Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.
Cloud computing
iStock_ShylendraHoode

Cloud Watch: Sage Expenses signals iOS tie-up

by
13th Jul 2016
Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.

Here's a round-up of the new product launches and other news from the world of online accounting applications and add-ons.

* * *

Sage Expenses signals iOS tie-up

27 July - At its Sage Summit in Chicago today, Sage introduced Sage Expenses, a free iPhone/iPad app to complete with the likes of Receipt Bank, Expensify and Kagazz. 

Users can record expenses and income on the go with Sage Expenses by taking photos of receipts and the transactions and associated paperwork will be stored online for use with accounting ledgers like the company's Sage One and Sage Live systems. There's a bit of sibling rivalry going on here, as Sage Expenses fulfills a similar function to Pegg, the company's new expense recording bot

The new expenses app, however, is a pathfinder for Sage's membership of the Apple Mobility Partner Program, which will help it optimise its applications for Apple devices. 

During one of his presentations Sage CEO Stephen Kelly used an Apple Watch to chat via Sage Lie with one of his colleagues. “Mobility is at the heart of business transformation, and we’re just scratching the surface of its potential. As a mobility partner, Sage has worked closely with software and design experts at Apple to fine tune and optimize the Sage One and Sage Live experiences for iOS,"

* * *

The Pokémon Go privacy parable

22 July - You may have noticed a few employees playing Pokémon Go in the office (or maybe you’re playing yourself). The augmented reality mobile game has been a phenomenon unlike anything in the recent past.

But cute fictional animals aside, the app has opened a door into the shady world of cloud app permissions - specifically when using your Google accounts. Adam Reeve from the cybersecurity firm RedOwl noticed that when signing up for Pokémon Go, it granted Niantic, the game’s makers, full access to your Google account.

“Here are a couple of excerpts from the Google help page about what this means,” wrote Reeve. “When you grant full account access, the application can see and modify nearly all information in your Google Account.”

As Reeve pointed out, this permission means that a company can “read all your email, send email as you, access all your Google drive documents (including deleting them), look at your search history and your Maps navigation history, access any private photos you may store in Google Photos and a whole lot more”.

Luckily, Niantic has fixed the issue, but it’s certainly worth noting for any accountants who use their Google accounts to sign up for apps. “This ‘Full account access’ privilege should only be granted to applications you fully trust, and which are installed on your personal computer, phone, or tablet,” explained Reeve. 

* * *

Xero and T-Sheets announce global partnership

18 July - T-Sheets’ time tracking and scheduling software now directly integrates with Xero’s cloud accounting and payroll software around the world.

In a statement, Xero said the integration is designed to improve the way small and medium sized businesses operate by saving them time and money on payroll, invoicing and billing.

AccountingWEB.com’s editor Seth Fineberg pointed out that the tie-up reflects the lure of time tracking for many service-based businesses (including accountants). “Even as firms trend away from the time sheet they still do need to have an understanding of their time in order to move towards more advanced ways of pricing out services,” he wrote.

T-Sheets is an add-on powerhouse in the American market, being the number 1 add-on in the QuickBooks ecosystem. The integration with Xero promises a global expansion thanks to the Kiwi cloud provider’s presence in a variety of global markets.

* * *

Panalitix launches on the Intuit Marketplace

17 July - Panalitix, the subscription based community and KPI tool for accountants, has branched out to the Intuit Marketplace.

The Australian company was already synced with Xero and MYOB. Panalitix’s move is the opposite of TSheets’. The integration with Intuit marketplace is a bold statement of Panalitix’s American intent (Intuit being the dominant force in American accounting software).

Earlier this year, Panalitix acquired 2020 Group USA, the American wing of the practice development network. 

* * *

Xero and Microsoft announce Power BI integration

14 July - Microsoft and Xero have announced that their power BI integration is now available, with users just needing the free standard subscription package of the analytic tool to start wielding their data into visualisations.

The Power BI integration pack allows small businesses and accountants to analyse and visualise Xero data more easily and track 25 key business metrics, including cash position, revenue v expenses and return on investment.

Power BI users can connect their Xero businesses by selecting Services under the content pack library on the welcome page, and then enter their organisation. After passing through the authentication stage, you select which business you would like to connect. From this point, Power BI will automatically import the company’s data.

Blogging on Xero website, chartered accountant Craig Little said the integration has saved him from manually manipulating data for his clients. “As an accountant or bookkeeper, you can now provide high value services with confidence to all of your clients, knowing the insights are current and accurate,” he said.

* * *

FreeAgent updates mobile time tracking

14 July - FreeAgent has added another feature to its ever expanding mobile app, allowing users to record their timeslips.

FreeAgent clients can use the new functionality, available on both the iOS and Android platforms, to review all recent recorded time – which can be displayed in a seven day week overview.

Users can add timeslips from the overview page, choosing the project and task and then confirming the time worked or use the built-in stopwatch to accurately record the time. As smart phone syncs with desktop, FreeAgent users can record the time on the mobile app and then switch to their desktop, if they wish, to complete the time slip.

* * *

simPRO offers ‘partner’ incentives

12 July - Accountants with construction clients are being wooed by add-on developer simPRO with incentive payments through its partner programme.

The developer has created project accounting, estimating, scheduling, service management and CIS modules that work in tandem with leading accounting engines such as Xero and QuickBooks Online. In common with many software companies, simPRO wants accountants to recommend the program to  their clients. But in this case, the developer is willing to pay.

Where companies referred to simPRO become users, the accountant will be given a recurring monthly cut of the software subscription fee. Details from the simPRO website.

* * *

Replies (0)

Please login or register to join the discussion.

There are currently no replies, be the first to post a reply.