GDPR regulation laws first came into effect in the May of last year. Almost a year on, and businesses still seem to be struggling when it comes to implementing and maintaining this strict code of conduct for handling personal data.
Earlier this week, IRIS Software Group and the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) announced an extension to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, with the implementation of free IRIS OpenSpace for all ACCA members.
“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,” said Steve Cox, chief evangelist of IRIS Software Group.
ACCA and IRIS signed the Memorandum of Understanding last year and have proven that their partnership has strengthened with this latest announcement.
The statement reported: “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.”
ACCA members can now create an IRIS OpenSpace account and gain 1GB of free storage, thus more easily enabling secure data storage, uploads, and approval.
With free access to IRIS OpenSpace storage for ACCA members, it should remove current GDPR pressures they may be dealing with, as well as improving client communication.
When considering the fact that the industry continues to grapple with GDPR processes without impacting their ability to collaborate and communicate with current and prospective clients, it will be interesting to see whether partnerships between software companies and accounting bodies become the norm.
Cox added: “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.”
“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,” Claire Bennison, head of ACCA UK, said.
She concluded: “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.”