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Telecom New Zealand partners with Xero

Telecom New Zealand

Friday 24 October 2008, 1:48PM

By Telecom New Zealand

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Xero’s award-winning online accounting system will soon be available to New Zealand businesses through Telecom’s Business Hub for a monthly or annual subscription fee.

The partnership, signed today, links Telecom with New Zealand’s market leading Software as a Service (SaaS) provider for the first time.

The partnership is intended to provide Telecom’s small, medium and home business customers with access to high quality online accounting software, says Victoria Crone, Telecom’s Head of Business Marketing.

“By adding access to Xero from our Business Hub, our customers know we are providing them with the best tools in the marketplace to help their business succeed.

“We’ve watched Xero since they were a start-up. Now they’ve developed into a world class product, so naturally we’re delighted to find a best in field offering right on our doorstep,” Ms Crone says.

Xero CEO, Rod Drury, says: “Our online accounting system gives small businesses and their advisors easy access to bank transactions, invoicing, reports, and GST, anytime it’s needed, from anywhere in the world where they are connected to the internet.

“This partnership with Telecom makes that access even easier. Once customers have a login they can use their laptop, BlackBerry, mobile broadband, or basically anything with an internet connection to log on, saving them time and money,” Rod Drury said.

From early-mid November customers can take advantage of a free, no obligation, 60-day trial of Xero available exclusively through the Telecom Business Hub.

This partnership is the next phase of development for Telecom’s Business Hub which launched in September. More products and services will be announced over the coming months.

For more information, visit the Telecom Business Hub at telecombusinesshub.co.nz or Xero at xero.com

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About SaaS

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a model of software deployment where an application is hosted as a service provided to customers through the internet. It is also known as ‘cloud computing’ or ‘on-demand software’ because it is accessed when needed instead of purchasing it outright and loading it onto an office computer or network. Customers do not pay for the service with an up-front fee, but rather a monthly subscription. The use of SaaS alleviates the need for customers to renew their software, as ongoing updates are provided by the vendor.

For more information please contact:

Julia Bell
Telecom PR Manager - Business
Ph 09 358 6919
Mob 027 449 2797
julia.bell@telecom.co.nz

Lucy Hempseed
Xero Communications Advisor
Ph 04 819 4837
Mob 0274 238 959
lucy.hempseed@xero.com