Thomson Reuters launched Onvio, its next-generation suite of cloud-based tools for tax and accounting professionals, at its user conference, held here.
Onvio -- the name is a conflation of “Onward” and “Vision” that is meant to be accessible around the world and in different languages -- will serve as a platform for a wide range of tax and accounting-related tools, all build from the ground up for the cloud and with a strong focus on mobility.
All the modules will work from a single common database of information to eliminate redundant data entry, and there is a single look and feel.
“The consistent look and feel across all modules will make it easy for practitioners to pick up and learn new ones,” said Scott Fleszar, vice president of strategic marketing at the Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters, in a press briefing. “It’s an opportunity for us to really change the game for practitioners in terms of efficiency and collaboration with clients."
Onvio is launching with two fully functioning modules, Onvio Documents, a document management system, and Onvio Client Center, a client portal solution, as well as their related mobile apps. The company expects to release Onvio Time & Billing and Onvio Workpapers in December, and to add other modules on everything from payroll to tax and accounting over the next couple of years.
“Our commitment to our other products isn’t changing,” stressed Fleszar. “We know desktop isn’t going away.” In fact, the company has built a number of integrations with its current products into Onvio, so that firms won’t be forced to choose either/or -- they will be able to take a hybrid approach.
DOCUMENTS AND CLIENT CENTER
The two currently available modules highlight many of the universal features of Onvio, with a modern, intuitive user interface, embedded tools for workflow and easily moving back and forth between functions and applications.
“The days of 10 different applications are over -- Onvio is one place for everything,” said product manager Matt Jagst.
In addition to the usual functions of a DMS, Onvio Documents makes it easy to bring on new clients by being able to import documents from Google Drive, Dropbox and Box; lets users customize their file structure to fit their workflow; and lets you manage clients and staff from a centralized administration dashboard. Its mobile app takes advantage of the increased sophistication of the cameras on smart devices to scan documents, which it them automatically cleans up.
Onvio Client Center serves as a secure online portal and a communication hub for your staff and clients. It’s also optimized for tablets and the Web. “We really think of mobile first,” said Jagst. “We see the profession working that way more and more.”
