than paying for tax preparation services that could easily cost hundreds of dollars per tax return."

For more on TaxWise Online 2016 and Wolters Kluwer, head to the company's site here.

Sean McCabe is a senior editor with Accounting Today.

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Wolters Kluwer donates free tax software to US military - Accounting Today

Mobile IRS Free File software available

The Internal Revenue Service announced that taxpayers now may use their smartphones or tablets to electronically prepare and file their federal and state tax returns through IRS Free File. The IRS and its private-sector partners who offer their brand-name software products for free now support a new design that allows for the use of desktops, laptops, mobile phones and tablets.

Access the products using mobile devices in two ways: (1) Use the IRS app, IRS2Go, which has a link to the Free File Software Lookup Tool or (2) Use the devices browser to go to http://www.IRS.gov/freefile and select the Free File Software Lookup Tool or Start Free File Now to find a software product. The IRS2Go app is available for Android and iOS devices.

Taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $64,000 or less will find one or more free software options. The Free File software allows for free electronic tax preparation and filing and direct deposit of refunds. Some taxpayers may need their 2015 adjusted gross income, if they filed a return, to validate their identities and complete the electronic filing process.

Klos Guitars launches second Kickstarter

Klos Guitars, a Provo business specializing in carbon fiber travel guitars, successfully launched its newest product last week on Kickstarter. Within just five hours of launching their Klos Carbon Fiber Acoustic Electric guitar Friday, the campaign already hit $25,000, more than its original $10,000 goal. By Tuesday, it surpassed $117,000.

Its pretty surreal, said Adam Klosowiak, co-founder with his brother Ian, of Klos Guitars.

The brothers successfully launched their original acoustic carbon fiber guitar last year, but knew they wanted an electric option.

Adam said this second guitar has all of the benefits of the acoustic model, and then some. This version has a pickup. With the pickup, he explained, players can plug the guitar into an amp for concert performing or recording.

So plugged in it has the full versatility of a full-size guitar, but, when unplugged, the guitar is still great for traveling and playing acoustically, he said.

The Klos Acoustic Electric guitar campaign still has 25 days more to go, and the potential to raise close to $200,000.

DigiCert launches certificates for IoT

DigiCert, a Lehi company specializing in scalable authentication and encryption solutions, unveiled DigiCert Auto-Provisioning, powered by Device Authority, the first weekend of February at the DigiCert Security Summit.

Device authentication and encryption are critical to securing connected devices and the information they share, but many software implementations lack standard protocols for provisioning devices, said DigiCert CTO Dan Timpson. DigiCert Auto-Provisioning, powered by Device Authority, helps companies get certificates on a much wider range of IoT devices in a scalable, secure and automated way.

As the number of connected devices rises toward an estimated 50 billion by 2020, security continues to lag behind. IoT devices often lack the computer power required for strong encryption and do not have the ability to securely generate and store keys required for strong device security. Similarly, when credentials need to be revoked or rotated because of device authorization changes, the process is typically manual, time-consuming and vulnerable to human error.

DigiCert Auto-Provisioning combines certificate issuance with automated provisioning to simplify large-volume device enrollment and credentialing. It also provides secure key generation and storage to prevent the use of stolen credentials and unauthorized devices.

Karissa Neely reports on Business & North County events, and can be reached at (801) 344-2537 orkneely@heraldextra.com. Follow her on Twitter: @DHKarissaNeely

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KLOS Guitars second Kickstarter successful; DigiCert launches new product; IRS Free File goes mobile - Daily Herald

By Carsten Bange. Updated January 24, 2017.

What Is a Data Product?

Data analysis aims to retrieve information from data to support or enable decisions. Relevant pieces of information are identified and delivered via business intelligence tools or applications on computers and mobile devices. Which pieces of information are relevant depends on the business process that is being supported. That is where domain knowledge comes in.

Data analysis can be carried out using business intelligence tools for ad-hoc reporting or Online Analytical Processing (OLAP), or advanced analytical methods can be employed. Providing for reporting and data analysis services on a defined set of data in a software product, we get a simple data product. Generally speaking, data products are a new category of services powered by analytics, business domain knowledge, and scalable IT architectures.

There are several categories of data products. A simple one is reports, where data is descriptively displayed and made transparent to the user. A typical example would be reports for telephone or credit card bills that are provided to customers and create a value-add by providing more timely information and additional analysis possibilities. A good example is benchmarking, another type of data product. Here, a particular behavior or key performance indicator (KPI) is compared across industries or users. Social networking websites such as ResearchGate and LinkedIn create engagement with users by displaying information about how they score compared to other users in terms of visibility and popularity.

Data products become even more interesting when advanced analytics comes into play, which is the case with recommendations and forecasts. Examples of recommendations would be a social network suggesting you connect with other people or an e-commerce site making product suggestions. At Airbnb, hosts can even use an intelligent price-setting feature that adjusts the price of their property according to current market demand. This provides customers with a more efficient way of using the Airbnb platform, and Airbnb benefits from more business through better pricing. Also, forecasts provide valuable information to act upon, enhancing existing (physical and data) products. Predictive maintenance is a good example of how data powers a value-added service for service organizations, e.g. automotive or aerospace companies. Another example is AmTrust, a business insurance company, which embeds weather forecasts in its products to improve the crop insurance it provides.

Consulting and managed services can also be offered around data products. A good example of additional services would be data management services, such as data integration, data quality management, and data storage to help companies integrate and manage the data they need for analysis.

Challenges in Implementing Data Products

Data products allow organizations to capitalize on data in new ways. However, not many companies have established business models based on data products yet. There are some important topics to consider when setting up data products:

1. Business model

Data products require a business model to determine how users will benefit from the service provided and how the value from data products and services will be appropriated. There are many models to capitalize on the value of data and the services based on data. Which one is best depends on the type of service provided, whether it is related to a platform or a product, and how the customer benefits. Examples are the freemium model, where users are offered part of a service for free but are charged for upgrading to the full service, or charging a premium for additional data services with an existing product.

2. Marketing and sales

There is also a marketing and sales aspect to consider since new -- and maybe even disruptive -- services need to be promoted, positioned, priced, and sold. Challenges to be tackled arise from new competitors and also perhaps a lack of internal know-how and experience about how to market and sell such solutions and services.

3. Delivery of data products

Delivering data products as a service means to provide them on-demand, permanently, scalably, and securely. A user interface is often realized via an app or a web interface, and the whole service is often based on a cloud-based infrastructure, platforms, and applications. Organizations that are typically not in the software industry need to act like software companies when delivering data products. The software development lifecycle, support, and operationalization of data products need to be managed and provided to the customers of the service.

4. Data management

A key capability when providing data products is handling data consistently and securely. This requires data governance concepts with specific attention to data security and privacy. Complying with constantly changing and heterogeneous data privacy legislation in different countries is one of the biggest concerns for companies that are successfully using data services and products. Special care needs to be taken when handling customers personal data (e.g., by anonymizing it).

Establishing data products is certainly a very innovative way to use and monetize data, but also a complex one. It requires organizations to become truly digital -- in both their products and their business models.

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Windows 10 Changes Include Free Upgrade Option for Enterprises - CIO Today

About the author Ben Cotton - Ben Cotton is a meteorologist by training and a high-performance computing engineer by trade. Ben works as a technical evangelist at Cycle Computing. He is a Fedora user and contributor, co-founded a local open source meetup group, and is a member of the Open Source Initiative and a supporter of Software Freedom Conservancy. Find him on Twitter (@FunnelFiasco) or at

We're used to hearing of software being described as "free as in freedom" and "free as in beer." But there's another kind of "free" that doesn't get talked about as much: "free as in puppy." This concept is based around the idea thatwhensomeone gives you a free puppy, that puppy isn't really free. There's a lot of work and expenses that go into its daily care. The business term is "total cost of ownership," or TCO,and it applies to anything, not just open source software and puppies.

So if the free puppy problem applies to everything, how is it important to open source software specifically? There are a few ways. First, if you're already paying for software, then you've set the expectation that it has costs. Software that's free up front but costs money later seems like a major imposition. Secondly, if it happens on an organization's first open source adoption project, it can put the organization off of adopting open source software in the future. Lastly and counterintuitively, showing that open source software has a cost may make it an easier "sell." If it's truly no cost, it seems too good to be true.

The following sections represent common areas for software costs to sneak in. This is by no means a comprehensive list.

To begin using software, you must first have the software.

Getting the software installed is the easy part. Now you have to use it.

Even with a list like this, it takes a lot of imagination to come up with all of the costs. Getting the values right requires some experience and a lot of good guessing, but just going through the process helps make it more clear. Much like with a puppy, if you know what you're getting yourself into up front, it can be a rewarding experience.

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Free as in puppy: The hidden costs of free software - Opensource.com

The last thing your small business needs is more expenses, especially for the ongoing work of invoicing accounts receivable. You want an easy-to-use invoicing solution that looks professional, works without a hitch and tracks your work securely. And you certainly dont want to pay an arm and a leg for the service.

The good news is that there is some excellent invoicing software on the market right now, much of it completely free, with optional premium upgrades or small pay-as-you-go credit-card processing fees. From freelancers who send fiveor six invoices a month to larger businesses that need time tracking for multiple employees, there is a free solution for almost everyone.

Weve collected the top 10 forever free invoicing software solutions so you can start saving time and money today.

Dues cloud-based invoicing and digital wallet integrates with Basecamp project management software, QuickBooks and PayPal. Its completely free to set up and remains free forever. Due offers an incredibly easy way for clients to pay you. You can even embed invoices in your website, allowing clients to pay online. The software and services are completely free except for a 2.7% pay-as-you-go charge on credit-card transactions. (Editor's note: Due is a content partner of Entrepreneur Media.)

Related:Looking for a New Payment Company? You're 'Due' for Some Good News.

The newest and brightest invoicing company out there,Sightedoffers easy invoicing, integrated global payments, expense recording, CSV Excel downloading of all of your data and more, all using top-of-the-line security. The starter plan is free forever, and offers 20 invoices and quotes a month for a single user and 10 clients.

Small businesses will love Handdy for its pay me now feature, which sends automatic reminder emails to clients if their payment is nearly due or is overdue. The free trial is for one user, but its free forever for an unlimited amount of invoices. The only downside is that the free version comes with Handdys logo in addition to your own on the invoices.

Related:The 15 Most Popular Online Payment Solutions

Invoiceras free forever plan allows threeclients plus unlimited invoices. The upgrades Invoicera offers would work very well for small businesses, and each premium plan allows a 30-day trial period, so this software could be optimal for a growing business.

Best suited for freelancers with few invoices to send, Mr. Biller is a simple cloud-based invoicing solution that offers invoice creation without ads. On the forever free plan, Mr. Biller offers quick and easy invoice creation and sending, but with no backup of your data. If you want to see your invoices again, youll need to upgrade to the paid plan at $9.95 a month.

Integrating time tracking, invoicing and expense management, Nutcache is invoicing and project tracking software combined. This solution is perfect for small businesses, as it allows up to 20 users and offers 1GB of storage with their free plan, which includes support (though the lag time might be considerable: they have 7 days to get back to you). This software is great for centralizing complicated work and making sure youre invoicing the correct number of project hours.

Related:10 Online Invoicing Services for Small-Business Owners

This completelyfree softwaremakes invoicing a breeze. With your free account you get invoicing, instant insights and accounting software that allows you to import your banking statements to see profit and loss. Multiple users can use the software, but you can provide selective access for extra security and privacy.

Designed for non-accountants, Waves completely free tools include software for invoicing, accounting and payroll, as well as receipt scanning. They charge for credit-card processing, but the amount of organization youll have when tax time comes around will make it well worth it.

Related:25 Payment Tools for Small Businesses, Freelancers and Startups

Zoho really does it all, but if you just want invoicing they have a perfect forever free plan for those who have fewer than 5 customers to invoice. Zohos invoicing naturally integrates with their own suite of products, but it also integrates with many other applications, including Dropbox, Google Drive, PayPal, Stripe and OneDrive. Great for desktop and mobile, Zoho is an excellent place to start.

ReliaBills has an awesome free plan that allows unlimited invoices, automated email reminders and recurring invoices with no set-up fees--the only catch is that youll need to upgrade to their premium plan if you want to be able to accept online payments or add credit-card processing. There are also some fees for unique situations, but if all youre interested in is pure invoicing, this is a great option.

With software like this, available in less time than it takes to open up Excel, theres no longer any excuse for shoddy invoices or messy books. When you have the tools at your fingertips to make invoicing a breeze, youll have more money available to you more often, and your business will thrive. Happy invoicing!

Deep Patel is a young writer and entrepreneur. He is the author ofA Paperboy's Fable: The 11 Principles of Success. In the book, he interviewed 15 industry luminaries including professors, entrepreneurs, CEOs and Gene...

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Top 10 Free Invoicing Software Solutions for Small Businesses - Entrepreneur