Nov 22, 2023

Vendor Spotlight: Rightworks 5 Min Read Rightworks, formerly Right Networks until a rebranding in October, has been providing hosting solutions, among other technology-related services, specifically with accountants and other financial professionals in mind, for over two decades. Its recent name change reflects the company's expansion into business technology solutions, training and support on top of the cloud hosting services that served as its foundation. The new name is meant to indicate that it helps professionals find the "right" solution that "works" for them. Founded in 2002, the company developed its HyperRight hosting technology specifically for tax and accounting workflows, and has strived to remain on the technological forefront of the profession through building secure hosting environments for popular applications like QuickBooks and Drake, as well as developing curated technologies and business best practices. Since 2017 it has acquired seven companies to help achieve this goal. CEO Joel Hughes talked to Accounting Today about the Hudson, New Hampshire-based company's recent rebranding and its plans for the future, including a generative AI solution. Joel Hughes How would you describe what your company does? Hughes: Rightworks is the only intelligent cloud provider that offers a unified portfolio of advanced technology solutions purpose-built for accounting firms and professionals. Access to our always-here firm improvement community — Rightworks Academy — amplifies the value. Our customers partner with Rightworks to modernize and elevate their firms, protect client data and maximize revenue potential. What is in your product line, and what is your flagship product? Hughes: We offer two primary product lines: Rightworks OneSpace and Rightworks Academy . Rightworks OneSpace includes additional category offerings like Rightworks Connect and Rightworks Transaction Pro in addition to standalone security and productivity solutions. Our flagship product, Rightworks OneSpace, unifies leading accounting and tax applications, simplifies business operations, delivers unrivaled security, and is backed by unmatched industry expertise and technical support. Proven technology solutions and actionable best practices define OneSpace, all of which are tested, recommended, delivered and enhanced by the company's team of experts and established peer community. Rightworks Academy is our premier community for accounting firm optimization, growth and professional development that offers thought leadership, expert guidance, proprietary benchmarking tools, on-demand and live events, extensive training resources and more. What product of yours do you think should be better known among accountants? Hughes: Rightworks OneSpace creates a frictionless, unified experience for accounting firms and fully integrates our industry-leading capabilities into a seamless, single pane of glass. It simplifies the complexity so our customers can operate their practices from one place, efficiently connect with their clients, and access resources and community support to build modern and thriving practices. Our solutions help accounting firms resolve industry-wide pain points like overwhelming technology choices, staffing shortages, burnout and heightened client expectations. What was the last big initiative or project your company completed? Hughes: On October 18, our company rebranded as Rightworks. The new brand unified our accounting profession staples: Right Networks, Rootworks and Transaction Pro. Rightworks combines best-in-class technology, thought leadership and community engagement tools to create a unique offering that enables accounting firms and professionals to build modern, sustainable and profitable businesses. What is the most exciting new thing you're working on? Hughes: We have several new initiatives on the horizon, including an AskGPT artificial intelligence tool that is already in beta and used by hundreds of our customers. AskGPT is a purpose-built assistant for the accounting profession that helps firms and professionals leverage AI in their everyday activities. Additionally, we are working on solutions that will enable firms to continuously increase the value they can offer to their own clients through additional services and offers. What differentiates your company from others similar to it? Rightworks has two main competitive differentiators. First, we are the only intelligent cloud provider that offers OneSpace, a unified portfolio of advanced technology solutions purpose-built for accounting firms and professionals. We bring together the leading accounting and tax software titles in a single cloud workspace to simplify and protect our firm customers. Second, our Rightworks Academy is the profession's premier community for firm optimization and growth. Accounting firms can access proprietary firm benchmarking, actionable guidance and expert training, events, playbooks, a resource library and a community of like-minded firm leaders. The Academy is essential for firm leaders who want to build a modern, sustainable and profitable business. What is the biggest tech challenge facing accountants today? Hughes: The implementation of automation and the use of artificial intelligence. Many firms are trepidatious about AI and unaware of its potential to take their businesses to the next level. This emerging and rapidly developing technology is the accounting profession's most impactful advancement in the foreseeable future. The accounting profession should be committed to knowledge, transparency and ethics regarding its use. This will help accounting professionals identify areas where it can deliver the most value and gradually expand its use to reap the benefits of enhanced business operations, strong client relationships and increased profits. If your company has been experimenting with generative AI, how have you incorporated it into your business? Hughes: Generative AI has been the biggest "next big thing" in the profession for some time. Our innovation team is already working closely with our customers to best understand how AI can help advance the profession. Currently in beta, our AskGPT AI solution is helping hundreds of accounting firms and professionals become more efficient and smarter with AI. AskGPT enables secure storage of embedded content and features customizable assistants, a specialized prompt library, and collaborative team spaces. The platform has attracted 575 users since its launch, with 26% actively engaged weekly. This free, high-impact solution is setting new standards in accounting. Users can visit ai.rightworks.com to sign up for a free account. Rightworks at a glance: Staff size: 680