Xero finalising migration to AWS

Accounting software company Xero expects to finalise its two-year migration to the AWS platform over the next few weeks.

The company expects to have all customers using the new AWS-based Xero platform by the end of the year.

Taking advantage of the new possibilities enabled by the migration, Xero is applying machine learning technology to help automate core accounting functionalities and enable business owners to work more efficiently, Xero Chief Platform Officer Duncan Ritchie said in a blog post.

Last year $1 trillion worth of transactional data was processed in Xero, giving the company a rich trove of data to leverage.

Machine learning has been used to develop Hey Xero, a chatbot designed to run on AWS and integrate directly with Facebook Messenger. Once it has been further developed, the company plans to use the chatbot to allow advisors and small business users to ask for insights into their financial affairs.

Potential examples include inquiring as to when a bill is due, a user’s account balance or any debts they are owed.

Another benefit of migrating to AWS is that Xero will be able to scale up capacity to meet customer demand on busy periods such as the days leading up to tax filing deadlines. Xero has also implemented new security systems on the platform, such as two-factor authentication and user login history.

“We know that the faster we can deliver true innovation to our community of small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers, the more deeply they can feel the impact as it grows and integrates itself into everyday life,” Ritchie wrote.

“This ability has been supercharged with the move to AWS, and we can’t wait for the 12 months ahead.”

Image courtesy of Ben N under CC