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Dropbox and Xero announce new partnership in Australia

Launch Dropbox for Business integration for Xero’s Australian Tax product
Dropbox A/NZ country manager, Charlie Wood

Dropbox A/NZ country manager, Charlie Wood

Cloud service provider, Dropbox, has partnered with Cloud-based software company, Xero. The partnership leads to the launch of a Dropbox for Business integration for Xero’s Australian tax product.

Dropbox A/NZ country manager, Charlie Wood, said the integration with Xero’s global accounting platform is designed to help small businesses and their accountants and bookkeepers share files, and remove administrative burden.

The integration between Xero Tax and Dropbox for Business will provide registered tax and BAS agents with a simpler way to manage document sharing at tax time between individuals and small business clients.

Syncing between Dropbox and Xero will enable all client folders to be automatically populated as they are seen in Xero. Tax agents can store and view signed copies of tax returns, letters and agreements, invoices and receipts and other key documents within Dropbox, via the Xero Tax user interface.

They will also be able to share folders with clients and their bookkeepers, enabling ongoing collaboration and greater transparency between business owners and their connected advisors.

“It’s a good time in the year to talk about tax – everyone is going through their tax return filings and there’s a lot of paperwork to be done. So, having a Cloud-based accounting platform like Xero is great, but with the Dropbox integration, we’ve made it easy for people to bridge the gap between Dropbox for Business in a small business space and Xero Tax accounting,” Wood said.

Xero Australia managing director, Chris Ridd, the partnership will allow the thousands of small businesses that use Xero in Australia to share and collaborate on their tax files with their tax agents, quickly, easily and efficiently.

“Cloud accounting has already immensely improved the way that small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers manage finances, particularly at tax time. Our partnership with Dropbox will only improve this further,” he stated.

Wood said the partnership was forged as both the companies have a natural affinity to the Cloud.

“Xero is born Cloud, just like Dropbox is born Cloud. Its customer base is similar to ours. If we were to partner with a business, it makes sense for us to partner with one that looks at the world through a technology lens the same way as us.”

Wood also attributed a recent survey by Dropbox that revealed almost one in two Australians share files using Cloud software at least once a day, and 63 per cent of small businesses agree Cloud technology can help them grow their businesses and ultimately better serve clients.

“If you look at those things, Dropbox and Xero together offers it. We’re providing a level of business continuity, which is what our customers want,” he added.

As part of the newly integrated functionality, registered agents using Xero Tax will be given the option to directly connect their Dropbox for Business account and use it for document storage within Xero.

Xero tax with Dropbox for Business integration will be available to Australian users in September.