This article covers the prerequisites for using FYI in your practice and an overview of the supported environments.
Prerequisites
Microsoft 365 Integration
To use FYI, you require a Microsoft 365 account and emails hosted through Microsoft Exchange Online (as part of Microsoft 365).
We recommend using the Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan. This allows FYI users to be able to edit documents from FYI using the desktop versions of Office or Outlook and ensures full integration with FYI.
Microsoft 365 Business Basics is the absolute minimum licence required.
For detailed information on the Microsoft 365 Business plans, refer to the Microsoft help article Find the best Microsoft 365 plan for your business.
| Microsoft Business Basics (minimum required) |
Microsoft 365 Business Standard or E3 (recommended) |
| Web-only versions of Office applications | Desktop versions of Office Basic |
| Reduced functionality of Office | Full functionality of Office |
| Not compatible with Macro-enabled files | Compatible with Macro-enabled files |
Refer to Microsoft 365 Integration.
Practice Integration
Practices can integrate with one Practice Management system in FYI. FYI integrates with the following practice management software:
Xero Practice Manager
Integration with Xero Practice Manager allows you to sync your clients, client groups, team, jobs and time without having to maintain data in multiple locations. If you do not have Xero Practice Manager, you can set up FYI by using Xero Tax. But in this instance, FYI will only sync your Clients. Refer to Xero Integration.
APS (Formerly Reckon)
Integration with APS allows you to sync your clients, attributes, matters and users with FYI.
Refer to Synchronising Clients and Users with APS (Australia & New Zealand only).
CCH Central
Integration with CCH Central allows you to sync your clients, jobs and users with FYI.
Refer to Synchronising Clients, Users and Jobs with CCH Central (United Kingdom only).
MYOB Practice Management (formerly GreatSoft)
Integration with MYOB Practice Management allows you to sync your clients, users and jobs with FYI.
Refer to Synchronising Clients, Users, Jobs and Tax Returns with MYOB Practice Management (formerly GreatSoft).
IRIS
Integration with IRIS allows you to sync your clients, custom fields, jobs and users with FYI.
Refer Synchronising Clients, Jobs and Users with IRIS (United Kingdom only).
MYOB AE
Integration with MYOB AE and AO allows you to sync your clients, custom fields, jobs and users with FYI.
Refer to Synchronising Clients, Users and Jobs with MYOB AE & AO (Australia & New Zealand Only).
Hybrid Office 365 Environments
Microsoft offers a hybrid Office 365 environment, meaning Exchange is available in a combination of both on-premises and online.
FYI does not support hybrid environments and requires emails to be solely hosted through Microsoft Exchange Online.
Supported Environments
Supported Browsers
FYI is supported for use on the following web browsers with at least the current version or one prior version.
| Browser | Version |
| Chrome | Refer to the Google help article https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95414?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop |
| Firefox (Mozilla) | Refer to the Mozilla help article https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/update-firefox-latest-release |
| Microsoft Edge |
Refer to the Microsoft help articles |
Supported version of Microsoft Office
FYI is supported for use on the latest versions of Microsoft 365 Desktop and provides support for two versions backwards. Refer to the Microsoft article Update history for Microsoft 365 Apps (listed by date)
We recommend that all users automatically apply updates to Outlook and Office.
FYI may be compatible with earlier versions of Office (which may have been purchased as volume licenses, especially with remote desktop technologies). However, depending on the exact version, some of the FYI features and the FYI Office Add-ins may not work and we cannot guarantee standard support. Refer also to FYI Add-in for Office or Outlook not loading or failing to log in - Remote Desktop or Terminal Server.
Volume-licenced versions of Office 2016 and 2019 use Internet Explorer 11 to render the add-ins. FYI ended support for Internet Explorer 11 on 30 November 2023. For more information refer to Announcing the End of Life for Internet Explorer 11 (Action required by 30.11.2023).
Note: Retail versions and Microsoft 365 can use Edge WebView2 which has improved functionality and features, an overview of that can be seen in the table here. There may be issues with Central Deployment if the versions do not meet the prerequisites outlined in this article.
If in doubt please contact the FYI Support Team
Supported version of Microsoft Windows
FYI is supported for use on Windows 10 and 11.
- For Windows 10, refer to the Microsoft article Windows 10 release information
- For Windows 11, refer to the Microsoft article Windows 11 release information
FYI provides support for two versions backwards.
We recommend that all users automatically apply updates to Windows.
Supported versions of FYI Desktop
FYI is supported from versions 1.0.94 and above. To check your version:
- Click the FYI Desktop icon in the system tray
- The FYI Desktop Window will be displayed
- The version number will be displayed in the bottom left-hand corner
FYI Desktop is designed to automatically update as new versions become available. If the upgrade can't be applied automatically for any reason (for example if the app is in use at the time), a banner will be displayed and the icon in the system tray will change. Click the link in the banner to apply the update.
There may also be some policies preventing the automatic update. Refer to the following articles for more information:
- Configuring proxy and firewall settings for FYI Desktop App
- A group policy is preventing the FYI Desktop App versions from automatically updating
- FYI Desktop App
Supported Multi-Factor Authentication solutions
FYI supports the Microsoft 365 Multi-Factor Authentication solution exclusively.
For the security and integrity of our systems, FYI does not support any other third-party Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) solutions.
While we understand that there are various MFA options available on the market, we have carefully chosen Microsoft 365 as our preferred MFA provider due to its robust security features and seamless integration with our platform.
Using non-supported MFA solutions may not only compromise the security of your account but also result in compatibility issues that can disrupt your user experience.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that all users utilise Microsoft 365 for their MFA needs to ensure the highest level of security and functionality when accessing FYI.
Supported .net Operating Systems
The Practice Sync Desktop app, used to integrate Practice Management apps with FYI, requires the installation of .Net 6.0.
For a list of supported operating systems refer to the Microsoft article .NET 6.0 Update and .NET 6 - Supported OS versions.
Internet Speeds
We recommend a connection of 20mbps and a minimum connection speed of 10mbps.
To test this, you can use www.speedtest.net or www.fast.com.
Using an Email Gateway
While not a configuration FYI actively tests against, practices can use an Email Gateway if necessary. FYI uses MS Graph for all emails, so if the email is available in Outlook then FYI will be able to detect the email in the APIs used.
With instances like this and with proxy's, we are left to the configuration of those services, especially if changes are made to those applications.
If using email gateways please contact our support team to discuss further.
Additional Information
Refer also to the FAQ Why does FYI require Microsoft 365 including Office desktop apps?