In a bid to remove GDPR pressures and improve client communication, the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) is announcing a partnership with IRIS to offer IRIS OpenSpace free of charge to members.
The move comes as the industry continues to grapple with GDPR processes while looking to improve collaboration and communication with clients.
Exchanging sensitive and confidential information with clients is an important part of the accountancy professional’s daily routine, but many are still facing issues with insecure email, expensive file sharing sites and compliance with UK data protection requirements.
Steve Cox, chief evangelist of IRIS Software Group explains: “Access for ACCA members helps streamline compliance, and with MTD for VAT coming into force very soon, every single efficiency gain is now crucial to a firm’s success.
IRIS OpenSpace allows accountants to securely share a draft set of accounts, a tax return or a financial statement with the client, and clients can send bank statements, payslips and electronically approve documents sent from their accountant.”
The agreement comes on the back of the memorandum of understanding signed between IRIS and ACCA last year. It allows ACCA members to create an IRIS OpenSpace account with 1GB of free storage, enabling them to securely upload, store and approve documents. The portal can be customised with a practice’s own branding and is accessible from any location and any device.
Claire Bennison, head of ACCA UK says: “We constantly look at ways we can add benefits for our members, such as providing useful tools which will help them thrive in the digital accountancy economy.
“With an average annual spend of £500 for secure document exchange, the partnership with IRIS provides a tangible benefit which allows practices to focus on what they do best.”