The cloud is no longer a new technology, but sometimes back office software can be the hardest thing to upgrade to a more modern solution. Even if you considered moving to the cloud a couple of years ago, and decided that it wasn’t for you, it may be worth reconsidering that option now. QuickBooks Online has made massive progress over the last few years which brings it much closer to the capabilities of QuickBooks Desktop.
Here are a few reasons to consider switching to a cloud solution: 1) It’s easy!
QuickBooks Online offers an easier set up process for connecting your bank and credit card accounts to download automatically. Yes, QuickBooks Desktop has this feature, but it can be tricky to connect. Similarly, setting up “Payments” to allow your customers to pay you by bank transfer or credit card is also a breeze. Once set up, when you send an invoice out of QuickBooks Online and your customer will easily be able to click on a link and pay. QuickBooks will automatically match the payment to the invoice, of course, saving you tons of record keeping time. 2) Automatic back ups
We all know that we should do backups, but it’s so easy to put it off and never get around to it. Even if you have a regular back up, you may lose at least a few days of data should something happen to your system. Cloud software tends to be more expensive, all in, than desktop software, but those monthly subscription fees cover plenty of storage space, and the cloud software provider manages backups for you. If your laptop dies, all your data will be preserved up to your most recent transaction. 3) Collaboration that works
It takes experience and IT support to get a multi-user QuickBooks Desktop set up working properly. With QuickBooks Online, it is easy to add users to the cloud system, including inviting your accountant to have access. 4) Access your data from anywhere
You can access a cloud app from any computer. If your own computer is down, or you are traveling without your computer, you can easily log into a cloud app from any computer that is connected to the internet. I have used this option many times when I am traveling and don’t expect to work, so I don’t pack my computer, but I still have the opportunity to log in quickly to take care of any small issues that may arise. 5) Improved security
This one is counter-intuitive, but in many cases, QuickBooks Online will be more secure than your QuickBooks Desktop set up. Older versions of QuickBooks Desktop don’t require any password protection on your data, and the security of your server is up to you to manage. With a cloud-hosted option, the software provider is responsible for keeping the server secure, and forcing you and everyone else with access to your data to have properly secure passwords.
If you are considering migrating from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, get in touch! We can help you decide if QuickBooks Online is right for you, and what additional apps you may need to combine with QuickBooks Online to meet your needs.