The Midlands is edging ahead of the rest of the UK when it comes to cloud accounting, largely thanks to the efforts of local forward-thinking accountancy firm Askews.

A recent report from the International Data Association predicts that 50% of small to medium employers will be using cloud accounting systems by 2016. The Midlands, however,  is already ahead of the rest of the country after Askews became one of the first accountancy companies in the area to launch an online accounting platform.

Askews’ online accounting platform is operated in a ‘cloud environment’, allowing businesses to access their accountancy reports and information from anywhere, at any time. The ground-breaking software eliminates the need for regular meetings with accountants and comes with no up front hardware costs as all data is held online.

According to research from global business software provider Sage, one in four businesses in the UK are now using cloud computing for payroll, finance and IT support. Askews’ innovative online accounting platform takes this concept one step further by allowing companies instant access to accounting information from anywhere with an internet connection. Launched just over a year ago, the system already proved popular.

Neil Askew, managing director of Askews Accountants, says: “We’re always looking for innovative ways to help businesses effectively manage their finances. Cloud isn’t actually that new, but the ways in which we are applying it to business processes are always developing. Our online accounting platform essentially gives time back to business owners as we can both can access the data from any location. It allows you to create invoices and pay bills, track expenses, track profits and cash flow, manage taxes, generate purchase orders, monitor budgets and much more.”

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