MYOB Opens Door to World of Cloud Apps for AccountRight Live

Sholto Macpherson for Box FreeIT writes:

• MYOB adds directory of nearly 40 cloud and desktop apps for AccountRight Live
• Includes Xero add-on partners Fathom, Shoeboxed, GovDirect, OneSaas
• Plans to make it easier to send and receive data with ARL 

Accounting software company MYOB has kickstarted a community of add-on cloud programs which connect with its cloud accounting software. The company revamped its information centre for developers to connect to its AccountRight Live cloud program and directory of add-on programs that can be used with MYOB’s cloud.

Rival accounting software company Xero was the first to establish an ecosystem of complementary cloud-based business apps which has helped propel it to 200,000 business customers in seven years.

While MYOB has worked with a large community of developers for many years, MYOB only recently finished building an interface (technically called an API) that lets the new breed of cloud business software connect to AccountRight Live.

The MYOB add-on directory included long-standing members of the Xero ecosystem such asShoeboxed (a service for scanning contents of receipts and documents into accounting software),Fathom (a business-intelligence reporting and forecasting tool) and GovDirect (a portal for submitting online tax forms).

Familiar MYOB partners had also built connections to AccountRight Live including Ostendo (job costing), Act! CRM and LeGrand CRM. The MYOB directory listed about 40 apps that could swap data with AccountRight Live.

Cloud software integrator OneSaas provided connections to several cloud apps includingSalesforce.com (CRM) and e-newsletter marketing apps MailChimp and Campaign Monitor.

“We’ve received tremendous interest from developers – at launch we had 65 API developer partners and in less than six months we have more than 400 on board,” said Chief Technology Officer Simon Raik-Allen in a press release.

MYOB had added the ability to send and receive sales invoices and customer payments information through the API and was looking to add more features.

MYOB released a developer kit for building and integrating apps for PCs, smartphones and tablets.

Budget and cash flow software provider Calxa had also updated its program to work with AccountRight Live and claimed the API was best in class.

“Our development team love the API – it’s the best of all the major accounting software providers,” said Calxa CEO Mick Devine in a press release.