Xero CEO Rod Drury says the Modern Practice initiative assists Xero’s accounting partners to achieve seamless integration between cloud-based applications and infrastructure – spanning practice management, tax, client accounts and final accounts production, and e-marketing. In addition to recommending software applications such as Microsoft Office 365 and WorkflowMax, Xero is recommending CodeBlue as its preferred cloud IT infrastructure services partner.
“Our strategy at a high level is to assist our accounting firm customers to extract maximum value from the Xero application. That means taking a leadership role in recommending best-of-breed online applications and infrastructure services that will enable accounting firms to offer new and innovative services to their clients – as well as helping them run their practice in the most cost-efficient way,” Drury says.
“A key part of the Modern Practice strategy is the infrastructure services and support to migrate accounting partners to the suite of cloud providers. CodeBlue manages the migration process to the cloud for our partners, making sure it’s smooth and effortless,” Drury says.
CodeBlue’s rapid growth is based on its ability to take a strategic approach to planning and delivering the lowest cost, highest value IT infrastructure for its customers. The company has local ownership and a single national helpdesk, with first class service and support from eight branches around the country.
CodeBlue managing director Ken Davis says recent CodeBlue TCO (total cost of ownership) studies demonstrate cost savings of as much as 50 percent for accounting firms moving their IT infrastructure to the cloud.
Moving infrastructure and applications to the cloud has compelling advantages, Davis says. Not only is the cost of ownership lower, with costs moving from Capex to Opex, but there is a whole new order of flexibility in being able to pay for only as much server capacity as the business requires and to increase or decrease that capacity on demand. Disaster recovery, backup and data security are much easier to manage. Implementing, upgrading and integrating software applications is also a much easier and less costly process to manage.
“At the same time, moving to the cloud is not a simple exercise,” Davis says. “The CodeBlue methodology is to develop formal and highly individualised cloud transition plans. We go through a rigorous process, which includes a Technology Roadmap, so customers can plan the most cost-effective transition.
“For us, the cloud is just another tool in the CodeBlue armoury. The bottom line is delivering and supporting the highest value, lowest cost infrastructure for our customers, with no surprises and a fixed monthly cost – no matter what,” Ken Davis says.
More information:
Download the CodeBlue Xero Computerworld cover (09/05/2011)
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