Accounting is an undeniably crucial area of business, yet it’s a sideline that the people in charge often forget. While company leaders take care of business on the ground, they’re typically happy to either outsource accounting focuses, or leave in-house teams stuck with outdated processes. The result? High expenses with very little to show for it.
In truth, accountancy teams should always be a top priority, as their ability to do their jobs well directly reflects on company finances, and the efficiency of key processes like payments and invoicing. In the same way that you may prioritize focuses like marketing automation, it pays to think about the potential of accounting technology.
Nearly 90% of accountants have stated expectations for accounting technology to drive growth in recent years, and that’s more prevalent than ever in 2025. But, what exactly is accounting technology, and which accounting tech trends should you focus on following this year? Keep on reading to find out.
Understanding Accounting Technology
Accounting technology isn’t a complex concept to get your head around. The term simply refers to any digital tool that improves and automates accounting processes. Often, these technologies will be much the same as the ones you’re already using elsewhere (e.g. artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, blockchain, etc.), but applied across the accounting sphere.
The right technologies can have a huge impact on accounting efficiency, allowing financial teams to finally replace paper-based processes with innovative, forward-thinking, and even automated solutions that cover all bases. The ability to largely eliminate human error is especially key in a profession where even small human oversight can lead to significant losses. Equally, accounting technology is making it easier to manage potential compliance issues that could lead to losses in the millions if companies aren’t careful.
More broadly, widespread accounting technology integrations can provide both departmental and company-wide benefits that include –
- Time savings
- Improved data accuracy
- Enhanced data security
- Collaborative opportunities
- And more
Accounting Technology Trends for 2025
Many of the accounting trends we’re seeing this year center around technologies that you’re probably already using, but which have remained largely untested in an accountancy sphere. As a result, their potential in this area is only just coming to the fore, with technology finally being put to proper use. The accounting technologies that look particularly set to disrupt financial departments for the better in 2025 include –
1 – AI in Accounting
Unsurprisingly, countless financial departments are currently experimenting with AI to enhance their processes, and the use of AI in accounting is set to grow 32% year-on-year up to 2028. As is the case in all industries, however, AI is by no means stealing accountancy jobs but is rather coming into its own thanks to its ability to assist accountants who have a functional level of AI literacy.
This is a large part of the reason why countless accountancy firms and departments are currently scrabbling to discover how to use AI within their existing processes. The current use cases that are most worth considering include –
- Identifying financial patterns and trends
- Accessing real-time data about financial clients
- Forecasting financial trends and strategies using big data
- Summarizing financial reports to provide real-time insights
All of these uses ultimately serve one primary purpose – they enhance understanding while simplifying daily accounting tasks. That’s an undeniable benefit, but it’s important to note that indiscriminate AI usage, especially at the cost of human input, is rarely an accounting benefit.
Instead, companies need to carefully consider each AI system long before implementation, which they can do by –
- Fully vetting each system: Determine what each AI system can do, whether there’s a place for it in your accountancy team, and how you’ll roll it out.
- Using accounting-specific AI tools: Most AI tools can serve some accounting purposes, but accounting-specific solutions are easier to adopt, adjust, and manage.
- Check security protocols: Accountancy AI integrations can leave large security gaps, highlighting the need to always check for individual tool security protocols like encryption and access control.
2 – Cloud Computing Competency
Cloud computing in accounting is nothing new, but it is set to increase this year, especially as remote accounting work becomes a norm despite widespread returns to the office. Companies are simply realizing that accountants don’t need to be in the office to do their jobs well. However, they do need reliable cloud systems to work well from wherever they happen to be.
Cloud-based solutions like Netsuite ERP (enterprise resource planning) software provide easily reachable, one-source access to everything from sales data to client accounts and even financial reports or contracts. This single-pane of access stands to significantly simplify every element of account handling, enabling financial firms and departments to more easily manage everything from client relationships to decision-making.
However, accounting technology trends are taking that benefit even further this year with additional processes like NetSuite ERP integration, which sees cloud benefits sitting directly alongside everything from eCommerce platforms to automated billing software. All of which stands to bring accountancy out of its silo and ensure business-wide financial oversight.
Whether they’re just making the switch, or are looking to integrate cloud-based processes fully, companies can choose the right solutions for their financial teams by simply –
- Assessing their needs: Identify department priorities like software complexity and integration capabilities.
- Trialing where possible: Most cloud providers offer free trial periods, which are always worth testing before full implementation begins.
- Offering comprehensive training: Comprehensive training is key to successful cloud integrations and should incorporate training on both the software itself, and focuses like client-wide rollouts and data migration.
3 – Introducing Automated Technologies
Automation is transforming business processes in all corners, but financial technology stands to bring particular automation benefits as experts claim that as many as 77% of accounting processes have the potential for full automation.
As the name suggests, automation technologies particularly stand to provide benefits by removing the risk of human error in repetitive accounting tasks like payroll, data entry, and invoicing. Far from removing the need for human processes altogether, automating these accounting sidelines can improve employee efficiency, resulting in more functional, satisfied accountancy departments overall.
Just a few benefits that accountancy departments, and companies in general, can enjoy from implementing automated accounting technologies include –
- Time-saving: Automating accounting processes can save hours of work on time-consuming priorities like bookkeeping.
- Enhanced accuracy: Manual data entry invites human errors that are eliminated by automation which ensures far higher levels of accuracy.
- Cost-savings: Despite the upfront cost of automation technology, investments here can lead to cost-savings thanks to everything from increased efficiency, to the ability to more easily highlight potential areas for saving.
- Increased compliance: Financial departments should also operate in mind of legal and tax-based requirements. Automated software can not only ensure compliance but will also automatically adjust your processes based on any changes or updates.
4 – Bringing Big Data Onboard
Big data’s disruptive potential for good has been widely recognized within the business sphere for over a decade at this point. Companies are now continually tapping into big data sources to manage everything from customer relations to product development. And this year looks set to bring big data into accountancy departments at last.
Just like in all other areas, big data in accountancy can improve a department’s understanding of audience and market trends amongst other focuses. This makes it easier to gain financial foresight, and continually deliver at the top of the financial game.
Just a few of the most obvious benefits that come from bringing big data onboard include –
- Fraud detection
- Predictive analytics
- Trend forecasting
- Customer insights
- Etc.
This is especially true if big data sits alongside AI tools that can quickly analyze, assess, and draw insights from even large reams of incoming data. Specific business intelligence tools can also be useful for collecting as much usable data as possible.
5 – The Power of Collaboration
As we touched on when discussing cloud computing technologies and integrations, tools that enable cross-departmental and customer collaborations are also set to become big in finances this year. Why? Because breaking down communication barriers frees accountancy teams to focus on their jobs, which still ensuring ongoing transparency.
This isn’t a new priority, with many financial teams already using collaborative platforms like Google Drive and Zoom to simplify things like document sharing and communication. However, financial tech-based collaborations are going up a gear or two in 2025, when teams are more liable to invest in practice management tools that make collaborations easier across everything from inbox syncing to to-do list sharing, and even communication platforms.
As well as significantly improving customer relationships, this more collaborative tech-based focus can improve inter-team functionality, making it easier for accountants to collaborate amongst each other, and find their place within wider company infrastructures.
Takeaway
Accounting technology is finally catching up with the tools that you’ve used in other departments for decades. Make sure your company’s financial focus keeps up with that trend by implementing these top accounting technology focuses throughout 2025.
