In Tough Times We Need Great Advisors

Does your business have a trusted advisor?  It is generally accepted that quality advisors help business develop more quickly than they could do on their own.  In tough times an external perspective can be the difference between survival and failure.  A recent survey indicated that accountants continue to be our most trusted advisors.

The Online50 service provides the tools which bring accountants and their clients closer together.  These include:

• Real time access to the financial data at the same time for the business owner and their accountant.
• Access from different geographic locations making it easy to outsource some of the finance responsibilities so all company staff can focus on income generation activities. 
• Support tools so accountants can more effectively provide the answers needed.

The Online50 service provides flexibility that could help you survive in a challenging climate, and it gives you the tools to work very closely with the trusted advisors your business needs.

In This Issue:

Sage 50 on an iPad

Online50 has always allowed users to access their software and data over the Internet from anywhere.  The demand for mobile working is increasing and we have seen a number of requests for access to financial data on mobile devices.

Don't put up with limited software and information access on a mobile device!

It is possible to use a variety of techniques and solutions to have limited access to your business information (such as Sage 50 and Excel spreadsheets) on a mobile device - but only Online50 gives you access to the fully featured applications using your iPad.

Full Sage 50 On An iPad

Online50 has now made it possible to access the full version of all the software we provide, including all versions of Sage 50 (back to 8.1) and Microsoft Office, on an iPad.

When you have used the full software on your iPad, you won't want to settle for limited solutions again!

We understand the attraction of using the iPad - they are lighter, faster to boot up and much cooler than laptops.  So we have made it possible to access all of your business software on your iPad.  The Online50 service provides a range of popular software, including Sage 50 Accounts, Microsoft Office (including Excel), CRM and even Sage Payroll.  And if you need to access other software we can provide that too using our verstile ECP (Elastic Computing Platform) service.  And you can access ALL of your software using an iPad.

These are not cut down versions. This is the full version of the software made available over the Internet for you to use with your iPad.  (We recommend a bluetooth keyboard for serious users)

iPad The New Mobile Device

While we can't imagine anyone getting rid of their normal work machine completely any time soon in favour of an iPad, they do seem to be catching on quickly for more mobile applications.

One accountant recently went on a business trip to the US and so added hosted Office to his existing software subscription just for that month.  He left his laptop at home and used the iPad for all his mobile work.

One Plus One Equals One

One Plus One Equals Two

Most companies start off with one person using a one user license Sage 50 product. But what happens when they expand and need an extra person?  Most companies just get a second license, a second computer, a second desk, a second phone etc.  And a new server may be needed so they can share the data.  One plus one equals two.

One Plus One Equals One?

Wouldn't it be great if you could add another person but not add all the additional costs?

With Online50, it is possible.  Two people can both use a single Sage 50 license when they do not need to work at the same time.

Outsourcing or employing someone who can work from home or from their own office could remove the need for the extra desk, computer, phone etc.

Two People, Two Locations, One Dataset

If you already have a single Sage 50 license, we can host it and allow two people to access it from different places - and if they will access it at different times it's cheaper than if they both need to access it together.  It is also possible to rent a license which then entitles you to free upgrades.

The owner of a growing business could decide to take on a bookkeeper while maintaining a careful eye on the business finances.

A business could allow two jobsharers to work on the same dataset from different locations at different times.

An investor could carefully monitor the financial progress of the business they funded without needing to visit the business property.

A two office business could maintain a single set of data, with both sites working directly on that data using Sage 50, Microsoft Office etc.

All From Under £37 Per User

With Online50, one plus one can equal one and from under £37 per user per month.

ISO Certification - Our Commitment to Excellence

As a business committed to providing a quality hosted software service, we subject ourselves annually to ISO Audits.

ISO 9001

Online50 is committed to providing a quality experience for users.  Most businesses will know how easy it is to let things slip during busy times.  The annual ISO 9001 audit is our opportunity to make sure we are still focussed on that quality experience.

Earlier this year we were audited and our lovely new certificate made it's way proudly onto the office wall soon after.

ISO 27001

Having been entrusted with so many companys' financial and business data, we believe it is essential that we take the security of our service extremely seriously.  Annually we subject ourselves to an external audit which assesses whether our management are systematically identifying, developing and implementing plans to address the full range of security risks we could encounter.

We believe that entrusting your critical financial and other business data to a Cloud provider who is not ISO 27001 accredited is the equivalent of using a cowboy builder to build an extension onto your house.  You may get lucky, but the probability is you are going to experience significant pain.

Information Security Top Tip

Never assume that your data is safe!

We deal with many users and we have heard lots of horror stories - including clients who lost two years of data when their previous provider had a system failure.  People can easily make assumptions about the levels of care taken and service provided.  Also we have seen that people can be misled - for example we have seen hosting companies saying that your data will be stored in 'an ISO 27001 certificated data centre'.  This does not mean that they themselves are certified, or that their services are certified.  The data centre is responsible for making sure that the equipment is safe and has power, they have no contractual obligations regarding your data.

Also bear in mind that any provider can only be certified to the extent of their operations.  At Online50 we own and operate all of the equipment involved in delivering your service.  We are a fully fledged ISP with direct connections to the backbone of the UK Internet — the scope of our operations is more extensive than any other provider currently in the market.  This means that the end to end Information Security that we provide is more extensive — as it should be for your sensitive data.

By subjecting ourselves to an external audit each year to the highest standards available you are assured that we are taking appropriate measures to safeguard your information.