It wasn’t quite a con, every new style of software builds on the solutions we used to have, but for most of us, the reality of so many different types of screens, different contracts and different support systems has fallen short of the promise of full automation.

Now, this may not be the sentiment you’d expect from someone who rode the ecosystem wave when ChangeGPS became one of the first Practice Apps in the App Store and ended up winning the practice app of the year award, but we’d be negligent to see AI and think we’re just going to do the exact same thing with this incredible new piece of kit.  

So, if we are to look over the horizon and think about a dream state for running a firm, I think, we should not just be nostalgic about our past, but use its successes to shape our new future.  

I think we need to return to the dream of the cloud suite.

Because I think AI can get us there.

We’re already seeing a shift towards this. Once small document management providers are expanding their features to include suite staples. Humble corporate compliance software can now lodge some tax returns through adjacent products and even do AI-enabled bookkeeping for complex documents.  

For me, this is tremendously exciting.  

The Problem: Too Many Apps x an AI Multiplier

If we already have too many apps in too many data silos, how will more AI apps make connecting data easier? More APIs? APIs put all your data in the hands of a benevolent tech company controlling the flow of your data. What if they become less benevolent?  

The reality is that Accountants are drowning in software that doesn’t talk to each other. Every extra integration is another potential meltdown and complexity. APIs that were supposed to solve this? They work—until they don’t. And now, AI is entering the mix, raising the stakes even higher.

Because AI is at its best when it has a lot of data. It needs the data in one place to give you specific answers and insights. It needs it so it can understand the context of your workflow and what you want to do next. The more data you keep out of your AI, the worse it will perform.  

The AI Opportunity: Stop Creating More Data Silos

Double Entry, Paper, Desktop Suite, Cloud, AI.

Ai is just the next platform-level innovation for accountants to adjust to. If you are a partner in a firm, you have likely already led your team through a tech change once using some cloud-based apps as a minimum.  

But AI isn’t magic—it needs good data. And if your firm’s data is locked up in disconnected systems, AI won’t save you—it’ll just add another standalone app to the mess.

More importantly, the subject matter expert isn't made less important because of AI. You still need to know what to ask. You still need to know what a wrong answer is.

Firms sit on gigabytes, terabytes of really, really critical data. How do we get all that data in one place to power AI so it actually makes work easier, instead of harder?  

The dream of the suite has to be the answer.

That’s where The Access Group’s new Compliance and Evo AI platform offers a new idea for the future.  

Instead of slapping AI onto fragmented systems like a band-aid, Evo actually pulls everything together, making AI useful in a firm’s day-to-day workflow.

And what’s that workflow? Well to start, it’s tax return data live in your practice management system, which Access Accountants Compliance has now. It’s still on the cloud but instead of connecting systems like the plumbing of a house, the data is treated as the foundation that the comfy rooms are built on.  

And it’s technical knowledge right on the page. The Access EVO ATO skill puts tax law and ATO interpretations on the screen!

The Suite, Reimagined: Access Accountants Compliance

Nostalgia aside, the return to the suite isn’t just about convenience. It’s about solving real-world headaches. I’ve been impressed with the new Access Accountants Compliance, a fully integrated, cloud-based practice management and ledger system.

And I’m excited that the product owner used to be the ChangeGPS product owner which gives it that extra level of understanding of what accountants do (and maybe a hint at where I see a suite of the future wink wink nudge nudge).  

Access has actually come up with a cloud-based integrated suite. It's a great opportunity, especially for smaller firms who just need that all-in-one solution. And the best part? There’s no variable cost. It just has a cost. You don’t get penalised for putting more clients through it.

AI as a Strategy, Not Just a Buzzword

When macro trends change, businesses revisit their strategies. I think a firm is responsible for considering a strategy rather than just trialling a dozen different APIs and AI apps.  

Access is taking a platform-first approach with Evo, embedding AI across its suite of products instead of bolting it on like an afterthought. That means firms get AI where they actually need it – rather than in yet another app they’ll forget to use.

For example, ChangeGPS is rolling out an AI-powered Copilot inside its tax planning and compliance tools. It lets accountants query ATO and Fair Work data without leaving their workflow! No more opening five tabs just to answer one question.

The Future: The Suite is Back, and It’s Smarter

With AI-powered workflows and an integrated suite approach, Access is tearing up the accounting software playbook. Ironically, it was their products that were amongst the first accounting software solutions in Australia.  

The disconnected mess of standalone apps? It’s on borrowed time. The future? Intelligent, all-in-one platforms that actually make accountants’ lives easier and connect with other big open platforms from the base up.  

The suite is back. And this time, it’s built for accountants who don’t have time for tech headaches.