OCN London
OCN London
From clunky systems to clarity: How OCN London transformed invoicing with AccountsIQ
Open College Network (OCN) London is an awarding organisation and registered charity supporting colleges and education providers across the UK. With over 40,000 learners registered every year, OCN London offers a wide range of regulated qualifications, from digital skills to higher education diplomas in subjects like nursing, law and policing. Behind the scenes, its small finance team managed complex financial processes: tracking courses, facilitating learners' switching units, and producing detailed monthly reports. As the organisation grew, so did the pressure, and its outdated finance system was holding them back. They needed a robust, modern finance platform that could handle complexity, streamline invoicing, and provide instant visibility across the organisation.
The Challenge
OCN London’s previous system, Infor, was an on-premise legacy solution that had become slow, clunky, and increasingly inefficient.
Day-to-day tasks like invoicing and reporting required manual workarounds and constant IT support. Remote working made things worse, the finance team had to connect via VPN, often leaving machines running in the office just to maintain access. It wasn’t just inconvenient; it was a security risk and a productivity drain.
“It was clunky, out of date, and most annoying for me as Head of IT, it relied on on-premises servers.”
- Damian Devaney, Head of IT, OCN London
From an IT perspective, maintenance demands were high. From a finance perspective, real-time insights were non-existent.
When evaluating replacements, OCN London found many systems were either too basic to handle its needs, or too expensive, with hidden costs for essential features.
They needed a cloud-based, flexible and cost-effective finance system that could scale with them, without compromise.
The Solution
After comparing several options, OCN London found the perfect fit in AccountsIQ - a system that offered the ideal blend of enterprise-grade functionality and affordability.
Working closely with AccountsIQ’s onboarding specialist, Helen, implementation was smooth, fast and frustration-free.
“The system is so intuitive that it almost isn’t onboarding, the team just took to it.”
— Damian Devaney, Head of IT, OCN London
With AccountsIQ, OCN London gained:
- Cloud-based access for secure, seamless remote working
- Customisable invoice templates built for its unique workflows
- Automated invoicing via integration with its learner management system
- Power BI connection for live dashboards, KPI tracking, and board-level visibility
The finance team quickly shifted from firefighting to forward planning, empowered by automation and real-time data.
The Results
The transformation was immediate and measurable.
- 10x faster invoicing – reducing days of manual work to just hours
- Real-time visibility – Power BI dashboards keep leadership informed instantly
- Reduced IT overhead – no more servers, VPNs, or “fix-it” requests
- Lower overall costs – savings on software, maintenance, and infrastructure
- Increased transparency – data-driven decisions at every level
“Because it works, the team can focus on more strategic, forward-looking things like budgeting and forecasting.”
— Damian Devaney, Head of IT, OCN London
“AccountsIQ actually costs us less than our old system, we’re getting way more for less.”
AccountsIQ has supported OCN London to build a finance function that’s agile, insight-driven and ready for the future - delivering efficiency, transparency, and value at every level.
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