YOUR PRACTICE IS CHANGING Can your IT keep up?

In the new era of remote work, My VirtualWorkspace provides accounting firms with a managed virtual desktop solution with improved performance and better security

the financial services desktop virtualisation market is expected to witness a growth rate of 45.4% from 2019 to 2024, according to Business Wire. As an accountant, the data you deal with is highly critical and access to it needs to be secure. With COVID-19 causing a worldwide work from home shift, data security should be a top concern for firms who picked up and worked from home when the pandemic hit.

Traditional desktops that we are used to cannot cope with changing business requirements. You need a more flexible desktop solution that can offer improved performance, along with better security.

My VirtualWorkspace a managed virtual desktop solution, provides accounting firms with an entire virtual desktop, ensuring the continuation of productivity and collaboration while maintaining the highest security and compliance, and protecting sensitive and valuable information from digital threats.

Business Critical

As an accounting firm, you may have several business-critical applications. Maintaining these applications on outdated desktops is a difficult task. My VirtualWorkspace reduces the complexity of your IT systems, optimises your budget and increases user experience and accessibility.

Every accounting firm contains data and information that is critical to the organisation. If you lose this data in any way, you will risk the security of your clients and your reputation. When you work remotely, the risk further increases. At a time when the world is witnessing a surge in cyberattacks due to the COVID-19 crisis, accounting professionals need to be careful more than ever.

Data Security

As the virtual desktop is created in Azure and not in a data centre, your firm gets enterprise-level data security with constant monitoring and the help of the latest firewalls and antivirus. The applications and data reside in remote servers and not on your device. Hence, even if one of your devices gets lost or damaged, you can use another device to access the apps.

Although you might be working remotely, the devices you are using are still physical devices and have a specific configuration. As the volume of your accounting data and the number of applications increase with time, you need to upgrade the devices. Working remotely makes it highly unfeasible to upgrade your system at home. However, with Desktop as a Service (DaaS) there is no such problem. As the desktops are virtual, they can be upgraded remotely.

My VirtualWorkspace offers you flexible desktops that can be scaled instantly. Since the desktops are virtual, their configuration can be set as desired. You ask to add or remove system resources as per your needs. What’s more, you only pay for the resources you consume.

Cost Savings

For an accounting firm, a big part of your budget is allocated to IT. Physical desktops need to be purchased, they need electricity and proper air conditioning to function, as well as a dedicated IT team for desktop maintenance. All these processes result in significant costs for your business.

With My VirtualWorkspace you can get the desired number of virtual desktops and pay as per the usage of resources. This frees you from buying high-end desktops for your office. You can deploy a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy, where the employees can use their personal devices. Since the desktops are not deployed on the premises, you eliminate the costs needed to maintain them.

Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when the entire workforce is working remotely, it has never been a better time to get started. Get a free demo with our expert team and see how My VirtualWorkspace can empower your remote workforce while maintaining the highest security and compliance.

human perspectives. The toll of being locked down has affected everyone, even me. It’s why we made it a priority not only to make efforts to engage with our staff, but also with our clients who are going through the same personal struggles that we are. We have daily huddles to discuss work but also with a bit of levity to keep spirits high. We also have virtual pizza sessions once a month on Fridays.

BUSINESS SUPPORTS I think there’s room for improvement. While generous supports have been put in place for some, others feel that they have been let down. My big concern for businesses is what happens when we’re back to ‘normal’. While Revenue are saying that tax warehousing can be paid over a period of time, there is less clarity over the banks’ payment breaks and forbearance solutions.

A lot of the most hard-hit businesses offer critical services to vulnerable elements of society and they must be supported. All business owners affected by Covid have gone through tremendous amounts of stress while they were shut down. The biggest support that can be given here by the government is clarity on its strategy.

ENTERPRISE A lot of our clients have adjusted their business models to operate in the current reality. We assisted them with cashflows, costings, financial projections etc. We’ve carried out a lot of advisory work for our clients, helping them move into these new ways of doing business. In particular, we assisted from a technology perspective, mostly regarding how to get the maximum utility out of their IT resources, from bookkeeping systems to Zoom.

I think the government should be looking at innovative ways to integrate businesses to assist in their policies to safeguard the public. For example, leveraging hotels for mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the state is one such option and would provide these businesses with income during this challenging time. A clear, unambiguous strategy from the government regarding Covid is required.

‘My big concern for businesses is what happens when we’re back to normal’