Evaluating QuickBooks Hosting Services - By: Wiiliam Smith

Small and medium Business are realizing to their benefits that QuickBooks Accounting application can be hosted in the cloud servers for enhanced productivity, costs efficiency and better IT resources management. Traditional Desktop based or Local Network based QuickBooks application access results in following handicaps for the small business:

• High Overhead IT costs: For a small business, IT costs for running and maintenance applications such as QuickBooks may comprise costs of setting up local network, provisioning for backup and security tools which may easily be outsourced at much cheaper rates.
• Application access limited to the local network: Anytime anywhere application access is now recognized as a necessary ingredient of small business needs in terms of enhanced productivity, better collaboration among various users and using the services of outsourced workforce for better profit margins. Application access to the local network also means that they are platform or browser dependent which is an impediment in terms of multiuser collaboration.
• Data Security: Present day data security needs complex and proactive approach towards real time threat assessment, provision for remote back up to protect against data loss as well as dedicated It professionals for application management. All these means more financial burden for the small business.
• Responding quickly to market forces: To remain competitive in the present day business environment it is very important to respond quickly towards new business opportunities. But setting up of additional IT infrastructure at huge upfront costs may prove to be an impediment in meeting increased business demands. What is instead needed is ready made on demand IT infrastructure at a fraction of costs of traditional IT management approach.

Keeping the requirements of small business in the backdrop it is high time to considerable whether having cloud based services, for example QuickBooks hosting services are truly beneficial for small and medium business.

QuickBooks hosting services evaluated
QuickBooks is integral to small business financial management and Bookkeeping needs. Consider the gains that accrue to the small and medium business if they go for QuickBooks application hosting services instead of the desktop based or local network based access.

• Always on application access: QuickBooks hosting enable anytime anywhere access to the accounting and bookkeeping application from any online connection. This means platform, browser and network independent access to the accounting application.
• Collaborative and multiuser access: The real benefit of always on application lies in multiuser collaboration, simultaneous data access and ability to see in real time what changes other users are making. Collaboration enhances the productivity, division of labour and as an end result makes the Bookkeeping process much faster and cheaper.
• Host any editions and versions of QuickBooks: QuickBooks hosting allows any edition and versions of the accounting application to be hosted on terminal servers. This means that the users can have always on application access for any version of the program they have been accustomed to. Since terminal server hosting allows the access to the application as a desktop interface there is no compromise with existing functionalities or features. Thus no new learning curve is involved on the part of the users.

Application management made easy with QuickBooks hosting services
One of the positive impacts of Hosting services lies in reducing the total Lifetime costs of Application which comprises of other components besides application licensing costs. These are application installation costs, maintenance and troubleshooting, support and up gradation costs. Application hosting may eliminate many of the application lifetime costs.

• Reduced IT infrastructure costs: Running the application on local network involves setting up of local network for multiuser access, backup and security facilities and frequent system and server upgrades involving huge upfront costs. QuickBooks hosting eliminates these costs as the application is hosted on the centralized cloud server allowing user to access the application from anyplace as a local desktop interface. Further back up and security features are part of the service offering and involves no extra costs for the small business.

• No IT support costs: Dedicated professional for IT troubleshooting not only drains small business resources but also less un-optimized allocation of human and capital resources. QuickBooks hosting service comes with free 24x7 IT help desk and support so that the cost incurred by small business regarding IT troubleshooting are eliminated.

• Availability of on demand IT infrastructure: With QuickBooks hosting services small business do not have to invest beforehand in unutilized IT infrastructure in anticipation of increased demands. Ready made on demand IT infrastructure can be set up at a very short notice at a fraction of the costs for the small business.

• No Network access issues: Cloud environment is built on the twin framework of virtualization and distributed computing which provides guaranteed network access. Thus, with failure proof network access, QuickBooks hosting services allows small business benefits in terms of productivity and efficiency.

About the Author

William smith is IT analyst at Real Time Data Services. The company is major QuickBooks application service provider with specialization in accounting, tax and CRM application hosting. The company is the largest QuickBooks Hosting service provider in the cloud environment. Peachtree, MyOb and ACT! CRM are also hosted by the company in the cloud environment.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Wiiliam-Smith/81097

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