| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Business software |
| Founded | UK (1991) |
| Headquarters | Stratford St Mary, UK |
| Products | Foundations, Horizons, Dimensions, Dimensions Lite, Supply Chain (ERP), GoldMine (CRM), Dashboard, Service Manager, SelectHR, SelectPay (HR & payroll) |
| Revenue | £23.9m (January 2011) |
| Employees | 317 (January 2011) |
| Website | www.theaccessgroup.com |
The Access Group (commonly known as Access) is a consultancy and business software developer, serving the mid-market.[1] 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.
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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.
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 Office (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 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 [2], 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 [3]. 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 [4] and BlackBerry. The company continues to sell GoldMine CRM on behalf of US-based FrontRange solutions.
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:
The Access Group is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and is a member of the Business Application Software Developers Association (BASDA). [7] Individual Access solutions are accredited by industry authorities, including HM Revenue & Customs and the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales).
| Name (alphabetically) | Title | Executive/Non-Executive |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Audis | Director | Executive |
| Chris Bayne | Director | Executive |
| John Beech | Director | Executive |
| Paul Druckman | Chairman [8] | Non-executive Director |
| Jon Jorgensen | Director | Executive |
| Ian Little | Finance Director | Executive |
| Alistair O’Reilly | CEO | Executive |
| Chris Tossell | Director | Executive |