The accounting workhorse of NZ

 

The original program has been around for years - I used version 8 in 1998. The company behind it has grown over that time to include many options - and to re-brand the package. In NZ it became the standard by which others are compared. MYOB acquired CA-Systems - an accounting package commonly used by practitioners (we have personally used it since 1998). It's a different program for a different audience - but it does mean that many accountants deal with the same firm - and the newer versions are designed to work with newer versions of MYOB's end-user package.

 

The client package has had new features added from time to time - although it has always used the traditional accounting program structure - such as account numbers, and rolling over to a new financial year and losing your history. However, the latest versions are not only available to work over the Internet, but they've upgraded to a newer software platform - and taken advantage of the opportunity for some improvements to the way it works.

 

For example, if you back up the file before doing the GST process and then restore from the backup, you don't end up unable to edit transactions (which are normally permanently locked once the GST process run.)

 

The program also runs on the desktop - or in the cloud. You can switch the two relatively easily.

 

MYOB have followed Xero's lead in dramatically rising prices of their main offering, and have eliminated desktop-only pricing.

 

They are the first (only?) vendor to provide for IRD's AIM system (provisional tax) in end-user software.

 

MYOB have also developed the Essentials package - a newer online (or cloud) only system (like an early version of Xero). We use a special version of this which MYOB offer to accounting practices if they no longer wish to use BankLink. When MYOB bought BankLink, they incorporated the BankLink feed into their other products. While the difference between say a 99.9% and a 99.99% accuracy rate might seem trivial, consider the effect over thousands of transactions.

With many local firms using MYOB, support is widespread. Many places offer classes, and support people offer their services. If support people come from a technical background, they may not offer the depth of knowledge an accountant can offer, but there's always plenty to choose from.

 

For further information on MYOB, check out their web site, or talk with us.