Safe browsing, please!

Submitted on 06 March 2009 by Chris Mollan in Tips & Tricks

We take internet security seriously and have running behind our service sophisticated real time monitoring software to help analyse and then prevent issues from ever becoming a threat to the sensitive data that we hold. Our software is constantly updated and we test the security and privacy of our data regularly.

However, the responsibility of security cannot solely fall on us (although we try our best); unfortunately, you as a responsible internet browsing user must ensure you are security conscious and that you understand the consequences of your actions. As web browsers are installed on almost all computers we generally assume that they are configured securely and no further input from the user is needed. However, not securing your web browser can lead to a variety of problems caused by anything from spyware being installed on your computer to intruders taking control of your computer.

There is an increasing threat from software attacks that take advantage of vulnerable web browsers and the problem is being made worse by a number of factors:

• Users tend to click on links without considering the risks of their actions.
• Web pages addresses can be disguised or take you to a website you were not expecting.
• Web browsers can be configured to increase functionality at a cost of security.
• Many websites require the user to enable certain features or even download software, which can increase the risk.
• Many users do not know how to configure their websites securely.
• Furthermore, users are unwilling to re-configure their browsers after installation.

Unfortunately, it will be (almost) impossible to completely protect yourself against all threats the internet can throw at you and this should not spoil your use or limit the functionality of some of the new features being offered on websites...

Firstly, don't be alarmed. There are simple measures that you can take to increase protection while surfing on the internet:

• Enable automatic software updates if available.
• Install and keep regularly updated anti virus software.
• Being cautious when clicking on links within email, peer to peer file sharing or using instant messaging.

Lastly, if you are ensure about anything, don't do it!

Don't be left alone in the dark

Submitted on 02 March 2009 by Chris Mollan in Accounting & Technical

The business/accountant relationship is becoming increasingly valued the deeper the UK sinks into the credit crisis. However, it is still surprising just how many businesses operate without any professional support behind them and only call upon their services for end of year requirements.

Since there is no light at the end of the tunnel for this latest crunch, many small businesses will simply bury their heads in the sand, hoping that one day their business fortunes will pick up - unfortunately, this will unlikely happen anytime soon.

It is therefore critical that businesses should know what or whom to turn to in order to survive in this climate:

• Keeping your accountant fully updated will help them provide valuable guidance and support.
• Maintaining up to date accounts are vital to understand the current finances of your business.
• Try to keep up to date with payments, especially Tax, PAYE or VAT - it's easy to get left behind.
• Maintain a good relationship with your bank and keep them informed of any cashflow problems. They will more likely be willing to help if they are assured your finances are up to date.
• Never tie up all your money and ensure you have at least 2 months working capital in the bank.

These are just some simple rules to follow to give your business the tools it needs to survive. Most importantly - if you don't have an accountant, get one!

Essential System Maintenance

Submitted on 21 January 2009 by Chris Mollan in Announcements

UPDATE: SYSTEM MAINTEANCE HAS BEEN COMPLETED AT 19.00 - SYSTEMS BACK TO NORMAL

Between 17.30 and 19.30 on Wednesday 21st January 2009 (tonight), we will be carrying out essential maintenance on our systems.

All access to the accounts will be restricted until we have fully carried out the maintenance.

The urgent maintenance is a result of recent performance and reliability issues we have experienced with some of the more high intensive servers we operate. We intend to upgrade these servers immediately and although access will be restricted tonight we feel this was needed to ensure our service runs as quickly and as reliably as possible in the future.

If you have any questions regarding the maintenance tonight please email us on support@cleveraccounts.com

Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience and thank-you for supporting this essential work

Bulk Invoice Import

Submitted on 7 January 2009 by Chris Mollan in Announcements

The first update of the New Year will hopefully prove to be a very useful addition to Clever Accounts and will no doubt help to reduce laborious hours of entering sales income.

As part of our continuing series of updates to help get data into your accounts we are pleased to announce that you can now import sales income directly into your customer account ledgers.

We feel that this update will be ideal for those of you that have large amounts of data or those that use other invoicing system to prepare your invoices.

We will be accepting imports as a CSV file so is flexible in terms of the data it can pick up:

Typical users of this feature could include:

• If you currently use a third party invoice system to prepare your invoices then you should be able to import this data into Clever Accounts to avoid manual duplication.
• Shop keepers with electronic tills should be able to prepare a CSV file of their daily/weekly/monthly totals to import accurate records.
• Website traders such as eBay or Paypal will be able to extract their source data to enable them to import the data quickly and easily.
• Business owners that are on the move and keep a simple record of their income.

To find out more about how to import bulk invoices, click here

New Irish VAT changes

Submitted on 17 December 2008 by Chris Mollan in Announcements

The UK VAT rate was not the only rate to change on the 1st of December; the Irish Government increased their rate from 21% to 21.5%. However, it seems that with the sudden announcement and panic generated with the UK change; the Irish change occurred with (from the UK perspective) little fanfare!

However, as we have accountants in Ireland using Clever Accounts we have quickly upgraded the system to ensure their VAT is up to date.

Now, all Irish users have access to the new rate instantly, without having to change settings or perform confusing workarounds.

Could this update have been performed as quick and with as little fuss from any of our offline competitors??