QuickBooks Online vs. QuickBooks Hosting – Which is right for you?

The question of “Which is right for me?” comes up when people are looking at, or comparing QuickBooks Online with QuickBooks hosting. The fact of the matter is, although QuickBooks Online is consistently adding features and capabilities that bring it closer to the desktop version, there are still many reasons to stick with the desktop version you know. If you’re looking to access your QuickBooks remotely, or give multiple people the ability to access the same data files regardless of geographical location, then hosting your QuickBooks is the route you probably want to take. Though there are benefits to both, the question comes down to what capabilities you need and what your plans for the future are.

First, the pros of QuickBooks Online. It’s great for small businesses or individuals with income producing hobbies. It’s fast to set up and get working with. Intuit has also recently added many features that make QuickBooks Online competitive with their desktop versions. Mainly, the ability for multiple users to access it. Online now also has inventory tracking, purchase order sending, analytical tools and it integrates better with Excel. In short, QuickBooks Online is going to be great for small businesses with basic bookkeeping and accounting needs. The decision to go with hosting comes up when an individual or business thinks that they will need additional features now or in the future, since the most advanced version of QuickBooks Online still barely competes with QuickBooks Pro.

When you move your desktop version of QuickBooks to the cloud via a hosting provider, you’re simply giving yourself the ability to access your currently owned software over the internet. Since it is your desktop version, you have the same interface and functionality that you are used to and familiar with. You also have the ability to use additional software that syncs with your QuickBooks for deposits, payments, scanning and more. This includes being able to integrate with popular applications like ACT! and Outlook. These are major selling points that the Online versions don’t offer.
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Yet another compelling reason to go with QuickBooks hosting instead of using the online version is storage, back up and data transferring. With a hosted version of QuickBooks, your applications and data are stored in secure data centers and then also backed up off-site. You also have the ability to backup and save files or data on your local machine. This is not only an extra safety feature that may be enticing for some, but it also becomes important when considering what you will do if/when you no longer want to work in the cloud. With QuickBooks hosting, you can easily copy files down to your local machine. This way you can either continue working locally, or you can move to another accounting solution. With QuickBooks Online you not only cannot backup and store files locally, but when you decide to upgrade to a desktop version (hosted or local), the ability to transfer data is limited and difficult.

In summary, there are benefits to using both QuickBooks Online and having your desktop version hosted by an expert application hosting provider. Although Intuit is slowly bridging the gap, there are enough major differences between the desktop and online versions to consider what your accounting needs are before making a decision. For small enterprises, QuickBooks Online might be all that is needed. But if a business needs anywhere, anytime access to QuickBooks Pro, Premier or Enterprise, along with supporting applications, making the move to a hosted version of their QuickBooks is an obvious choice that will allow them grow, expand and easily work in the cloud with QuickBooks and other desktop software.

7 Steps To Move Your Business To The Cloud

Whether you’re moving just QuickBooks to the cloud, or other apps as well, be sure to follow these basic steps to make the transition a success. And remember, with all the cloud computing solutions out there for QuickBooks accounting software, it’s important to do your research. Knowing the right questions to ask can be the difference between successfully using the cloud to better your business or wasting your time.
Original post at http://www.insynq.com/blog/setup-the-cloud.html

QuickBooks In The Cloud & iPads

A Great Backup Option To Have

Occasionally the question comes up…What happens when a person is on the road or unable to use their laptop or PC but still needs to access QuickBooks? Although it would be too difficult and time consuming for a person to try and do all of their work with an iPad, some situations allow the popular tablets to be used for a variety of QuickBooks related tasks in the cloud to keep business moving.

A CPA with a growing firm in Arizona was using QuickBooks in the cloud to work on client files from a single office location. Although he knew that using his hosted QuickBooks on an iPad was possible, he didn’t have cause to try it until a client contacted him while he was on the road. The client was about to make a major purchase, and wanted to know how it would affect his taxes. The CPA was able to pull over, bring up the client’s QuickBooks file on the iPad, and in less than a minute provide the client with financial advice that helped him make a better purchasing decision.

Although the client could have waited until the next day to get the financial advice he was looking for, the CPA was able to come off looking like a rock star by getting the info right there on the spot. The client was happy, and the CPA was able to offer the type of service that guaranteed him a client for life. All because the CPA was able to simply look at a QuickBooks file on the fly.

Another person, a Florida-based bookkeeper using InsynQ as her QuickBooks hosting provider, found herself up a creek when her computer started having problems right as several clients needed their payroll processed. While waiting for her PC to be fixed at a store, she was able to use her iPad with a keyboard accessory to connect to her hosted QuickBooks and run payroll for her clients. By the time her computer was done getting fixed, her client’s payroll was done.

Although it won’t solve every issue, it never hurts to have a backup, plan-b or a spare. When you have applications like QuickBooks hosted, you essentially turn any internet connected PC, laptop or tablet into your backup option for accessing software and files. Most financial professionals would agree that their computing demands require a desktop PC with multiple screens. But in a pinch, it never hurts to have the option of using an iPad to access your hosted QuickBooks in the cloud.

Learn more about application hosting solutions and cloud computing options that will allow you to access QuickBooks in the cloud at http://www.insynq.com/application-hosting.html.

Accountants Drive QuickBooks to the Cloud

The market for QuickBooks cloud hosting is growing. Cloud services in general are being adopted by more and more businesses and organizations in an effort to gain infinite agility, reduce IT spending and streamline growth. Businesses and financial professionals need to be able to respond quickly and efficiently to the ever-changing needs of their company and clients. When working in the cloud you are utilizing a subscription-based service which means that not only will the up-front cost of installation by eliminated, but companies will also be given the ability to adapt and change the applications they use in the cloud as need be.

Adding users and programs is incredibly simple when using a hosting provider such as InsynQ. This gives financial professionals and businesses alike the ability to add a software suite such as Microsoft Office or Intuit’s QuickBooks to their cloud whenever it is needed. The list of hosted programs doesn’t stop there, as InsynQ currently hosts over 300 applications. The possibilities this flexibility offers companies is limitless and also incredibly affordable. No longer must a business drop gigantic sums of money into software and in-house IT services.

Mobile computing is currently growing faster than any other platform or tool has in the history of technology. Morgan Stanley estimates that by 2015, mobile web will be bigger and more widely used than typical desktop internet usage. What does this mean for financial professionals using programs such as QuickBooks to best assist their clients? It means that they need to be able to access the files and information stored in their QuickBooks software from the road in order to best assist their customers. With QuickBooks in the cloud this becomes instantly and easily possible. Subscribers are able to instantly access their software and data from the road using any computer or device connected to the internet including laptops, desktops, smartphones or tablets.

This is quickly becoming the norm, and accountants who choose to ignore the cloud are finding that more and more of their clients are seeking other financial professionals who are utilizing a hosted QuickBooks service. To better illustrate this point, one needs not look further than the current statistics and projections of the cloud computing industry itself. In 2010, Gartner estimated the cloud computing market to be at roughly $54 billion, escalating at a rate that would have the industry pushing $150 billion by 2013. So far, the estimates are well on their way to becoming a reality. This is due to the fact that businesses are quickly realizing the benefits of managed IT services. As the cloud continues to rise and QuickBooks hosting becomes the norm, it is increasingly important to consider adopting your business to this growing trend.

Moving QuickBooks to the Cloud Allows Accounting Firms to Grow

Accountants currently using QuickBooks on local desktops or in-house servers deal with a number of headaches on a daily basis.  A CFO often handles the corporate books while each division of the company continues working with semi-recent data copied and pasted into spreadsheets for them to access. The data is then handed to a CPA which is left to review and verify the accuracy of the data. This inevitably leads to confusion and errors as professionals are forced to determine who had the most up-to-date information. Hosting QuickBooks in the cloud eliminates these problems entirely and adds advantages that are impossible to replicate via any platform outside of the cloud.

Consider a small to midsize business looking to run QuickBooks. Average companies often purchase entry-level software due to a limited budget. Running QuickBooks in the cloud opens up the option of adopting the most sophisticated and current version of the software, and at the same time reduces cost dramatically. Instead of the gigantic initial costs associated with software and server purchases, financial professionals are able to move to a structured monthly payment plan. This allows the accounting firms to help decide which version of QuickBooks their client’s business should use. If the accounting firm is already working in the cloud with QuickBooks, it becomes easy to transfer or add a new client to the same platform.

On-premise software suffers from the inability to cope with growth. It is expensive to install, difficult to maintain, and as a business’ needs increase, servers becomes taxed and slow down. Eventually these in-house systems will go over capacity and become unusable, forcing professionals to purchase and install new machinery and software. While this is technically a good problem to have due to the fact that it shows your company is succeeding, it can put a serious damper on growth and frustrate both accountants and client businesses in the process.

Running QuickBooks in the cloud alleviates this concern and allows for infinite growth. Hosting the software gives you the ability to add or remove users as needed, on a simple platform, giving all users the ability to edit financial data in real-time. This eliminates all of the problems and headaches that can arise with a typical accounting firm and the clients they have running QuickBooks software in-house.

QuickBooks Hosting is the answer many accountants and financial professionals are looking for. As the number of businesses utilizing a hosted cloud environment continue to grow, accounting firms are realizing the power waiting to be unleashed. The early adoption of this highly expansive technology will help determine which firms can continue to provide clients with the service they demand, and help set them apart from firms that are reluctant to review cloud-based QuickBooks hosting services.

Software vs Service Provider – why you aren’t running your apps in the cloud (yet)

When a user logs in to a virtual desktop, and all their valuable and beloved applications are available to them, fully functional and integrated as they are on the PC, with all their data available to them as well, the reaction is almost always one of excitement, empowerment, and – ultimately – bewilderment. “Why”, they ask, “doesn’t everyone do this?”

Good question.

At least part of the answer is due to the way software companies license and sell their applications. Now, if you can continue to produce your product in the same way you always have, distribute it using your known distribution channels (which deliver predictable performance), and realize revenue in the manner to which you have become accustomed, why would you actively seek to create disruption in the “normal” flow of things? Especially when status quo seems to be working pretty well.

Another good question.

The adoption of virtual computing (in this case, hosted desktops and the applications associated with them) is pretty much in the hands of the application software companies. It’s certainly not the platform that we are waiting for. The base technology is already proven on the hardware side, with blade servers and other high-density configurations available. And the software has been proven in a variety of deployments, as demonstrated by Microsoft Terminal Services, Quest Software, VMWare, Citrix and others.

So – the software companies are part of the barrier.

And so it comes down to the application software manufacturers. These guys seem to fall into two main camps when it comes to cloud-ifying (my new term) their applications: (1) redevelop the app with a web framework and deliver a browser-based solution, or (2) pick a single delivery model from the above list of platform software providers, and eliminate any true integration capability. In short – webify or segregate. Either way, it creates severe limitations in the way the software can take advantage of integrations with other applications. And, for most desktop software vendors, integration with other desktop applications is frequently one of the key benefits of the product.

The web-based applications have already come to grips with this reality. Where a download of a document to your favorite word processor was once just fine, the market now demands data re-use and expanded business process integration, forcing the web applications to open themselves to outside integration and 3rd party developments. Just look at the developer network Salesforce.com has built. If that doesn’t prove that no app is an island, I don’t know what does.

But the desktop apps who have chosen to “webify” using application publishing and delivery tools have evidently forgotten that one thing: integration is part of what makes their apps popular. No business process is an island, and the data rarely stands alone. Would ACT! be so popular if it couldn’t integrate with your Outlook email client, or with your MS Word word processor? Would MS Excel be so popular if you couldn’t push almost anything to a spreadsheet file? The answer is no. This is why the integrations were developed in the first place – greater functionality and an improved value proposition, resulting in increased use and user productivity.

Too many options?

To complicate the problem, there is not just one delivery method that works for every application, business model, or user. With the variety of technologies available, independent software companies have hard choices to make in determining how their cloud’d products might be offered, and additionally by whom they might be sold. As of today, though, many software companies have approached the problem alone, where opting to use their “hosted” editions frequently eliminates the option of integrating on the desktop with other locally-run applications.

Not only does the software maker have to find the best technology/platform fit for the delivery and for their market, but they must also then consider their distribution channel – the “food chain”of delivery of the product or solution. Often this “who” that can offer the product is just as big a problem as “how”.

The maker of a given software package is in the business of selling their software, not other peoples’ software. While integration with other products is exceptionally important to the product’s value in the market, the software maker is fundamentally concerned with only the sales of their own solution. They tend to promote sales through resellers and consultants who can not only provide the software but offer install, training, and ongoing support as well. Designating sales organizations which are “authorized” to represent a product is a typical software company approach.

Many of these authorized resellers are focused exclusively on selling the software solution, not the ongoing support of the platform. These resellers are often highly skilled at working the specific software application, but may lack in-depth understanding of the platform upon which it runs.

Some authorized resellers are actually integrators – companies who sell products from a variety of sources and combine them into “solutions”. Historically, integrators have been key players in creating successful markets for certain products, providing the support and other services necessary to keep the products entrenched in the user community.

In many cases, the integrator makes their money on the support element on the arrangement, not necessarily on the product. In these situations, the platform and ongoing maintenance and support are the key revenue drivers, and the integrator may be loathe to recommend a solution to the client that cuts into their involvement and revenue stream. And hosted, managed, cloud-based application services can certainly do that.

What is the answer? Well, there isn’t just one that jumps out.

One element in the solution is recognition by software companies that their products need to be available in a hosted model. Consumers require choice in terms of their involvement with the business IT infrastructure. Some folks want to control it, others simply need access. The business of hosting applications is growing, but many of the software makers in the market aren’t behind the movement.. they are unwilling participants who leave it up to the service providers (the integrators in the datacenter) to make things work. In some cases (I will refrain from naming names herein) end-user licenses are even written to make hosting the software an illegal event.

Another element, equally if not more important, is the service provider community. With the wide variety of technical standards out there – the different technologies, different approaches, different levels of consideration, and different market sensitivities – it is no wonder that fear and doubt are prevalent in the market.

And then there is the distribution channel and method of selling licensing. Many software companies work exclusively through their authorized reseller channels. While this may benefit the user from a product knowledge standpoint, it creates difficulties with the new delivery model and frequently puts the software sales channel in direct competition with the platform providers.

The tweener gets you from here to there.

While the concept of cloud-ifying desktop and network applications may seem to be “fraught with peril”, it can be done well and deliver significant benefits to the company. By simply changing the way employees access and interact with their applications rather than changing the apps themselves, businesses can introduce an entirely new range of business benefit and capability. Outsourcing the business IT can also represent cost savings and, more importantly, allow you to focus personnel and financial resources on your core business. And, for those who see online application services as the future, this “tweener” step gets you divested from localized technology and helps to embrace the flexibility and freedom that virtual and mobile computing can deliver without forcing radical change.

Now, if we can only get the software developers on board.

Learn more about hosted applications and how Outsourced IT services, Cloud computing, and anywhere anytime access can help your business at www.insynq.com.

Challenges to the QuickBooks Accountant “self-hosting”model: There’s more to hosting than just having a server.

Sure, any good IT guy can build you a network.  And any quality IT services company can offer to manage your network and systems for you.  But, can just any IT company help make your business a QuickBooks hosting company for other businesses?  Maybe, maybe not.   I’ve always said that there is a fine art to delivering quality application services (especially involving QuickBooks) to a largely non-technical audience, and if the details aren’t covered up front, they will end up causing you a great deal of pain later.

Almost every IT consultant I’ve worked with believes that they have what it takes to help accountants create an in-house capability to host QuickBooks and provide remote access for client businesses.  While there is likely no argument that the consultant understands how to set up a network for a single organization, the rules change a bit when you begin talking about having many different businesses – most of them not related in any way – sharing systems, software, and data storage facilities.  This is often referred to as “multitenant” architecture, and QuickBooks, like many other desktop applications, was never designed for this type of implementation.  For these and other reasons, it takes quite a bit of technical understanding as well as recognition of the necessary controlling elements in the business model to create a hosted delivery that can actually work well, and deliver the security and confidentiality of data required and an online “experience” your clients will enjoy.

While many of the issues to be addressed are technical in nature, a lot of them also speak to the details of the business model and exactly what services are being offered.  Decisions must be made in terms of what applications to support, how users will access the applications, how users and data will be organized, and how the entire system will be supported, managed and maintained over time.  Experience has taught us that the business that expects their costs to be largely experienced with  initial equipment purchases and implementations will be unhappily surprised by the investments in time and materials required to create the client hosting environment, and then to support users and maintain systems post-launch.

The key is to not minimize the needs of the client, and to fully recognize and address the issues that the client will face when working from your environment.  Without the relevant experience to know what these challenges are and how to overcome them, the firm may find themselves at a significant operational disadvantage.  The result is that they are unable to fully meet the client demands, and could possibly lose the entire IT investment because of an inability to reasonably compete with commercial hosting offerings.

If your company is looking to offer QuickBooks hosting services to your clients, contact InsynQ today to get the information you need to make the best, most informed decisions possible.  After all, an unsatisfactory online experience could damage the trust and working relationship with the client, and that just isn’t worth the risk.

The Cloud Lets Us Centralize the Information, Distribute the Workload

Defining “cloud computing” and how it applies to small/medium businesses is not always easy.  Perhaps one way to look at it is to consider how cloud computing concepts apply to the management and use of data and information within the business.

Take Google, for example (the Google search service, not the company). Google has systems that communicate with other systems, and provide access to lots of information located in lots of different places, and provides that information to lots of different people who use it for a variety of different reasons.  Google doesn’t actually store all the data it’s linking to.  Google provides centralized access to the data.  And, when you load that page or link, it’s not coming from Google servers, it is likely launching from the server where the data actually resides.

It’s really not that different from, say Intacct and Bill.com, where both applications are available via the Web, the systems communicate and share data, and users access the systems to perform a variety of functions.  The Intacct servers, Bill.com’s servers, and the application users are not all located in the same place, and work via the “cloud” – the amorphous network of servers and systems all interconnected.

The whole “cloud computing” concept is really fairly basic: centralize the information but distribute the workload.

Centralizing the information so those who need it can access it is critical to supporting the business, but distributing the workload for accessing the information – and accessing it in the context of the work to be performed – is essential to creating an efficient business.

As an example, let’s look at a basic accounting solution, like QuickBooks Pro.  While the software offers a range of features to support the essential record keeping requirements of many businesses, it doesn’t offer much functionality to address the more detailed operational aspects of the business.  It doesn’t offer sales or contact management support for the sales department, it doesn’t offer any CRM or service tracking tools for the service or support department, and it doesn’t even address the manufacturing, distribution, or merchandising needs of the business.

However, by leveraging the power of “the cloud”, even a solution like QuickBooks Pro can handle a fairly complicated enterprise requirement.

The power is with integrations – “specialist” solutions which focus on specific aspects of the business, but which also have the ability to share information.  Just like with the original “one write” systems, the information should only have to be entered once, and then it can be used again.

Long ago we recognized that redundant data entry – re-keying information – leads to lost productivity and increased potential for errors.  With the ever-increasing volume of information being generated by business and individuals, it is essential that data entered once be available to any part of the system it relates to.

This means that customer information in the accounting system would also be available to the sales and service teams.  However, since we don’t want those users in the actual financial systems, it is best to give them applications to help them do their jobs, but to have data in those applications integrate with data from the financial systems.

• Sales people can have accurate customer information, maybe even sales or purchase histories, products purchased, and so on, making it easier for them to be more effective at their jobs.
• Customer service or support personnel know who their customers are, and what services or products they’ve purchased, and maybe even if the customer’s account is eligible for support.
• Warehouse workers are able to view picking tickets, pick and pack shipments, and produce packing slips or shipping bills, and all without direct access to master vendor or inventory data or financial information.

Give users the tools they need to accomplish their tasks well, and don’t expose them to unnecessary data or applications.  This is a critical element to creating efficient business processes.  Utilizing the Internet as the network, and taking advantage of web services and Internet-based solutions and integrations, the business can create a framework of functionality which addresses the unique requirements of the business while providing the additional levels of mobility, access, and security required to facilitate those processes at any time and from anywhere.

Outsourced Bookkeeping – A Proven Business Model

from Bookkeeping in Bunny Slippers

1. Small and growing businesses need help with their bookkeeping
2. Doing the business books leads to other services
3. Revenues are very good, and profit margins can be great
4. Most accountants or professional bookkeepers using this model can take on 2 to 4 new clients with no additional staff

Qualified bookkeepers are hard to find.  Often, candidates have little or no experience dealing with QuickBooks or other “standard” applications.   Owners are managing their businesses and placing high levels of trust in employees with little experience, unclear priorities, and potentially questionable work ethics.An in-house bookkeeper probably costs the average business at least $2500 per month in gross salary.  Add to that the taxes, insurance and other overhead items – coming up to roughly $48,000 per year.  This covers payroll and associated costs only, and doesn’t include the investment in hiring, training and management.   Read more…