Simple Checklist: Transitioning From Quickbooks Desktop To Quickbooks Hosting

By Author: Mahajan Tiwari
Total Articles: 4
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QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier or Enterprise version may appear to be a prime choice for the individual users. However, as the workload increases and time begins to shorten, the fear of missing the deadlines starts trailing the users. Thereby leaving them chained to their office desk all the time.
Cloud technology has been a most prominent term for a bit long. However, its connection with accounting has shown its presence only a few years back. QuickBooks Hosting on the virtual cloud environment built on remote servers has brought about a revolution in the accounting.
With this service, the accounting professionals and CPAs can simply carry their accounting data anywhere and start working on it from anywhere they want and regardless of what time of the day it is.
The Current Trend of Adoption of QuickBooks Cloud Hosting
According to a particular report of 2012, individual clients and CPAs have been adopting QuickBooks hosting services for streamlining their accounting related tasks.
When surveyed on a huge scale, around 81.4% of the total audience considered moving to cloud accounting while getting ...
... rid of their applications at work.
● Freedom from IT related hassles that lead to wastage of significant amount of time - 10.8%
● Round-the-clock data and applications accessibility - 48.1%
● Round-the-clock support services to assist clients with their problems on time - 2.4%
● Accessibility of multi-user to the accounting data and persistent state of centralized data - 21.6%
● No unexpected expenses because of scaling on pay-as-you-go basis - 1.2%
● Security of the client's data hosted on a secure cloud environment - 3.6%
The Transition from QuickBooks Desktop to Cloud hosted QuickBooks
By taking the decision of switching to a new and advanced version of QuickBooks is certainly a huge step as the users will be going to host their entire applications and data on the cloud. That's why the users are bound to be loaded with the questions that are related to the transition.
In reality, this transition being smooth is simply based upon QuickBooks hosting provider that you are considering for your requirements. There are some hurdles in the related process, such as:
● Data Migration - The data files of the client that are stored on their computers are moved to the remote servers of the service provider. The transfer of this critical data is quite a complicated process. The method which is required for this data transfer depends on the amount of data.
For a smaller amount of data, the files can be copied from the client's computer and pasted on the server. For the larger quantities, the data is shared on a secure location via the internet using a FTP client or plugin like TransferWise and is downloaded onto the server from that particular location.
Apart from that, there are various other modes of data transfer. The reliability of a service provider depends on how secure are the security mechanisms, compliance and architectures in place.
To ensure that you don’t take any chances with your data, so opt for a service provider who holds all the security certificates and is also able to tell you the detailed procedure of a safe and secure data transfer.
● Cloud Environment Accessibility - You are securely connected via an internet to a remote location where your data is stored.

So, it is quite important to ensure that your data is secure, easily accessible from anywhere, at any time and also there are no loopholes in accessing your QuickBooks data.
The cloud appears to be holding a simple structure but to be a secure cloud environment takes considerable effort to build.
The service providers set up the physically secure data centers with the help of biometric access as well as live monitoring at the entrance of data center. These data centers hold the servers that form the base of cloud environment.
Also, encryption, firewall security, and the intrusion detection systems are set up on the physical servers to ensure the complete security of the virtual environment. The accounting users can ensure the security levels are maintained with the help of SOC protocols that are carried out by most of the QuickBooks hosting service providers.
As far as anytime access and availability is concerned, it is best to test the speed of server beforehand. Moreover, don’t compromise on the server uptime in case you want to have the independent mobile access to your data from anywhere.
● Know about the Way Out - Moving your QuickBooks on cloud is a big decision so it is better to consider all the possibilities well in advance. It is always required so you can transfer your data and applications without any fear.
What if at a later point of time, and you would feel like setting up your own servers for storing your data? What if you're not satisfied with the Quality of the Services delivered? So it is advisable to always be prepared for the worst well in advance.
Ask your service provider about the total expenses that involved also including any hidden charges. You have to analyze whether this will be a beneficial deal for your business.
You can also ask for the customized packages in case you feel that you are paying any extra for something you don’t need.
You should know if you have to sign any contracts or if there are any of the termination policies associated with the services. You should try to opt for the service provider who does not force you to hold on any grounds.
Generally, such service providers will deliver you the Quality Services that wouldn’t let you leave their services.
Of course, planning for the switch is quite difficult and there may be some serious glitches associated with the process. However, the shift and the further functionality can be smooth and seamless if you make the right choice of your service provider.