Web Hosting: Do you need what you pay for and do you get what you need?

The Last Leg: Accounting Software’s Race To MTD Compliance (by Ian Vickers)
Most ongoing business concerns have an online presence of some sort these days.  If you are not online, you are not going to be found by people who may want to use your services or buy your products, and this can be disastrous for your long-term professional prospects. While some businesses are content with a ...

December 30, 2014

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How Safe and Secure is Cloud Computing?

The Last Leg: Accounting Software’s Race To MTD Compliance (by Ian Vickers)
These days, it seems that a week does not pass without some well-publicised hack or leak on the internet featuring in the news. From celebrities’ private nude photos to film scripts, from private messages to even complete films themselves, everything stored on the internet seems to be vulnerable to being copied or stolen. But is ...

November 12, 2014

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What Qualities Make For A Good Bookkeeper?

What Qualities Make For A Good Bookkeeper?
This blog recently examined where the responsibility for a business’s bookkeeping actually lay, and whether you do your own bookkeeping or contract it out, you should be aware of what qualities actually make a bookkeeper a good one. Here, in no particular order of importance, are what I believe to be the qualities possessed by ...

September 19, 2014

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Who is Responsible For A Business’s Bookkeeping?

Who is Responsible For A Business's Bookkeeping?
In most business processes, a crucial and sensitive issue is pinpointing the responsibility for specific duties or functions onto one clearly defined individual within (or without) an organisation. In layman’s terms, “where does the buck stop” when things are going or have gone wrong? Bookkeeping and accountancy are no different from any other business process, ...

August 1, 2014

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What is Automatic Bank Reconciliation, is it possible and is it desirable?

What is Automatic Bank Reconciliation, is it possible and is it desirable?
For many people, accountancy andbookkeeping is just a chore and a cost that they would like to keep to a minimum. The less you have to do the better, and there have been huge advances in how accounting software can help the accountant and client, as our own Prelude Accounts is testament to.  But just how far ...

June 26, 2014

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7 Ways Accountants Can Make Use Of Social Media

7 Ways Accountants Can Make Use Of Social Media
Accountants and accountancy firms are rapidly embracing new technologies to manage their clients and to operate their accounting software. Packages such as Prelude Accounts are completely web-based and offer an easy two-way street for clients and their accountants to assess and manage the books. Yet, while accountants are embracing the web for their actual accounting, ...

June 9, 2014

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What is it about Prelude Accounts that Accountants like so much?

What is it about Prelude Accounts that Accountants like so much?
For better or for worse, we live in an age where most people conduct their business online.  Whether it is the weekly shop or sorting out business affairs, people log in to get things done.  And why should accounting andbookkeeping be any different? Prelude Accounts (from Diamond Discovery) is an accounts package hosted securely online (‘Cloud Computing’), which ...

May 15, 2014

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How to use a computer: Choosing A Secure Password (And Keeping It Secure)

How to use a computer: Choosing A Secure Password (And Keeping It Secure)
A key feature of using a computer as well as the internet is choosing a secure password to protect your information. There has been a lot of coverage in the media recently about the Heartbleed bug and how peoples’ online passwords have been hacked, so choosing secure passwords (and keeping them secure) has never been as ...

April 24, 2014

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What is Pension Auto-Enrolment and what must I do about it?

What is Pension Auto-Enrolment and what must I do about it?
A new law now in place means that soon every UK employer must provide a workplace pension scheme into which their employees will be automatically enrolled. Employees can opt out if they wish, but all employers will be legally required to have a suitable pension scheme in place and to offer it to their employees. EMPLOYERS CANNOT ...

March 31, 2014

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Should I start my own business? 15 questions you should ask yourself before starting out on

Should I start my own business? 15 questions you should ask yourself before starting out on
It’s tempting, isn’t it? You’ve had a rubbish day at work, you don’t get on with your boss, you feel underpaid and you don’t spend enough time with your family. The obvious temptation is to strike out on your own and start your own business. Although there are many benefits of being your own boss ...

March 7, 2014

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