Software Design and Development

Case Study: MYOB

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Contents:

Contents: 2
What is MYOB: 4
How the Software was Developed: 4
Software: 5
Features: 6
Lite Subscription: 6
Pro Subscription: 6
AccountRight Subscription: 6
Payroll Only Subscription: 7
Hardware: 7
User Based Hardware: 7
Computers: 7
Servers: 8
Phones: 8
Participant Hardware: 8
Computers: 8
Servers: 9
Data Processed: 9
Inputs: 9
Currency: 9
Integer and Floating Point: 9
Strings: 10
Bitmap: 10
Outputs: 10
Array of Records: 10
PDF: 10
RTF: 11
Procedures Used: 11
Personnel: 12
Software Developers: 12
Customer Service/Sale: 13
Hardware Maintenance: 13

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 Product Managers: 14
Social and Ethical Issues: 14
Data Security: 14
Financial Power: 14
Linking Bank Accounts: 15
Sources: 16

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What is MYOB:
MYOB stands for Mind Your Own Business and is an accounting software that enables
businesses to manage their finances. The software is able to help users with payroll,
invoicing, tax, budgeting, cashflow management and many more financial related tasks
(MYOB, 2021). Payroll is the process of paying the employees of a business, this needs
hours worked, wage, bonuses, overtime etc in order to calculate (Investopedia, 2021),
MYOB simplifies and digitises the process by connecting bank accounts and
spreadsheets. Invoicing is the management of invoices which are records of transitions
(Investopedia, 2021), MYOB uses database technology in order to organise and sort
these invoices. Tax is another cost for the business and can be difficult to manage as
there are many different types such as: goods and services tax (GST), payroll tax and
excise duties (Australian Government, 2021), MYOB assist users through this through
making business activity statements (BAS) which is a list of all the taxes a business
have and will pay over a period of time (MYOB, 2021). Budgeting and cashflow is the
general management and balancing of funds within the business, MYOB can assist
users with these tasks through the use of calculators and spreadsheets.

Through MYOB’s features businesses can more efficiently manage their finances which
would be time consuming to do manually. MYOB is a commercially licenced product that
uses a subscription based pricing strategy, however it can also be purchased under a
site license if necessary. With the product also comes extensive customer support,
documentation and online forums that will assist customers with using the software.In
terms of employees, MYOB hires many different people including developers,
managers, system analysts and customer service personnel, to perform different
processes within the system and software. Through this MYOB delivers useful features
for both large and small businesses.

How the Software was Developed:

The program was initially developed in a company named Telware in the 1980s, and
once it was bought out by Best Software in 1993, eventually the company MYOB limited
came to life in 1999 (MYOB, 2021). The initial motivation of developing the software
was due to the fact that current accounting software that was being used as the time
1980s were complex and could only be used by professional accountants, not business
owners (Encyclopedia.com, 2019). Hence the early version MYOB was developed by
Christopher Lee and his team when they were in Telware.

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Software:
MYOB has different versions of its software depending on the type of business that
uses the system and the type of subscription that is purchased.The different software
versions there are Lite, Pro, AccountRight, Payroll Only and AccountRightPremier: all of
which contain different features, services and pricing.

The software application can be accessed in two different formats which include a
desktop application and a mobile app. The application is compatible with the latest
Microsoft operating systems (OS), however there is no support for Linux systems and
limited support for Apple’s OSx which means that users have to resort to emulators to
run the software. However the software can be accessed by Android and iOS phones
as a mobile application. Overall the software is mostly accessible as Microsoft devices
are common however, it still lacks compatibility with other OSs blocking itself from more
customers.

However MYOB is compatible with a number of third party applications that add new
features, increasing the functionality and versatility of the software. Some examples of
the software include Abtrac, Datapel, HR Central and many more (MYOB, 2021).
Through this the software is able to become more valuable and powerful for users, and
also allows for other developers to create and share their own applications to others
supporting other businesses and developers themselves. However this comes with the
added risk of installing a trojan horse or malware in general, but this is mitigated by the
certified tag where additions that have been tested and approved are verified for their
safety and functionality.

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Features:

Lite Subscription:
The Lite edition of MYOB is the cheapest and the most basic version providing users
with all of the basic functionalities. It is designed for micro businesses with a small
number of employees and less complex financial tasks. Its functionalities include
unlimited bank feed transactions, scan and store receipts, bill and expense
management, goods services tax (GST) and business activity statements (BAS)
preparation assistance, and basic reporting and business tracking features
(CanstarBlue, 2021). Through this MYOB is able to provide basic yet useful features for
its users to manage their businesses efficiently.

Pro Subscription:
The Pro subscription is a superior version of the Lite edition, containing many of the
same features but more advanced versions of them. The Pro version will be able to
generate more comprehensive reports as compared to the basic version, this can also
be seen by the ability to connect to an unlimited amount of bank accounts as opposed
to only two (in the Lite subscription). Finally the other extra feature is access to the
mobile app which allows for the application to be used almost anywhere with a phone
and WiFi (CanstarBlue, 2021). Therefore, overall the Pro subscription of the software
introduces more features to the users, which is useful for bigger businesses.

AccountRight Subscription:
This software is more suited for larger businesses that manage hundreds of employees
and even runs in other countries. It includes features such as unlimited payroll,
inventory tracking, time billing, on top of all the other features from the previous versions
(CanstarBlue, 2021). The software also has support for different currencies which

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allows users to transfer and manage money overseas without any difficulty, increasing
the functionality of the program and value. Therefore the AccountRight software is
designed for big businesses who need to manage hundreds of employees, providing
useful features for its users.

Payroll Only Subscription:

The version of the software, as stated by its name, is designed only for assisting users
with calculating and managing payroll. The software is designed for employers with
large numbers of employees, and need a more efficient way to manage them. Payroll
consists of five major tasks that need to be conducted which are; paying wages or
salaries, calculating benefits, deduction taxes, paying payroll taxes and filing reports
(Xero, 2021). All of which the Payroll Only software is capable of assisting businesses
with. The subscription includes a mobile app that can allow users to access the services
of the software almost anywhere.

Hardware:
There are many different types of hardware that MYOB utilises both on the user end
and on the participant end. For users MYOB is available on the following devices:
Windows computers, mobile phones and servers. On the participant end MYOB utilises
a variety of hardware to ensure its features work efficiently and effectively the hardware
devices include: computers and servers.

User Based Hardware:

The three main different types of hardware that users are able to use are computers,
servers and mobile phones.

Computers:
Computers are by far the most popular types of hardware that is used by users due to
its ease of use and access. The minimum hardware requirements for users are:

● 2.1 GigaHertz (GHz) Intel Pentium Core 2 Duo processor

● 2 GB Random access memory (RAM)
● 2 GB hard disk space
● 32-bit colour, 1024x768 screen
● 0.5 megabits per second (Mbps) internet connection
(MYOB, 2021)

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Most of these requirements are easily met by even the most basic of computers, hence
the hardware used by users is highly varied. Although one important factor to notice is
that MYOB requires more other software such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Reader
which come with their own requirements, and therefore may mean that users will have
to install different hardware to be compatible with the extra software.

Servers:
Requirements for the servers are relatively low, with the highest minimum requirements
being the same as the minimum requirements for the computers except for needing a
display.However as stated in for computer hardware, there is also additional software
that is used in conjunction with MYOB, hence requirements may change accordingly.
Overall the hardware that is necessary for servers are extremely low, and therefore the
software is able to work on a variety of different types of configurations.

Phones:
The other hardware platform the software exists are phones. Phones are
portable and have limited storage and RAM, therefore the mobile application
is heavily web based and more basic than its server and computer
counterparts. One application that can be used is the MYOB Capture
feature, which is able to take advantage of camera hardware to take images
of receipts (MYOB, 2021). The app is available on both Android and iOS
phones, hence every user should not have to worry about the compatibility of
hardware, unless they possess a device that lacks basic functionality, such
as a touch screen or WiFi connectivity.

Participant Hardware:

Computers:
Computers are an essential tool of most participants for MYOB given that it is a
software application. The uses for computers are software development and customer
service. Software development is the maintenance of the system, where errors are fixed
and updates are made to ensure the software meets its requirements. This requires
relatively high performance components in order to be able to keep up with the
processing demands of testing and running the program, hence extensive hardware
may be required. For customer service, the hardware that is needed can vary due to the
low intensity of the tasks which include communicating through the online forum or
conversing with through voice applications. Therefore the hardware required may also
be headsets in order to allow for customer service to communicate effectively. Hence

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computers are used by participants to either maintain the software or to provide
customer support.

Servers:
The purpose of the servers is to handle the different requests of users and store data.
Handling the requests of users can vary due to the wide array of features available to
users, hence servers have to be able to handle multiple requests simultaneously. For
example a user may connect their MYOB software to a bank account, this means that
the servers have to receive the request and send one out to the bank in order to link the
two accounts. The other use is for the storage of data, which can include accounts,
receipts or documents: this requires an extensive array of drives to safely and securely
store all data. Hence the role that servers play for participants are to store data and to
execute tasks or requests from users.

Data Processed:
There are many different types of data that MYOB has to process and store on a regular
basis. These data types include; currency, integer, float, strings, array of records, time
rich text format (RTF), portable document format (PDF) and bitmap. These data types
are all processed and used in order to benefit the users and participants of the system.

Inputs:

Currency:
Currency is used to store the value of money for the users and to deal with payments,
which will become particularly useful when dealing with multiple currencies. This will be
beneficial to participants as the software will be able to instantly recognise a currency
hence minimising the guess work that is needed when determining the purpose of a set
of data.

Integer and Floating Point:

Integer and float data types are used to store whole and non-whole numbers. Integers
are specifically used for discrete sets of numerical data for example counting the
number of employees there are, or identifying how many people have been paid their
wages. Floating point data is used for non-whole numbers such as irrational numbers,
this is because they are high precision and can be used for tasks such as creating
reports or graphs that need to be high precision, or even when converting currencies
rather than using the currency data type.

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Strings:
Strings are another type of data that is regularly used in almost every single type of
process with the MYOB software. Strings can be used to store names or the addresses
of people, which will be more practical than integer data types. String data can be
processed through inserting, extracting and deleting different sections of the string. Also
strings are able to be represented through a variety of different encoding methods,
hence it is accessible on every single device.

Bitmap:
Users have the ability to input photos through phone cameras. Generally the bitmap
images are used to store receipts, as that is convenient for users to take images rather
than enter the data manually. The quality of the images generally depends on the
hardware, however most phones have high quality cameras hence it is not much of an
issue.

Outputs:

Array of Records:
An array of records is another major part of the system as it also has database-like
functionalities. An array of records, as suggested is just a series of records that store
data in a predefined structure, this allows for data such as the personal details of a
person to be stored effectively. The software uses MYSQL in order to store data and
queries, (Kilimanjaro Consulting, 2019) this means that an array of records is essential
for the system to operate otherwise many of its features would be unavailable.

PDF:
PDF file formats are used to represent generated reports for users. Depending on the
subscription type MYOB is able to produce a variety of different reports based on
inputted data. The main reason for using PDF file formats is because of the cross

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compatibility between different software and hardware, which allows users to access
these files anywhere and makes printing and formatting less of a hassle as it cannot
change.

RTF:
RTF is used for creating emails, specifically for mail merging. This is because most
emails only take in strings and can only store PDFs or bitmaps as attachments.
Therefore by using RTF MYOB is able to create emails automatically for users to send
emails to employees or other people efficiently.

Procedures Used:
There are many different types of processes that MYOB uses as it has a variety of
functions, hence not all of them will be covered. Take for example creating an invoice;
first the user must input the invoice number, the details of the customer (name, address
ect), input issue/due dates, enter selling items details, then the program calculates the
subtotal, tax/goods and services tax (GST), total (subtotal + tax or GST), amount paid
and amount due, once that is all done the invoice is either printed or emailed to the
customer. (MYOB, 2021)

These data flow diagrams demonstrate the processes that occur when a user just
creates an invoice. Hence there will be many other processes that are required to
complete tasks such as paying ways, managing payroll or storing receipts.

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Personnel:
There are many different types of personnel that work for MYOB, these include:
software developers, customer service/sales, hardware maintenance and product
managers (MYOB, 2021). All of these participants work together in order to make sure
the system runs efficiently and effectively.

Software Developers:
Software developers are specifically tasked with maintaining the system and providing
new features. Maintaining the system involves feedback from customers which come
through the product managers and from regular testing. Through this developers are
able to create new requirements for specific programs then develop, implement and test
the new features. By doing this users are able to obtain the latest features which can
allow for some businesses to gain a competitive advantage over other competitors.
Hence the software developers maintain and update the software system to ensure it
runs efficiently.

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Customer Service/Sale:
Customer service and sales personnel are mainly focused around interacting with the
customers and learning about them. Customer service is responsible for assisting users
with issues or errors ensuring that they are resolved or reported to developers. This
ensures that users do not end up not using the program therefore it is essential that any
issue is resolved. The mediums in which customer service personnel can interact with
customers are through the MYOB forum, mobile or through email; as these are the most
common and easily accessible methods of communication for both users and
participants.

Customer sales personnel are specifically dedicated to selling MYOB products and
services. Through using targeted advertising more people can become aware of the
software and increase the chance of more consumers. Sales personnel are also
responsible for doing market research in order to find what people want from software
and what they value the most to ensure that the software developers properly develop
meaningful and effective updates.

Hardware Maintenance:
Due to the fact that MYOB utilises extensive information technology (IT) infrastructure
such as servers and local area networks (LAN), maintenance personnel are needed to
make sure that they run effectively. Tasks can include: cleaning servers, buying spare
parts, installing or removing hardware and securing the hardware which requires
extensive time and skill in order to complete effectively. Maintenance personnel are also
tasked with maintaining different network connections between other participants, hence
making them an essential part of MYOB. Therefore the hardware maintenance
personnel are tasked with maintaining IT infrastructure in order to make sure that all
information processes occur efficiently.

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Product Managers:
Product managers are tasked with managing the development and maintenance of the
software. By using the different data collected by sales personnel and their own
research, they are able to decide on new requirements for the information system,
hence they are tasked with the majority of the software development life cycle (SDLC).
This ensures that developers are aware of what they need to do and when they need to
complete it by, which requires a communication management plan. Overall product
managers are tasked with managing the SDLC and making sure that the software will
maintain its relevance through updating the requirements of MYOB software.

Social and Ethical Issues:

There are many social and ethical issues that come with MYOB, given that the software
deals with the finances of many different types of businesses. Social and ethical issues
include: data security, financial power and linking bank accounts.

Data Security:
Data security is a quintessential part of MYOB’s goal, as they deal with a variety of
different data that hold significant value to different businesses and people. Data such
as bank account details, transaction history, receipts and employee details are all
private information that shouldn’t be exposed publicly. To prevent this MYOB uses
Microsoft Azure (MYOB, 2021), a third party security service that helps secure cloud
based data storage, and is used by many major companies such as Audi (Microsoft,
2021). This ensures that the data is stored securely in remote servers that are located in
Australia. However one security flaw may be the fact that Microsoft Azure is used by
many businesses, hence there will be more people who attempt to bypass security.
Overall the data security of the MYOB servers is high, therefore the chance of any data
loss or theft is extremely small.

Financial Power:
One of the privileges that users get when they use MYOB is
that they can have control over many of the finances a
business does, hence there may be malicious people who
want that power. One of the features that MYOB uses is
two-factor authentication (MYOB, 2021) which means that
users have to log in and then confirm on a second device that
they are logging in which usually involves entering a randomly
generated code. This means that even if a person knows the

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password, they won't be able to access the account. However, some flaws occur if the
hacker: has the other device or access to your email, therefore it is important for the
user to protect their personal belongings and also make sure that their other passwords
are safe. Overall the financial power that MYOB uses over a business is very high and
MYOB has an effective system that prevents unwanted people from accessing
accounts.

Linking Bank Accounts:

MYOB connects many bank accounts to users and participants, hence making sure that
transactions and payments are secure and reliable. If people are able to easily intercept
transactions between accounts, the businesses could end up having their bank
accounts being penetrated and then funds being stolen from the company. MYOB
software complies with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
(MYOB, 2021) which is an international standard that many major credit cards support
(PCI Security Standards, 2021). This ensures that the software has an acceptable level
of security for online payments, hence users have protection against malicious
attackers.

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Sources:
https://www.myob.com/au/blog/60-years-of-accounting-software-introduction/
https://www.stratusgroup.com.au/xero-vs-myob-which-tool-best-for-your-business/
https://www.myob.com/au/accounting-software/accountright/licence-agreement
https://www.seek.com.au/companies/myob-432833
https://www.canstarblue.com.au/stores-services/myob-accounting-software/
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/banking/pros-and-cons-of-linking-checking-and-savings-
accounts/
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-au/overview/trusted-cloud/
https://www.myob.com/au/careers/employee-experience
https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/pci_security/
https://www.myob.com/au/about/security/security-commitment

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