Access announces strategy for cloud computing

Colchester, UK - 19 October 2010 - Access, the mid-market consulting, software and solutions provider, announced today that it will launch the first in a line of cloud computing solutions next year to complement its existing range of on-premise solutions. At Softworld 2010, the business and accounting software firm revealed it will release its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) document management solution in April 2011, followed swiftly by a HR offering.

"The mid-market is an agile, fast paced environment," said Chris Bayne, managing director for Access. "We've long offered solutions that give mid-sized enterprises a competitive edge. Access has been developing .NET based applications since 2005 and has a number of established products which provide access to its on-premise portfolio through the internet and smartphones.

"The next evolution of our product strategy will provide more choice to customers through selected SaaS applications, which can operate independently or in conjunction with our on-premise solutions; these will offer greater flexibility in how our customers' business systems are delivered."

Chris continued, "We're particularly focusing on business processes that lend themselves to a cloud environment, based on our research and feedback from customers," he continued. "We believe solutions for document management and HR are an ideal starting point. Our offering will be fully scalable to meet the demands of modern businesses."

The cloud-based document management application will integrate with Access' existing financial software, Access Dimensions, but will also be available as a standalone solution. It will operate under a pay-as-you-go SaaS model, providing customers with an elastic solution and easy-in, easy-out contract terms.

Stuart Allsopp, Access' development director, said, "We'll be offering a multi-tenanted solution, providing any combination of single or multiple use of an application or server - but always running on a dedicated SQL database. This means customers can leverage the cost benefit of shared services. It also removes the need to have software installed on in-house servers, and avoids the overheads of investing and maintaining the system's infrastructure and upgrades.

"By providing document management as a SaaS offering, organisations can either go down the on-premise or cloud route. Our SaaS solutions will sit side-by-side with the rest of our portfolio; moving forward, new products will be available as on-premise and cloud, where it makes sense to do so."

In December 2010, Access will also officially launch web services which allow on-premise software to be integrated easily with cloud solutions.

If you would like to be kept up-to-date with developments, please ask to speak to a member of our sales team on 0845 345 3300 or visit www.theaccessgroup.com. To find out more about cloud computing, please listen to our latest podcast. Alternatively, follow Access on twitter, @theaccessgroup.

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