Ask the IT Expert! – (February 2016 edition)
Quickbooks Online vs. Quickbooks 2016
Recently we were working with a client that does a lot of traveling. She is currently using an older version of Quickbooks on her computer at her office and her laptop and transferring the data file using a flash drive. While this works there are better solutions;
– Quickbooks Online
Quickbooks Online has come a long way from its humble beginnings. It can now accomplish almost everything that the standard Quickbooks can with some very minor but sometimes troublesome exceptions;
1. Calculating discounts by customer. If you use this feature and rely on it be aware that the online version does not have it.
2. Remembering reoccurring bank auto draw information. If you automatically withdraw funds from your clients and use Quickbooks credit card services it used to remember your customers information for check auto draws. In Quickbooks Online, this is no longer true.
3. No multiple companies in the same account. What this means is you have to pay a subscription fee for each company that you need to setup in Quickbooks Online. They do offer discounts on each additional company but there is still a fee.
Pluses to using Quickbooks Online;
1. Anywhere Access – You can access your company files anywhere you have access to the internet. Including your phone and tablets. This is a huge benefit for people like my client above.
2. Multiple Users – You can have up to 5 users access the account at the same time with different credentials and rights, so if you need your accountant to access your Quickbooks you can give them an account.
3. Automatic Backup – no more worrying about backing up your data, Intuit does it for you, automatically.
4. Automatically schedule and send Invoices- This is a great feature for reoccurring invoices that happen every month or quarter.
5. Add-on Applications – there are over 300 add-on applications that you can use to connect with your Quickbooks data. You can send information back and forth between other applications that may need info on customer payments on things like contracts, etc.
6. Connect Bank Accounts – you can connect your bank account directly to your Quickbooks company file so that transactions are not missed.
VDI
However, if you have multiple companies and want to use Quickbooks 2016 but you also want to access it from anywhere, there is a newer option called VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure). This is the hosting of your desktop on a cloud account. So just like the old RDP you can host your QuickBooks on a virtual cloud server and run it from anywhere you have internet access, and it is secure. Costs can vary but if you have multiple companies it is cheaper than using Quickbooks Online.
For more information about VDI or to get pricing, drop us an email at support@acaciait.net or call us at 520.751.0888