Technology: Page 2

Sony CFO: 'We're concerned this might continue for a long time'

The company reported an 86% plunge in quarterly net profit this year, but its CFO said, even amid operating losses, "with a high degree of financial discipline," it can still manage an effective balance sheet.

By Jane Thier • May 14, 2020

Small-business specialist sees coronavirus crisis as way to help customers, retool financially

The CFO of payroll software provider Gusto sees the downturn as an opportunity to reevaluate costs, vendor relations and investment choices.

By Robert Freedman • May 13, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Trendline

Robotic Process Automation

Executives recognize robotic process automation (RPA) for its benefits but also widely misunderstand it. Here's a picture of the technology's capabilities and how to include it in your organization's processes.

By CFO Dive staff

Q&A

CFO in the Know: Are CFOs ready to go with the EU's medical device regulations?

Requiring fewer applications to submit for approval, the new process could ultimately cost companies less.

By Ed McCarthy • May 12, 2020

Gusto took steps to control its financial destiny, CFO says

Facing devastation among its small-business clients, the SaaS-based payroll company cut costs despite its healthy balance sheet.  

By Robert Freedman • May 07, 2020

CFO's challenge: Balancing fast growth with controls

As data governance start-up PeerNova prepares to resume expansion after the shutdown, its CFO brings hard-won lessons to head off its accounting problems.

By Robert Freedman • May 06, 2020

As transactions move online, handling fraud, friction become key

Too much fraud protection means too few sales. CFOs need to decide what balance they're willing to accept as e-commerce increases. 

By Robert Freedman • May 05, 2020

Opinion

In crisis, not enough for processes to be on cloud; they need to be unified

Stay-at-home mandates have shown how crucial cloud systems are for maintaining one's finance and accounting operations. But using a variety of systems will hinder your agility. 

By John O'Rourke • April 24, 2020

Post-pandemic M&A: Remote-work, med-tech deals to fuel recovery

Low interest rates will lure acquirers; they're using the downturn to reassess valuations and deal structures. 

By Ted Knutson • April 20, 2020

A CFO whose big spending paid off

When trying to grow a recurring-revenue company, bookings are more important than revenue, a veteran SaaS finance executive says.

By Robert Freedman • April 19, 2020

CFOs' challenge: Anticipating the new normal

As you try modeling what the world will look like post-COVID, don't assume a return to the past, planning specialists say.

By Robert Freedman • April 16, 2020

COVID-19 'first real test' of digitization for office of CFO

"All the older stuff was just feel-good," said Genpact's Sanjay Srivastava, as CFOs have to manage significant declines in finance teams' productivity.

By Jane Thier • April 14, 2020

CFO in the Know: Tapping working capital lines to finance modular construction

Components are completed faster and with fewer mistakes when they're built in a factory. Here's how to get financing when most lenders say "no."

By Kim Slowey • April 14, 2020

Two investments to make if revenue plummets

Real-time data analytics and targeted marketing can help leverage shifting consumption to survive the downturn and prepare for the recovery. 

By Robert Freedman • April 05, 2020

Getting through the downturn by improving receivables

Segmenting customers based on risk and improving the onboarding process can help bring in revenue you would otherwise lose, payment specialists say.

By Robert Freedman • April 02, 2020

As the first remote month ends, how are CFOs closing the books?

At the end of March, CFOs, finance teams and auditors were faced with a novel challenge — closing the books without meeting in person. Here's how they're doing it.

By Jane Thier • April 01, 2020

Examining KPIs in a more useful light

Having a tool that presents data through multiple perspectives helps executives make better decisions faster, a veteran tech CFO says. 

By Robert Freedman • March 31, 2020

Payment recovery touted as source of working capital

Building a forensic audit into your source-to-pay process could put otherwise misspent money back into your pocket.

By Robert Freedman • March 26, 2020

Opinion

More CFOs feeling the heat with ransomware

Cybersecurity is a finance issue that CFOs leave to tech colleagues at their peril, Anup Singh of network security company Illumio says.  

By Anup Singh • March 25, 2020

Survey: Smart data management by CFOs helps retain subscription customers

Reducing churn, especially while customers hard-hit by uncertainty are demanding value, starts with deciding what data to collect and when to collect it. 

By Robert Freedman • March 24, 2020

Rise in crisis-related employee costs tracks coronavirus outbreak

CFOs are being flexible on expense policies as employees rack up costs for canceled trips, remote working, face masks and other types of reimbursement requests that were once rare.

By Robert Freedman • March 17, 2020

CFOs confident going into coronavirus outbreak, survey finds

Thanks to the digital transformation of operations and a strong financial environment, CFOs think they're relatively well-prepared for COVID-19. But a global recession poses a real concern.

By Robert Freedman • March 16, 2020

Cloud is differentiator as CFOs grapple with coronavirus impact

Unlike in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, when some lockdowns were imposed, CFOs today can organize their teams to operate remotely. 

By Suzanne Northington • March 12, 2020

CFO in the Know: Protecting capital in pre-revenue biopharmas

Last year, bankruptcies multiplied among early-stage drug companies, putting a premium on CFO finance management ideas. 

By Robert Freedman • March 10, 2020

How can CFOs stay ahead of tech, even if they're not tech-savvy?

The CFO can be the most influential executive when it comes to ERP, AI and RPA. But what if they don't come from a tech background?

By Jane Thier • March 05, 2020

Opinion

Building a case for transforming your capital expenditure process

The real-dollar impact of having a cloud-based digital capital expenditure process can be substantial, which your colleagues outside of finance might not realize.

By Rich Feldman • March 04, 2020