Multi-company

See also

Branches

In SecureIO, multiple companies can be configured under one database. This allows some data to be shared among companies while maintaining some separation between entities.

A centralized management environment allows authorized users to select multiple companies simultaneously and set their specific warehouses, customers, equipment, and contacts. It also generates reports of aggregated figures without switching interfaces, facilitating daily tasks and enhancing the overall management process.

Warning

Enabling multi-company functionality in an SecureIO database on a Standard plan automatically triggers an upsell to the Custom plan. This does not apply to databases on the One-App Free plan.

  • For yearly or multi-year contracts: An upsell order is created with a 30-day limit.

  • For monthly contracts: The subscription automatically switches to the Custom plan and the new rate is applied when the next bill is generated.

For more information, refer to SecureIO’s pricing page or contact the account manager.

Configuration

Most General settings apply to all companies in the database. Company-specific settings are indicated with the (Values set here are company-specific) icon, and can also be accessed through company records.

Create or edit a company

To create or edit a specific company, navigate to Settings app ‣ Users & Companies ‣ Companies. Click New and fill out the form with the company’s information or select an existing company to edit it.

Archive a company

To archive a company, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to Settings app ‣ Users & Companies ‣ Companies.

  2. In the Companies list view, select the company to be archived.

  3. Click the Actions button and select Archive.

  4. Click Archive to confirm.

Multi-company environment

In a multi-company environment, users are granted access to one or more companies, and data is created or modified based on its intended use within that structure.

User access

A multi-company environment allows flexible control over user access and access rights that can be granted or restricted as needed.

Company selector

To switch between (or select) multiple companies, follow these steps:

  1. Click the company selector in the top-right corner of the header menu.

  2. In the drop-down list, select the checkboxes next to the desired companies.

  3. The highlighted company indicates the current active environment.

  4. To switch to another company, click its name in the list of selected companies.

Example

In the example below, the user can access six companies, two of which are selected. The current active company is My Company (San Francisco).

Shared and company-specific records

Data, such as products, contacts, and equipment can either be shared across companies or restricted to a specific company by setting the Company field on relevant records:

  1. Leave the field blank to make the record accessible to all companies.

  2. Select specific companies to make the record visible to users logged in to those companies only.

Records specifically linked to a particular company are accessible only within that entity. For instance, quotations, invoices, and vendor bills associated with a company are visible only when logged into that company, and the corresponding company is automatically selected by default and displayed in the Company field.

In a multi-company database, new products and contacts are shared across companies by default. To restrict them to a specific company, set the Company field on the record’s form.

Note

Individual properties in a shared record may be shared or company-specific. For example, product records share common Sales Price and Reference values, but the Cost value is company-specific. This allows for different cost structures across companies while maintaining consistent sales pricing and product references.

Inter-company transactions

The inter-company transactions feature allows one company in the database to sell or purchase goods and services from another company within the same database. For inter-company transactions, product records are shared among the involved companies. Depending on the configuration settings, counterpart documents for orders and invoices can be automatically generated and synchronized.

Warning

To handle inter-company transactions correctly, general and specific configurations must be set properly, including fiscal positions and localizations.

To activate inter-company transactions, select the relevant company in the company selector, open the Settings app, navigate to the Companies section, enable Inter-Company Transactions, and click Save. Then, select the options to create a counterpart for the selected company:

  • Create Vendor Bills: Automatically create a bill or refund in the selected purchase journal when another company confirms an invoice or credit note for the selected company. Select the checkbox to display the in Journal drop-down menu.

  • Create Sales Orders: Automatically create a sales order when another company confirms a purchase order with the selected company. The warehouse is based on the delivery address.

  • Create Purchase Orders: Automatically create a purchase order when another company confirms a sales order with the selected company. The warehouse is based on the receipt address.

In the Create as field, select Draft to create the counterpart documents as drafts, or Validated to automatically validate them. This setting applies to all of the inter-company transaction options.

Tip

With Developer mode (debug mode) enabled, the Synchronize Transfers from SO/PO option also appears. When a sales or purchase order is confirmed with another company, SecureIO links the delivery of one company with the corresponding receipt of the other.

Note

SecureIO does not automatically create warehouses for additional companies created after the initial database setup. Warehouses for each company must be created manually.

Example

Create Vendor Bills: When an invoice for Customer JS Store US is posted on JS Store Belgium, a vendor bill is automatically created in JS Store US.

Create Purchase Orders: When a sales order for Customer JS Store US is confirmed on JS Store Belgium, a purchase order on JS Store US is automatically created (and confirmed if Validated is selected in the Create as field).

See also

Inter-company stock transfers

Stock can also be moved between companies without creating inter-company sales or purchase orders:

  • Resupply a warehouse from another company’s warehouse, using MTO or reordering rules.

  • On a sales order, set the Warehouse to another company’s warehouse to deliver the customer’s order from there.

  • On a purchase order, set the Deliver To field to another company’s receipt operation type to buy in one company and receive the products in another.

Only the warehouses and operation types of the companies selected in the company selector are available.

Inter-company clearing

The Intercompany clearing feature automates accounting entries when one company receives a payment for an invoice issued by another company within the same database.

When a payment is processed by a secondary company, SecureIO automatically reconciles the customer’s open invoice in the issuing company and creates balancing intercompany entries between the two companies. This automation eliminates manual spreadsheet tracking and keeps intercompany accounts balanced in real time.

Example

Company A issues a customer invoice for $100.

The customer pays via the customer portal belonging to Company B.

Upon receiving the payment, SecureIO:

  1. Settles the customer receivable in Companies A and B.

  2. Reclassifies Company A’s receivable as a claim against Company B.

  3. Records Company B’s received funds as a payable owed to Company A.

Configuration

Important

The Intercompany Payment - Account (account_payment_interco) module must be installed, and the Inter-Company Transactions feature must be enabled in each company that is involved for the Intercompany Clearing fields to appear in the Accounting settings.

  1. Go to Accounting ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings.

  2. Scroll down to the Default Accounts section.

  3. Under Intercompany Clearing, define the following fields for company that is currently active:

    • Journal: The dedicated journal used to log cross-entity clearing transfers.

    • Account Payable: The clearing payable account used to record debts owed to other companies within the database.

    • Account Receivable: The clearing receivable account used to record claims against other companies within the database.

  4. Switch to other companies involved using the company selector in the top right menu and repeat the process for each one.

Note

The payment method that is used to register the customer payment must use an outstanding receipts account so that a journal entry is created.

Tip

Create unique payable and receivable clearing accounts that are separate from the payable and receivable accounts used for general transactions, and enable the Non Trade option on these accounts.

Use cases

Multinational companies

A multinational retail chain operating in the United States and Canada must manage transactions in USD and CAD.

Since each country has its own tax laws and regulations, using SecureIO’s multi-company feature is highly beneficial.

This setup allows for inter-company transactions, which is essential for managing cross-border inventory transfers. It also simplifies the sales process by enabling customers transactions in their local currency.

Separate processes

A small furniture company is launching a new product line that requires separate procurement, inventory, and manufacturing workflows. These new products differ significantly from the existing catalog. To manage this efficiently, the company is considering using the multi-company feature to manage the new line as a separate business entity.

However, creating a completely new company might add unnecessary complexity to the database. Instead, the company can leverage existing features such as analytic accounting and multiple warehouses to manage the new product line without complicating overall operations.

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