QuickBooks Hosting 101 for the Small Business Owner

Guest post by: Rick Fallahee
Become an Author

Free PDF Download
QuickBooks Hosting 101 for the Small Business Owner - By Rick Fallahee

QuickBooks hosting is a service that allows individuals and organizations to access their QuickBooks company files from anywhere there is an online connection. Whereas normally you have to be at a computer with QuickBooks installed in order to access the application, with QuickBooks hosting a company maintains the program, and your files, in their own data centers on their own servers.

If your work never requires you or your employees to do work outside of your office, being able to access QuickBooks while working from home or traveling may not be an issue for you. However, if you need to have the option of working on your files anywhere besides your work desk, you probably need some sort of remote access option.

There are three basic options available when it comes to remote access: 1) QuickBooks Online Edition, 2) Remote access software programs, and 3) QuickBooks hosting.

1) Remote access software programs: Search remote access tool online and you'll find link after link to different companies, such as GoToMyPC or LogMeIn, offering downloadable software that enables you to remotely access your computer via the internet. While this can be convenient, there are several drawbacks. Access speed is dependent upon the host computer's speed and its Internet connection, which can make the process very slow. Secondly, you have to leave your computer on and running while you're gone or you won't be able to access your files, which can raise some security issues. Thirdly, with these programs you are accessing, the entire host computer - not just QuickBooks - is accessible to anyone else you allow to remotely log in (including all of your files and potentially your e-mail). Again, this raises security questions and makes this approach much less useful for multiple-user purposes.

2) QuickBooks Online Edition allows remote access to QuickBooks. However, it is not the same as the desktop version of QuickBooks, and it has some important limitations. QuickBooks Online does not have all of the features offered by the desktop QuickBooks. Also, QuickBooks Online is run on Intuit's server, which means that heavy traffic on the site can lead to slower response time, not to mention that if your Internet connection - or Intuit's server - goes down, you have no means of accessing your data.

3) With QuickBooks hosting all QuickBooks applications, add-ons, and files are maintained on the hosting company's servers. As long as you have Internet access, you can work anywhere at any time, without needing to leave your computer on, Furthermore, access privileges can be tailored to each user, making multi-person access easy and secure.

QuickBooks hosting installation

QuickBooks hosting is simple to install. It doesn't require any technical proficiency to set up, just an Internet connection, a license for your current version of QuickBooks, and login credentials from your hosting provider. Once the installation is complete, you will see an icon on your desktop.

QuickBooks will run the same exact way as if it were installed on your local machine.

Benefits of using QuickBooks hosting include:

Access from anywhere: Never be tied to your office computer or network. CFO, tax compliance, book work, and more can be done remotely and everyone will always be looking at the most recent and accurate data. Also, if you choose a Citrix hosting provider, you can access your data with any device including a Mac, thin client, PC, and mobile device.
No file-sharing complications: With QuickBooks hosting, you, your clients, and employees all work from the same online database. The files update for everyone every time you save your work, and you don't have to install a specific version of QuickBooks on any of the computers being used. Never worry about data synchronization, backups, or large file transfers.
Reduce your IT costs: Eliminate your in-house IT department. The hosting company takes care of the technical aspects including data security, daily backups, software updates, and trouble shooting.

Can I Move from QuickBooks Pro to Premier or into QuickBooks Enterprise?

Putting QuickBooks in the Cloud - Why Businesses Do It

Understanding the Differences Between QuickBooks Upgrades and QuickBooks Updates

Tip on Better QuickBooks Performance

The

QuickBooks 2011: Improvement to Closing Date Functionality

QuickBooks 2010 - Download This Product Update (R5) for Less Intrusive Marketing

QuickBooks 2010: Will I Lose My Data if I Upgrade?

Key Differences Between QuickBooks Enterprise and QuickBooks Pro/Premier Accounting Software

5 QuickBooks Myths - The Real Story

An $800 Invoice Design

Why It is Critical to Verify Your Data in QuickBooks

What is a "QuickBooks Add-On"?

Download Paychex Payroll Data into QuickBooks

QuickBooks 2011: It's Here!

QuickBooks Registration: More Hassle Than it Should Be?

Track Inventory in QuickBooks?

5 Frequently Asked Questions About QuickBooks

QuickBooks for Mac 2012 – New Features and Enhancements You Need to Know

Cheap Web Hosting Plan for Newborn Websites

Home > Accounting > Rick Fallahee > QuickBooks Hosting 101 for the Small Business Owner > Google +

Free PDF Download
QuickBooks Hosting 101 for the Small Business Owner - By Rick Fallahee

About the Author: Rick Fallahee

RSS for Rick's articles - Visit Rick's website
Rick is the founder and CEO of NovelASpect.com. Rick founded NovelASpect.com to provide Quickbooks hosting to his CPA clients. Over time, the company has expanded to provide Quickbooks and other application hosting and virtual servers to CPA firms, small and medium sized businesses, IT consulting firms and Quickbook ProAdvisors in the US and around the world. Rick began his career at Coopers & Lybrand performing financial and computer audits. Since leaving public accounting he has held progressively responsible positions at several fortune 100 companies in addition to several start up entities. Rick brings a creativity to his work and believes in using technology to not only increase client and employee efficiency, but also to help clients look at information from different perspectives. Rick is a certified public accountant in California.
Click here to visit Rick's website.

More from Rick Fallahee
QuickBooks Hosting 101 for the Small Business Owner

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Share this post and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

QuickBooks Hosting 101 for the Small Business Owner

Related Articles

Related Forum Posts

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.


Name:
Email: