The Access Group
Encyclopedia
The Access Group is a consultancy and business software
developer, serving the mid-market. Headquartered in Stratford St Mary
, Essex
, it has seven other offices across the UK (Holton
, Harpenden
, Sheffield
, Runcorn
, London City
, Edinburgh
, and Canterbury
) and one in Ireland
(Dublin). Its customer base covers the UK, Ireland and Europe.
The organisation was formed in June 2009 following the absorption of five companies - Access Accounting
, Armstrong Consultants, Access Accounting Ireland, Asyst Solutions and Access Supply Chain – into a single operation, with the aim of providing consultant-led solutions.
The Access Group offers professional services automation, carbon emissions measurement, reporting, payroll, document management, service management
and CRM.
(2002) and Outlook Today (2005) saw the company’s initial entry into Business Intelligence software.
Significant other software releases include integrated CRM, Dimensions Manufacturing/BoM (Bill of Materials) and Access Analytics ‘data cube’ technology (2006), followed by a reverse change VAT upgrade in 2007 to combat carousel fraud.
In 2009, the company released its web-based solution FocalPoint.
The company re-branded in June 2009 , absorbing Access Accounting and its four subsidiaries to become The Access Group. Recent additions include Stock Forecasting functionality (2009) and a Dashboard business intelligence product (2010). The company added HR to its portfolio in 2010 via the acquisition of Canterbury-based Select Software . The company was rebranded Access Select.
In 2011, The Group saw its first entry into cloud computing via its web services Application Programming Interface
(API) and the launch of Access Mobile, which makes FocalPoint functionality available on the iPhone
and BlackBerry
.
The company continues to sell GoldMine CRM on behalf of US-based FrontRange solutions.
As the Access Group, the company achieved the following:
Business software
This article is about software made for business, if you were looking for the business of selling software, see Software business.Business software is generally any software program that helps a business increase productivity or measure their productivity...
developer, serving the mid-market. Headquartered in Stratford St Mary
Stratford St Mary
Stratford St. Mary is a village in Suffolk, England in the heart of 'Constable Country'. John Constable painted a number of paintings in and around Stratford....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, it has seven other offices across the UK (Holton
Holton
-Places:In Canada:* Holton, NewfoundlandIn the United Kingdom:* Holton, Oxfordshire* Holton, Somerset* Holton, Suffolk -Places:In Canada:* Holton, NewfoundlandIn the United Kingdom:* Holton, Oxfordshire* Holton, Somerset* Holton, Suffolk -Places:In Canada:* Holton, NewfoundlandIn the United...
, Harpenden
Harpenden
Harpenden is a town in Hertfordshire, England.The town's total population is just under 30,000.-Geography and administration:There are two civil parishes: Harpenden and Harpenden Rural....
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Runcorn
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
, London City
London City
London City may refer to:*the City of London, in London, England*London City Airport, in London, England*London City Council, the governing body for London, Ontario, Canada*London City in London, Ontario, Canada...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, and Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
) and one in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(Dublin). Its customer base covers the UK, Ireland and Europe.
The organisation was formed in June 2009 following the absorption of five companies - Access Accounting
Access Accounting
Access Accounting Ltd was a business software company formed in 1991 to provide accounting software to the UK and Irish mid-market. In June 2009, Access Accounting, along with related interests, was absorbed into The Access Group....
, Armstrong Consultants, Access Accounting Ireland, Asyst Solutions and Access Supply Chain – into a single operation, with the aim of providing consultant-led solutions.
The Access Group offers professional services automation, carbon emissions measurement, reporting, payroll, document management, service management
Service management
Service management is integrated into supply chain management as the joint between the actual sales and the customer. The aim of high performance service management is to optimize the service-intensive supply chains, which are usually more complex than the typical finished-goods supply chain...
and CRM.
1991-1995: Early development
This period saw founding company Access Accounting focus on building its business and accounting software heritage. Early products included entry-level accounting systems such as Access Horizons and Access Foundations.1996 - 2007
In 1996, Access Accounting developed Access Dimensions. This was joined by middleware application Transaction Broker (1998) to facilitate integration at mid-market level. Integration with Microsoft OfficeMicrosoft Office
Microsoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
(2002) and Outlook Today (2005) saw the company’s initial entry into Business Intelligence software.
Significant other software releases include integrated CRM, Dimensions Manufacturing/BoM (Bill of Materials) and Access Analytics ‘data cube’ technology (2006), followed by a reverse change VAT upgrade in 2007 to combat carousel fraud.
2008 - current
In 2008, Access Accounting released Accounting for Carbon Emissions (ACE), providing a mid-market solution for measuring carbon emissions.In 2009, the company released its web-based solution FocalPoint.
The company re-branded in June 2009 , absorbing Access Accounting and its four subsidiaries to become The Access Group. Recent additions include Stock Forecasting functionality (2009) and a Dashboard business intelligence product (2010). The company added HR to its portfolio in 2010 via the acquisition of Canterbury-based Select Software . The company was rebranded Access Select.
In 2011, The Group saw its first entry into cloud computing via its web services Application Programming Interface
Application programming interface
An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...
(API) and the launch of Access Mobile, which makes FocalPoint functionality available on the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and BlackBerry
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
.
The company continues to sell GoldMine CRM on behalf of US-based FrontRange solutions.
Products
- Access Dimensions is a modular accounting and financial management suite. This fully integrated modular system includes financials, job costing, stock controlStock controlStock control is used to evaluate how much stock is used. It is also used to know what is needed to be ordered. Stock control can only happen if a stock take has taken place. Stock rotation must be put into use with stock control by using the oldest products before the newer products....
, document management, reporting and payrollPayrollIn a company, payroll is the sum of all financial records of salaries for an employee, wages, bonuses and deductions. In accounting, payroll refers to the amount paid to employees for services they provided during a certain period of time. Payroll plays a major role in a company for several reasons... - Access Dimensions Lite provides an entry into Client/Server accounting technology by providing a modular accounting and financial management suite.
- Access Horizons and Access Foundations are entry-level accounting systems providing core financial functionality and a range of commercial tools for small to mid-sized businesses.
- SelectPay is a HM Revenue & Customs-approved payroll and HR solution that is provided both as a stand-alone module and as a fully integrated part of any Access solution.
- SelectHR is a .NET.NET FrameworkThe .NET Framework is a software framework that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It includes a large library and supports several programming languages which allows language interoperability...
based solution that offers businesses full HR functionality, including recruitment, training, self-service and payroll integration. - Access Supply Chain offers a full ERP solution, with functionality for manufacturing, distribution and warehousing organisations.
- Access Service Manager offers service management functions such as call centre management, job scheduling, PPM, contract management and meter billing.
- Access Mobile extends functionality offered by Access FocalPoint such as expenses management and timesheets to mobile devices.
- Access Dashboard offers a high-level view of the business, presenting key performance indicatorsKey performance indicatorsA performance indicator or key performance indicator is an industry jargon for a type of performance measurement.. KPIs are commonly used by an organization to evaluate its success or the success of a particular activity in which it is engaged...
(KPIs) through graphical charts and graphs. - GoldMine CRM is provided on a reseller basis as Enterprise or Premium edition.
Awards
Prior to its absorption into The Access Group, Access Accounting won the 2005: 'Mid-Tier Software Package of the Year' at the Accountancy Age Awards. In 2007, Access Dimensions was voted ‘Financial Software Provider of the Year’ at the Real FD/CBI FDs' Excellence Awards. It also achieved recognition for its Supply Chain software at The Manufacturer awards.As the Access Group, the company achieved the following:
- Accountancy Age Awards 2009 – Mid-tier Software Package of the Year
- FrontRange Solutions Best Performing Partner, Top 10 Worldwide (2008 and 2009)
- SIFT Media Software Satisfaction Awards 2010 – ICAEW Faculty Prize
- SIFT Media Software Satisfaction Awards 2010 – SME Human Resources & Human Capital Management award
- SIFT Media Software Satisfaction Awards 2010 – Enterprise Accounting & Finance award
- Accountancy Age Awards 2010 – FD of the Year
- Accountancy Age Awards 2010 – Software Package of the Year
- Best Companies 2011 – Best Companies Accreditation One Star status.
Accreditations
The Access Group is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and is a member of the Business Application Software Developers Association (BASDA). Individual Access solutions are accredited by industry authorities, including HM Revenue & Customs and the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales).Board of directors
| Name (alphabetically) | Title | Executive/Non-Executive |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Audis | Director | Executive |
| Chris Bayne | Director | Executive |
| John Beech | Director | Executive |
| Paul Druckman | Chairman | Non-executive Director |
| Jon Jorgensen | Director | Executive |
| Ian Little | Finance Director | Executive |
| Alistair O’Reilly | CEO | Executive |
| Chris Tossell | Director | Executive |