Cloud computing is a "rip off", says software entrepreneur

Cloud computing is being used as an excuse to ratchet up prices, the founder of a major British software company has warned.

Quentin Pain, Chairman of Accountz, says that the monthly charges that many vendors are demanding are alarming.

"Small business owners hate recurring charges - they'd much rather pay once for software and have the option to use it forever. Frankly, I cannot understand why vendors who were charging a £200 for permanent use of their desktop software can justify charging £15-20 a month. Over a decade, what looks like a cheap option easily ends up costing £2,000. Cloud computing is great for software-company shareholders, but a real rip off for their customers."

Pain continues: "There's a lot of hype about cloud computing, but in the accounting sphere, it's not really an advantage. Small-business owners don't manage their accounts in the same way as they check their email. They don't grab five minutes on a train to enter invoices into their purchase ledger, or work out their VAT return. Bookkeeping is something they'd really rather not be doing and they need cheque books, folders of receipts, credit-card statements and red-ink paid stamps laid out in front of them. And those who do want to send an invoice out while on the move can do it more quickly and reliably with software installed on their laptops than with cloud services that require 100% permanent internet connections."

For further information, please contact:

Quentin Pain, Chairman, Accountz: 01354 691650

Alex Singleton, Alex Singleton Associates (PR): 0800 958 9000

About Accountz

Accountz, which was founded in 1985, sells home and business accounting software through PC World, Currys, Staples and AppleStores.

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