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Australian

Tech Forward – 5 Technologies You Should Consider for Your Business

November 7, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Photo by Alexandre Debiève on Unsplash

Each passing day brings more technological advancements to business. As convenient as progress can be, implementing new technologies in the workplace can entail a substantial financial commitment. It’s therefore crucial that business owners prioritize those technologies that are truly helpful, rather than throwing precious capital away in passing fads.

Read on to discover five essential technological innovations that you should consider implementing in your business.

Cloud-Based Unified Communications

Cloud Unified Communications have revolutionized the way businesses speak to each other and amongst themselves. By consolidating all your communication channels onto a single, web-based platform such as Broadsoft hosted PBX, organisations can achieve efficiency, cost-savings and performance gains.

Your staff can seamlessly switch between voice, messaging, video and other platforms, as well as gaining access to their work phone network from anywhere with an internet connection.

3D Printing

3D printing has taken the world by storm and offers endless creative possibilities for modern businesses. From a cost-effective means of prototype production to the fabrication of spare parts or low volume manufacturing of highly customised products or components for niche industries, there are few limits to what can be achieved by this incredible advance.


Fully Automated Marketing.

Yes, you are always going to need a marketing department, but that doesn’t mean that all their time needs to be taken up by basic tasks.

Consider identifying an automated marketing system that works for your business so your crew can worry less about mailing lists and more about face-to-face interactions with new and existing clients to help grow your business.


Cloud-Based Software and Storage.

Similarly to UC described above, cloud computing has changed the game when it comes to commercial software applications and data storage. If you’ve ever put hours into a piece of work, only to have your computer crash and lose everything, you know how heartbreaking a technological failure can be. Couple that pain with all the productivity you just lost and storing your work in the cloud becomes a rather attractive prospect.

You also get the added bonus of being able to share content between teams far more easily than you can by using traditional methods.

Cybersecurity.

You would be surprised by how many businesses lack adequate protection from would-be hackers. If you fall into this category, now is the time to put some effective systems in place to protect your sensitive and valuable business data and information.

You wouldn’t want to spend the time and effort bringing your technology up to date just to have someone swoop in and destroy it all and cause untold damage to your business with all the information they just gathered from your internal server. Invest in water-tight cybersecurity to ensure the safety of your intellectual property and assets and protect priceless, confidential client and internal data.

History has shown us repeatedly that if you do not adapt with the times, you will get left behind. Investing in your future and keeping your operations up to date should be one of your main priorities.

Technology may seem like a distraction from your primary corporate objectives at times. However, it can be a lifesaver when used correctly. Even if it isn’t make or break for your company, it will undoubtedly improve performance and efficiency by reducing stress and streamlining otherwise complex processes.

Start integrating new technologies in whatever way you are comfortable with. Just remember to adapt to your environment and have robust strategies in place to keep your business relevant, and your new tech will help you for years to come.

Filed Under: Australian, Internet, Technology News Tagged With: Review, Secure, Security, Software

Top picks for Blog Website Hosting for Australians in 2019

October 8, 2017 by admin 92 Comments

Post updated for 2019. Now I do know, that there are some good aussie web hosts in Australia , but if you are starting out with a new website or blogging site and need some cheap hosting  then it would be wise to do research before buying your webhosting.

I have used a mix of aussie hosts and US based web-hosting providers  in my list below and prices for blogging software and web-hosting can certainly differ a lot between these hosts.

US web-hosts can be quite competitive and affordable compared to some  of our local Australian companies.

I posted this price table below in 2017, but prices and features have been regularly updated. [ This post was updated on  09 January 2018 ]

Affordable Wordpress Hosting in Australia

I got this question asked to me on this blog ..

“I am planning to start a blog, most likely using the wordpress  blogging platform and  I am looking for a good web host (Australian preferable since most of my content will be for Australians).

– I have received many similar questions  since then –  so I decided to do this post

wordpress hosting for australia by go daddy 

I have purchased .com.au domains from smarty host (local aussie provider –now netregistry) when I started my bloggin journey,  they used to provide a website hosting service as well which i never tested out .

Net-registry are pretty  good  with their domain names service, however if you want to compare Australian web hosting prices against the  US based providers. Some of the US based  providers are definitely more affordable even with domain name prices(check my blog post where I recently bought .au domain name from Godaddy at a nice discount price here).

Godaddy also sell SSL certificates which help you secure your website and get https in your url (this help in ranking your website). Their custom plans also feature SSD hard drives now.

Below, I will also include smarty host(netregistry) in my comparison chart  for Australian + US hosting providers packages.

Dedicated servers are not listed  as they are more pricey and only shared plans which are affordable  have been featured here for bloggers and beginner websites .

I will rank them in order of my ratings  and preference with the best at the top of this list  as per my experience with them, except for smarty host  who I don’t  use for hosting  but just domain names – who is right at the top.

I have been using the rest of the Hosting companies mentioned for the last 10+ years while blogging. Some of these hosting plans listed below, also offer a bonus free domain name.

Australian Vs US hosting Comparison for blogs and websites

To keep it simple I have just added four columns  – Click the discount link  below to claim the most current discounts
[ninja_tables id=”5733″]

Step 1 –  Choosing the Hosting Platform

Most popular blogging platforms Overview

  • WordPress 60% 60%
  • Joomla Drupal more 20% 20%
  • Wix Weebly Squarespace 20% 20%

The figures in bar counter diagram are figures from self hosted managed CMS  platforms aggregated from online resources.

The below figures in circle chart are for websites from data  received  form survey done online.

"Wordpress

WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world and is used by nearly 75 million websites. According to WordPress, more than 409 million people view more than 23.6 billion pages each month and users produce and whopping 69.5 million new posts every month. It also powers more than 25% of the world’s websites.

The first thing  to do when you are starting your  own website rather than hiring a website designer or  web developer, is to  get the WordPress platform to build your website.

This platform is regularly updated  to keep you safe from hackers  and upto date with the latest version of wordpress.

I say this because I have also used Joomla and Drupal  website builders which are good content management systems, but they are not as good as the WordPress platform in ease of use and flexibility to customise as per your needs.

The ranking above is based on  my use of these service providers based on price, reliability, affordability, up-time, features, ease-of-use, server speed and overall support.

There is always the option to use premuim  Australian Web Hosting from good companies like rackspace or crucial, but budget shared US hosting is OK if your are just starting  a blog or website.

You can also get an .au domain name and still use US Webhosts  to host your Australian webpage.

Above in the chart –  Under features, I have updated the ones in green as essential things bloggers would  like to have in their hosting plan  and the ones in bold black font are the highlights /features of  that hosting provider

I have also written more detailed reviews before  for some of these web-hosts which can be found below

  • Why hostgator is good for blog hosting?
  • Real Reviews on WordPress hosting providers
  • Dns servers Smartyhost to dreamhost
  • No daddy or go daddy !! Don’t lose your domain

What is shared hosting?

Shared web hosting is what most people mean when they refer to “web-hosting”.  It simply means that many customers’ websites reside on a single web server, and that the server’s resources (CPU and RAM) are shared among every customer account on the machine.

Shared Plans is cheap because many people share one server.

one click install for wordpress

Most shared hosting plans  listed above offer free quick install scripts like above in the pic and sometimes also offer free design templates for your webpage,  Free domain email, FTP, $100 google adwords bonus   and Facebook advertising coupons etc.

Company Overview – Shared Hosting Plan Providers for  Blogs

Bluehost.com

Bluehost’s fast and reliable website hosting gives you everything you need to get your website online quickly. Bluehost is a web hosting company owned by Endurance International Group

Key people in bluehost –  Matt Heaton (Founder, CEO 2003-2011) Dan Handy (CEO 2011-2015) Mike Olson (CEO 2015-present)

They have servers in Provo, Utah, USA. Bluehost’s uptime is just about perfect (99.98%), well over industry standard which is around 99.90%.  Prior to last 6 months

"Bluehost

Hostgator.com

HostGator recently launched their new, premium hosting called HostGator WordPress Cloud.

Founded in a dorm room at Florida Atlantic University by Brent Oxley, HostGator has grown into a leading provider of Shared, Reseller, VPS, and Dedicated web hosting. HostGator is headquartered in Houston and Austin, Texas, with several international offices throughout the globe.

HostGator has been around since 2002, originally founded by Brent Oxley before being acquired a decade later by Endurance International Group (EIG).

"Hostgator

Godaddy.com

Bob Parsons the founder of godaddy is a serial entrepreneur. He sold his first company to Intuit, Inc. in 1994. Three years later Parsons started Jomax Technologies, renaming the company GoDaddy in 1999. In 2000, GoDaddy became an ICANN-accredited domain name registrar. Designated CEO Now: Scott Wagner (Jan 1, 2018).

They have many different kind of plans. While Deluxe and Unlimited WebHosting Plans support and host unlimited Web Sites, owners of single plans may experience periodic decreases in performance once they more than 400 Web Sites.

"Godaddy

Crucial.com

The Sydney-based company has focused on delivering a better experience for customers, with the roll-out of an industry first concept; Managed Google Apps.

Crucial’s roots trace back to a student bedroom in Bondi in 2003 where the company was first formed, and its headcount currently sits at 20 employees before the AVS buy.

"Crucial

Hostmonster.com

HostMonster has been providing hosting solutions to thousands of business and personal web sites since 1996. Our internet hosting package helps businesses and individuals get high-powered service at a fraction of the cost.

Features

  • Unlimited disk storage
  • Unlimited domain Hosting
  • Free drag and drop builder
  • cPanel Account Control Panel

Hostmonster Deal

Hostmonster : GIMMEMORE Coupon Code

Some of the links on this blog are affiliate links  an I might earn a commission from it ,  rest assured  the review is honest and written from my own perspective. The Webhosting features and pricing are as current at the time of writing and links when clicked will update to the most current advertised or discount deal.

I hope, I have helped you in  choosing a good hosting provider to get started building your website.review of wordpress themes

After getting your domain and hosting sorted , there is just one more thing  left  to complete the picture  and  make it all come together , which is your blog design and look.  A good professional looking wordpress theme is essential for people to get attracted to your blog and also trust and like you blog.

Check out my review post on some of the wordpress theme providers I have been using for a long time.

You can use the free google advertising coupons  to boost your website in Google search to get more traffic to your website

Digitalgrog.com.au is a affiliate partner to most of the Hosting services and some other blog related promotion services that I have listed here on my blog and I use, which means that in addition to using their service, we also receive a commission for referring new customers. Digitalgrog is  a Bluehost/ Hostgator/ Hostmonster/ Godaddy /Dreamhost/Ipage affiliate partner and we also have purchased accounts with these services

To be fair, though, we still use these services even if we weren’t an affiliate. We don’t recommend any particular host just because we’re an affiliate (every company offers a similar affiliate program), we recommend certain services because they are the best or better more reliable option. Plus, because we’re a partner, these providers offers a special price for Digitalgrog.com.au readers. Get your hosting today and get started.

Because we’re a partner, Bluehost offers a special price for digitalgrog.com.au readers: only $3.95 a month  which includes a domain name. We already have our godaddy $1 special  offer  listed above i.e if you are looking for  a cheaper deal.

Links provided above in the table  will take you to  the latest updated promo and discount deals. Feel free to pick which host suits your budget or preference and good luck to your new start 🙂

Some local reviews  ( from whirlpool.com.au)

.com.au, .net.au, .org.au Domain Names

NameScout

I found the cheapest provider to the public at only $59.99 per domain (2 years registration included – I  think this is pricey ), they had a really nice site, great functionality (they create redirecting email address’ on their servers that randomly generate so you don’t get spam from who is lookups which is awesome).

Only downside was their customer service, not only they don’t answer emails on weekends, they operate from Barbados, so if you send an email during the day you tend to not get a reply till early the next morning (e.g. 2 am). (Quote: eXtreme)

GoDaddy!

The cheapest I found was which was $7.95 US (on special) but normal price was $8.95 which is still great, and they offer the same management features as most other registrars. Only downside is they have a fair bit of ads on their site (no pop-ups), but since you barely ever visit your registrar it is no problem. I found registration very easy and they customer service was excellent. (Quote: eXtreme)

NameCheap

Namecheap is good: $8.88 US a year for .com, .net, .org and SSl certificates (https in your domain name)
Just registered 2 domains with them – no problems so far.
(Quote: pcpowerplay)

Incoming Searches

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Filed Under: 2013, 2018, Affiliate, Australia, Australian, Australian wordpress hosting, Blogger Tools, Compare, Done Deals, Hosting, Internet, Review, Wordpress 3.0, Wordpress 3.1 Tagged With: Comparison, Coupons, Discounts, Website Hosting

Looking for Australian article writers for websites

September 5, 2017 by admin 6 Comments

If you own a blog or website one of the most time consuming work you would be doing to make you blog or website more popular would be writing  great articles and good content for your website. Many bloggers or website owners wish they could outsource this task to other people.

Are Australian Article Writers – Hard to get

In fact many bloggers have already started doing it  , but many have since realised that the quality and engagement created by the article is not worth the money or then they are not getting any Google love due to the weak articles produced for cheap money spent.

content management

 

Websites offering Content writing

Websites such a

freelancer.com

and elance.com

odesk.com and other similar websites  – focus more on website development  and is pretty good for that , but fail to deliver on copy writing  or content writing in my opinion  as these areas are not their main focus.

The professional level of English sought for the articles for a well established blog or website are often hard to get from these kinda websites due to the writers bidding for the projects not being that professionally adept for the job.

check it out

I Currently have a free $20 bonus from freelancer  for new sign ups, so feel free to use this for any writing or website project of yours that you are planning  to outsource to someone on freelancer.

Content produced by a professional like copyblogger is often hard to get , or if not hard to get  then quite pricey  to afford  ($80 for 300 words wow..they might be writing with a gold pen ) for a blogger or website owner  to make any financial sense  to them. Often you have to search  hard until you get the perfect candidate for writing.

With the new google panda update affecting how we manage our blog and content on it  and also now search engines like bing are getting in on the act of re-defining their SEO and search parameters.

A post οn Webmasterworld frοm Duane Forrester explains that if a user searches for a term and reaches your website and  quickly clicks out of your website  its obvious the content is not as interesting or good and they search engines are definitely taking into account these statistics into their search algorithms.

Get Australian article writers for your blog or website

article creation copywriterIf you’re looking for a good copywriter in Australia or another country for your web pages or other online marketing material,  I write articles about finance , technology, Stock market and Business and political issues with a Australian focus  but can also write  for an international focus.

I mainly do only these articles  as I like to follow the news  around these topics.

The website or blog content you receive from me will be high quality and unique. It will not be sold to others or re-used and it will not have been created by any article spinning software that some cheap article writers use on some of the more popular freelancing providing websites.

Writing is a process of constant learning and self-improvement, but the good news is, there is a wide range of organisations and and services across the country devoted to helping writers improve their craft.

If you are interested in getting a article writer and want to contact me or get an example of the different articles I have written, send me an enquiry from the contact me page.

 

Technorati Tags: Aussie writer,Article writer,Australian writer for blogs,Freelancer,Freelance writer,Wrte for money,Business writer,aussie articles,copywriter,article writing jobs,content writing

Filed Under: Australia, Australian, Australian Bloggers, Solution, wordpress Tagged With: Article writing, Content writing

Will Uber eats be the Australian food Industry technology disruption

March 22, 2017 by admin 2 Comments

food delivery in australia with tech apps

Want to work with Uber ?

Apply for delivery service -> Here – Make money delivering with Uber

Bike /Scooter Delivery sign up here –  Here – Sign up delivering with Uber

 

The world’s largest ride sharing company UBER entered the lucrative food delivery market last year in Australia, commencing with Melbourne in April, Sydney in August and reaching Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Perth in October. Delivery is currently generally restricted to the CBD and inner suburbs, but, presumably if the service is successful, they will expand both the suburbs they serve as well as reach other cities and towns across Australia.

In what is a crowded market for home food delivery with well-established apps such as Menulog, Deliveroo, EatNow, Foodora and Suppertime all with a strong foothold, UberEATS was going to need something special to stand out of the crowd.

Early press releases from UberEATS spoke about expanding the food delivery business beyond Chinese, Thai and Pizza. Uber spokesman Caspar Nixon said at Sydney’s launch in August that UberEATS have “ a mixture of high-end and trendy restaurants but it’s not necessarily all five-star menus.”. Uber, he explained, were looking for restaurants that had “traditionally been inaccessible for in-home delivery”.

Its appeal to restaurants is obvious, especially those that have not previously delivered. There are no start up costs for restaurants who pay Uber a commission based on sales. Given that the menu prices are standard (ie it’s not more expensive for someone to order on Uber then by walking into the restaurant) this comes off the restaurants’ bottom line or ‘marketing budget’ if you like. This is minor compared to the costs of establishing your own in-house delivery and marketing.

Because Uber can draw on an already established customer base and branding, and access to some 20,000 registered drivers they have had an immediate impact.

There were reports following Melbourne’s launch in April last year of restaurants seeing immediate and large increases in their take away sales. Indicating that, so far, UberEATS has been popular.

What is UberEats and How It Works

The UberEATS App is a separate App to the general Uber app, but once downloaded you log in with your usual Uber account.

Restaurants sell at the standard menu price and pay a commission to Uber, while customers pay a $5 delivery fee (although the app was launched in each city with a free delivery promotion).

download uber eats app

The App is easy to navigate and to place an order. Delivery times are provided post-ordering and your credit card is automatically charged.

Is it any good?

This question is a lot harder to determine. It’s certainly popular, though that is something different entirely.

There are three basic components that will help determine the answer, of which only two are really under the control of Uber.

The first (and perhaps most important) part of the equation is the restaurant itself who are ultimately responsible for the food quality, taste, presentation and value for money. The restaurant is also partly responsible for the length of time it takes for delivery.

Of course, Uber chooses who it will use, and so has, in a sense, made a recommendation of which it must take some responsibility.

The second consideration is the driver who really is the key to the success or otherwise of UberEATS.

A driver can adversely affect the quality of the food and the experience by mishandling a delivery or by taking too long to deliver. At least one Melbourne pizza restaurateur has complained that his pizzas weren’t being delivered flat (and anyone who knows anything about pizza knows that will wreck it).

There have also been numerous reports of drivers getting lost and/or asking customers to meet them outside. This is the sort of experience that would drive most customers away. Of course, these problems exist with other delivery customers, though, as a new entry on the market, the number of inexperienced food delivery drivers is disproportionately large at UberEATS. Over time one would expect (hope?) that these type of service issues would become less common because UberEATS will fail if they do not.

Finally, how does Uber the company rate? Despite some earlier reports of glitches and errors in its App, Uber invests heavily in its IT and these issues seem to have been largely ironed out.

Another common complaint is the wide discrepancy between advised and actual delivery times. While restaurants may take some responsibility for delays, the model that Uber uses for its drivers is a contributory factor to delays. Drivers are not required to work ‘a shift’ so customers are going to affected by the vagaries of the supply of local drivers.

On a positive side, Uber takes responsibility for customer service and is reportedly generous in its provision of refunds.

Want to Try UberEATS?

 

Coupons for $10 to $15 off your first order are widely available and the latest ones can be found here. With an introductory coupon you’ll have an inexpensive introduction to the UberEATS and see if it works for you.

Filed Under: Australian Tagged With: Food, Melbourne, Perth WA, Review

Compare the Top Business Accounting and Bookkeeping Software for Australia

August 21, 2016 by admin 26 Comments

In Australia, before there were really only two players in the small business accounting software market, MYOB and QuickBooks with their traditional software.

However now, there are many more providers entering the market. I have prepared a  comparison of  some of the top accounting  providers below.

Today there is new accounts software providers like Xero and  Reckon and now even Quickbooks online and MYOB have  come on-board with fresh new products for managing your business accounts  and books.

These  providers now provide bookkeeping online and offline for sole traders, including preparation for business activity statements (BAS) lodgements for small business and invoicing software. This books software are also scalable for bigger companies, so if you grow quickly you already have more options.

Compare accounting and book keeping software for australia

Quite often , this new software’s are hosted in the cloud and do many tasks including maintaining your invoices, reconciling with your bank account and recording book keeping for you.

Many of these more traditional providers mentioned above have been doing books for a while, but now have upgraded their software to make it more flexible. Now, you can make use of  the new accounts software or apps  anywhere on the go with your ipad, smartphone or desktop at home.

If you are looking for software online for book keeping or accounting to do it yourself or with help from your accountant, then there are some good options available for you today.

New technology has made these book keeping programs and tools easier to use.

If your book keeper or accountant does not have access to the same software that you use, you could always export  the books and  then take it to him for any more technical or advanced  accounting that you need for him to look at.

I have this year purchased a few online book keeping + accounting software memberships for my own use and also trialled few of them to write this review so that you can benefit from my review.

This review is not in-depth, but covers and compares mainly the basic features  needed for sole traders and small business accounting and also price comparisons for membership/subscription.

I will be updating with a more in-depth reviews at a later stage

Should I do Book keeping myself or with an accountant

accounting software reviews australia

Thankfully most of the new packages for these accounting programs allow you to do your book keeping yourself or even share the program access of your books, so that your accountant can also access/check and submit it.

There are two ways you could use most new bookkeeping/accounting tools, if you’re a small business or sole trader, you can either buy the software in your name and share access with your accountant or then you can let your accountant buy the software or create a account for you via their accounting portal.

From online discussion on forums, they have been instances where some accountants have refused to release access to their clients books, as the accountant is the main registrant for the book keeping  software, so if you think this could be a problem then make sure you register your accounting software in your name (register as a subscriber with xero) and then give access to your accountant.

This way you will always have full access to your books without anybody being able to block you from it.

 

Small business accounting

If you’re a small business then you will probably need to do invoicing, bookkeeping, billing, expense recording. The choice you need to make is do I hire an accountant or do i do it myself.

With today’s new advanced software, you could easily give it a go yourself and if it doesn’t work out, you could always hire an accountant or bookkeeper.

The first thing you need to figure out is, If your accounting needs simple or more advanced features.  If you needed software to just produce invoices, record expenses, and do book keeping tasks then you can do it yourself with this online accounts software. If you need to do much more than that like claim deductions, depreciation calculations etc , you can still use this software, but check with your accountant if they will accept the data from your accounting software or be able to access it to complete the more complex bits for you.

We will list the prices and cancellation fees for these services so you can make an informed decision before taking the plunge.

 

With so many new software’s and so many different features in these accounting programs, how do you choose the right one?

Choosing the right software for you will depend on three main factors

1. Price

2. Features

3. Flexibility

small business accounting software comparison

Feature and price comparison of software is given below.

 

Price or Cost of Online accounting software

Most of the accounting programs featured below has different price options based on the package ore membership that you purchase.

Reckon Accounting Software

[RECOMMENDED] 

reckon australian online accounting software

The reason why I like and recommend this software is because it has a flexible system in its pricing and features for its accounting online package. You can start as low as $5 a month with their basic package and then upgrade with needed features as you go.

What you get for $5

  • · Unlimited bank reconciliation
  • · Budgeting, GST & BAS reports
  • · Free 24/7 support
  • · Multi-layered data security, SSL encryption
  • · Share with accountant or bookkeeper
  • · Free mobile app for Android or Iphone(IOS)
  • · Invite unlimited team members
  • · Data stored in Australia

reckon price online accounting softwareThey have add ons that you can add to your basic service if you need them.

Add on’s like invoicing ($3) and bank connection ($3) are cheap, so even if you add one these two to your basic $5 charge, you will end up with just $11 a month for the service.

That’s not a bad deal at all to start with and what I alfree software trial 2016so like is with reckon software you can try it for free before buying – click here to try for free before you buy

 

 

Xero Accounting Software

[RECOMMENDED] 

xero bookkeeping from home services

Xero has a starter plan in Australia which is $25 a month and this allows you to have access to these features below

  • · Send 5 invoices and quotes
  • · Enter 5 bills
  • · Reconcile 20 bank transactions
  • · Payroll for 1 person
  • · iPhone & Android apps
  • · 24/7 support included
  • · Invite your team members and accounting professionals any time you like.

accounting software for small business ato basTheir standard plan is $50 a month and Premium plan is $60 a month. Get more details here while Xero is good accounts software for small business and sole traders, but I hate the fact that their pricing between US and Australia differs so much. Xero has a starter plan FOR USA which is currently priced as low as $6.30 a month (normally $9 for a month). If you are registering with XERO it is recommended that you register as a subscriber to have full access to your account.

You can try Xero for free over here, before you decide to buy

 

 

MYOB Accounting Software

myob accounts program online

MYOB Australia’s Most popular small business accounting software is “MYOB essentials” for $35 a month (payroll for one) and “MYOB AccountRight Plus” for $85 a month. This Essentials online software can run on your desktop pc or mobile smartphone or tablet and features are given below.

  • · Produce instant reports on PAYG, GST and BAS.
  • · Invite your accountant or bookkeeper into your accounts to check your numbers.
  • · Always up-to-date, and securely backed up online
  • · Payroll for one
  • · MYOB BankFeeds
  • · Unlimited invoices
  • · Link your bank account
  • · Send invoices and manage your contacts on the go

Great for small businesses and sole tradersMYOB has been in the game for long with their traditional offline desktop software, which now they also have this online version, which is cloud accounting for most small business and accessible from most devices anywhere.

They also  have a starter plan for $25 a month.

You can try their software for free for 30 days – Click here

 

 

QUICKBOOKS Online

intuit quickbooks bookeeper

Intuit’s flagship accounting product is QuickBooks Online is built for small and startup businesses and can be used by sole traders as well.

Quickbooks most popular online book keeping plans are the Simple Start Plan $13.50 a month now (normally $15) and the Essentials Plan for $20 a month now (normally $25)

The features on the starter plan is as below

  • · Track your income, expenses & profits
  • · Manage BAS & GST obligations
  • · Download bank transactions
  • · Works on PC, Mac, tablet & mobile
  • · FREE payroll — up to 10 employees(with online account)

 

 

pricing for 2016 online book keeping and BAS toolsNew technology in these accounting packages allows you to be connected and issue invoices on the go.  They allow you to also record your expenses on the go to claim tax deductions and lodge your returns.

Click here to try out  Quickbooks online.

Training for use of accounting XERO, Reckon and MYOB software

Some of these providers provide some basic tutorials videos to use their software. You could always search on youtube for more training material. Learning platforms like Lynda.com also provide training in use of software with video training on their website You can also join or register with the  providers website support or Q and A  channel.

Reckon has their online support community site where  members help each other out  as well as the official reckon support staff.  You could also join other accounting and finance online forums or community boards.

 

 

Some links for Training/Tips

review of australian accounts software

  • Training videos from Xero website https://www.xero.com/au/training/
  • Learning tutorials from Lynda https://www.lynda.com/AccountRight-Live-tutorials/Paying-bills/135420/144978-4.html
  • Quickbooks Tutorial https://www.lynda.com/QuickBooks-tutorials/QuickBooks-Pro-2014-Essential-Training/146231-2.html
  • Good online community where you can join in and ask for help from others and reckon members and also contribute to beginners once you learn stuff. https://community.reckon.com/reckon
  • Xeros Online YouTube channel with some learning videos and advertisement videos https://www.youtube.com/user/XeroOnlineAccounting/videos

 

 

BAS Reporting

online book keeping in perth sydney victoria nsw

Most online providers  have packages that have a ‘BAS report’  that can be generated with a few clicks of the mouse and this report mimics the layout of the BAS form so you can even do away with paper  if you like and file it electronically via a feature called SBR (Standard Business Reporting), the Australian standard for business-to-government reporting).

 

 

Cons or limitations

Access limitations can present itself when an accountant refuses to give access to your books for any payment or other reasons, but this can be avoided as I mentioned before by registering the membership in your name and then giving him access , rather than doing this the other way around ( accountant registering it in his name and giving you access)

You don’t get all features with a membership and have to pay more for extra features. With some software it is still recommended to check your bank reconciliations the first couple of times just to make sure its all good, when you import your business transactions from bank account into software.

Not all MYOB packages can be used with Mac computers, so please check if your package is compatible with a mac computer or device before purchasing from any service provider.

 

Conclusion:

Most of these software’s, today are hosted on the cloud – which means you can login into your software from your smartphone, Ipad or desktop at home and update details anytime and anywhere and this makes it super convenient.

 

 

How can I cancel my account & terms and policy

Cancellation by service provider can be done if you violate their terms of service, but this normally happens only if you have done something seriously wrong to their software or website.

Users are also allowed to cancel their membership or registration according to the service provider terms and rules, which is different for each service provider and so we can’t cover this in details. Most of these service providers (Some links: QuickBooks , Reckon , MYOB , XERO ) provide a cancellation button from within their admin area when you login This can be had from the service provider on registration or from their website.

It is recommended that you export all of your data before cancelling your subscription with any of the accounts service provider.

 

Reckon cancellation policy:

*Accounts Hosted can be purchased on an annual or monthly subscription. New customers can sign up for one month use only and you pay on a month by month basis. Annual licence holders who wish to move to monthly pricing must cancel no later than 30 days before their expiry date.

 

Xero cancellation policy

Xero will send you a final bill after you’ve cancelled their subscription trial is free. You could always email them to see what your charges could be before cancellation. Instead of cancelling, you can reduce your monthly Xero subscription fee by downgrading your pricing plan. You can change back to a bigger plan at any time.

 

MYOB Cancelation

For cancellations, you can contact their customer service team on 1300 555 151. You can get more details about terms and conditions from the myob site over here

 

SINGLE TOUCH PAYROLL SOFTWARE 

STP accredited software australia

Single Touch Payroll (STP) is a government initiative to streamline business reporting obligations. STP has already started for employers with 20 or more employees (1 July 2018 being the mandated date).

It will be expanded to include employers with 19 or less employees from 1 July 2019, subject to the legislation being passed in parliament.

Small and large businesses with will need to seek and get accredited software providers in place or seek deferrals. Payroll software providers who have the intention of delivering Single Touch Payroll enabled solutions will be rolling out soon with some large accounting software providers already having products in the market.Below are some single touch payroll products.

  • MYOB (https://www.myob.com/au/support/single-touch-payroll)
  • HR3 payroll
  • Xero Business and Payroll
  • Sage (http://www.sage.com/au/resources/insights-and-trends/2017/single-touch-payroll)
  • MYOB Exo Employer Services
  • CloudPayroll
  • ADP® Payline®
  • Reckon Accounts Hosted ( https://www.reckon.com/au/single-touch-payroll/)
  • https://www.sybiz.com/STP

See a full list of software developers related to STP  over here

 

This is not an in-depth review , but I hope to write one soon. Hope I have covered enough in this article for you, to get a brief over view of features and price comparison for popular Australian accounts software service companies.

If you have tried  any of these software  or I have left something out that is worth mentioning please leave a comment below or get in touch with me via the contact page < Over here.

Filed Under: Accounting, Australian, Software, Solution Tagged With: Australia, Books, Budget, Solutions

Technology showcase Asus Canjam and much more in 2016

January 27, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

There is  a lot happening in technology in 2016.Not only that My fit bit just tells me today that  I just walked the entire length of Italy. Wohoo!!  Coming back to the point 2016 has started with gusto, and the invites have started pouring in and so has the Australian Technology Events – which are lined up for 2016.

Tim 'Carbon' Wendel and Aaron 'ChuChuZ' Bland  attendees

Today I will miss an awesome event – “The launch of the ASUS ROG Gaming House” – Thanks Amber King for the invite

What’s it about ?

ASUS ROG GX700

At this event , i would have the chance to talk to Legacy eSports’ League of Legends team and check out the new ASUS GX700.Cool

You also get to

| Meet the Players | View the Gaming House | Speak With The Casters |

| Review the latest products from ASUS ROG |

 

When :

ASUS ROG Gaming House

Thursday 4th February, 10am – 12pm

 

You can check more ASUS gaming laptops and rigs here

 

Singapore Technology Event – CANJAM

canjam The Premier Headphone and Personal Audio Expo

CanJam Global brings cutting-edge headphone and personal audio expo to Singapore

What is canjam?

CanJam Singapore 2016 will showcase the latest in headphone and personal audio technology with over 80 exhibitors in 1,200 sq. meters of event space, as well as feature product demonstrations, educational seminars, and an interactive prize giveaway.

Visitors can expect to experience new product introductions from leading brands

CanJam Global is kicking off 2016 with its first show in Asia at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore on 20 – 21 February 2016.

 

 

Coming back to my fit bit  achievements – Here is what my fit bit email tells me today

 

Salute!

You’ve earned the Italy badge

By walking 1,184 kilometres—the entire length of Italy—you’ve stepped your way to another lifetime badge. That’s a colossal achievement!

earned the Italy badge fitbit

So i am off to a good start in 2016 .I suppose i will see yall at future events ,until then good luck !

Filed Under: Australia, Australian Tagged With: 2016, Event, Technology

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