Using a QuickBooks desktop product is pretty simple – you install it and then you run it. For many users, it’s just that easy and uncomplicated because they don’t need 3rd party integrated software, they don’t sync their files to other computers or services or try to share their QuickBooks data, and they remember to exit QuickBooks and back their files up each and every time they use them. On the other hand, many QuickBooks users experience quite a lot of frustration with the product – frustration which may often be the result of a poor practice when using the software. QuickBooks has been engineered over many years to be as simple to use as possible, but at the same time has grown to be a product with lots of features, add-ons and extensions. Users have also found ways to make QuickBooks do things it wasn’t really designed to do, this truth being one of the good things and the bad things about the product. When it works, it works great. When it doesn’t work, it’s beyond frustrating. It is a shame that a lot of the problems users have with solution may be rooted in the habits and behaviors of the QuickBooks users themselves.
Bad software use habits will cause problems whether the software is installed on the user PC or whether it’s being managed by a hosting service provider. Certainly there are some issues that hosts may mitigate, but the following is a list of good habits for keeping the QuickBooks software and data healthy and working that should be standard operating procedure for any QuickBooks user, whether QuickBooks is being hosted or not.
Keep the company file in good condition.
I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping the file in good condition. What’s the accounting and financial data worth, after all? A little time spent taking care of the file can save on a lot of time and headaches trying to reinvent the information. A QuickBooks company file is really a database, and is a rather complicated framework for keeping track of all sorts of related information. Anyone who has used QuickBooks desktop products for a while understands that the data file can get screwed up for a variety of reasons, and it is no fun. Yet QuickBooks has utilities to verify and rebuild data files, so it makes sense to periodically use them to check for problems. Like a check-up with the doctor, these utilities can help diagnose issues with the data file before they become really big issues. Another good practice is to back up the company file to a “portable” once in a while, and to then restore it for use. This process can not only validate the integrity of the file, it also helps condense and “condition” the file. Particularly when using a hosting service, but also when just running local on the PC, conditioning the data file once in a while can help prevent data corruption and/or loss (of data, time, productivity, revenue).
Close the company file and exit QuickBooks once in a while, would ya?
Users who leave their computers on all the time are missing out on the fun of letting their machines reset and do a POST (power on self-test), which means the machine or operating system could have an issue and the user wouldn’t recognize it until the machine was powered off and then restarted. For this same reason, programs and their data files should be closed when not being used – so they can run through their own startup and validation routines before you use them. Also, leaving the program open means it is active on the computer, and leaving the data file open means that it’s available (read=vulnerable). A random bypasser accessing the computer, a program crash, a machine crash… loss of power or a kitten running over the keyboard could all result in catastrophic damage to the application and/or data. It’s just better for all involved if the files and programs are closed when not being used. Maybe use a screensaver with a password, too.
Don’t try to use QuickBooks with a VPN (virtual private network) connection.
Just because a user can connect their remote PC to the office network doesn’t mean the PC will work like it’s in the office. In the office, it’s a Local Area Network, and the speed is fine enough to allow multiple computers to share a QuickBooks company file in multi-user mode. When there is a remote PC connected via a VPN, it’s usually a Wide Area Network connection, meaning that the network has been extended to include the remote computer, but that network connection IS NOT fast enough to allow the remote user to open QuickBooks along with others in the network. QuickBooks multi-user access only works on a local network (where local means the machines are all “local” to each other – on the same LAN). When QuickBooks is hosted by a service provider, the QuickBooks stations and the data files are all located inside the host’s network, making it all LAN stuff. The only remote part of it is sending the input and output (display, printing, keyboard and mouse) information “over the wire”. This is why a hosting model works when the app and data are hosted, but doesn’t work when only the data file is hosted.
Use Automatic Update, not Manual (but DO update).
Features change, new technologies must be supported, and user expectations adjust based on a wide variety of influences. What this means is that software products will necessarily experience change over time and users will be expected to update them. The first release of any new product is rarely flawless. It’s during that first introduction to a volume of users where many issues are found, making the v1 release of a software product something many people try to avoid. Yet there are still lots of folks who just can’t wait to have the newest thing, even when it comes to something like software patches. Regardless of how much they may put at risk, these folks want each and every patch and update as soon as it is available somewhere. These are the users who end up debugging the software for the rest of us, so I guess we should thank them.
For most users, however, it makes sense to wait until the software has been out for a bit and those initial issues identified and corrected, perhaps bypassing v1 and going straight to v2. If the product will allow, that is. QuickBooks has this great (or annoying, depends on how you look at it) feature that can tell users when there is an update available. This “automatic update” feature checks with Intuit to see if there are updates available for the product, and then tells the user they can download and install them. Generally, Intuit pushes these updates out only when they’ve been debugged and are deemed ready for volumes of users. If people want to get an update before Intuit pushes it out, they may be able to obtain it for manual installation. This is not the recommended method of handling QuickBooks updates; for most users, waiting until the product tells them it’s time to update is best.
Make sense?
J
There is a trend among software makers these days to more fully leverage the “power of the web”, and why wouldn’t they? The Internet has become the way businesses and users get and stay connected, and has become a foundation for how business gets done. Remote and mobile access to information and applications has become an expectation of users, as social computing models have encouraged them to remain connected on all of their devices and from any location. Online describes a working model that many businesses strive for, and software makers are seeking to capitalize on the trend.
Having your data available from anywhere is awesome. Storing files in the cloud and being able to sync them with files on the computer is a great way to make sure the files are centrally available regardless of which machine you use to access them with. Dropbox is among those favored solutions which provide users with the cloud drive storage and an ability to seamlessly sync those files to various computers. It’s pretty cool, but let’s face it: not every type of file loves living in a Dropbox or sync folder. Particularly for folks who want to be able to store and sync their QuickBooks and other business files to the cloud, there are a few things to be aware of when using these nifty sync solutions.
Make Sense?
Everyone, it seems, is adopting outsourced IT and cloud computing models yet one size does not fit all when it comes to serving business – whether it’s the software or infrastructure under discussion. Cloud, mobile and online application models deliver big benefits for small businesses, but it is important to know the options available before investing in something that’s hard to get out of later. Initially, a hosted application model might be the best approach, allowing the business to achieve the mobility and on-demand service they desire but without an investment in SaaS solutions that are much more difficult to change out of or grow with later.
The demand for solutions to address user mobility, better collaboration and improved information security is increasing as connectivity improves and cloud services and threats evolve. Server-based computing models and application hosting are increasingly popular as businesses seek to embrace teleworking and telecommuting models for their entrenched applications and systems, creating a foundation for improved productivity and work/life balancing (or integration). On the technical side, the benefits of centralizing applications and data include improved efficiency in managing, maintaining and securing systems. For many small businesses, this means centralizing the installation and maintenance of core business applications like Intuit QuickBooks Pro, Premier or Enterprise.
QuickBooks application users.
Making QuickBooks desktop editions more useful by adding secure remote access and centralized management makes a lot of sense. For companies who rely on the functionality and features of the desktop products (QuickBooks Pro, Premier and Enterprise), a hosted approach is the only way to really address mobility and multi-location requirements. Remember that hosting doesn’t necessarily mean offsite, although that could make sense for the business, too.
Intuit QuickBooks is the recognized standard for small business accounting, and the introduction of the QuickBooks Online Edition was a testament to Intuit’s understanding that users are looking for SaaS solutions as well as traditional desktop products. While it may seem that the entire market is moving to online applications and everything-as-a-service, the Intuit desktop products remain the leading business computerized accounting tools. Intuit does seem to recognize that many things can be done better with a “software-as-service” model , and that the number of businesses seeking purely web-based solutions is growing, and this is evidenced by the fact that many features and presentation elements in the Online edition are making it into the desktop editions. Creating consistency throughout the product line makes sense for users, and leveraging the benefits of shared service makes sense for Intuit.
Cooper Mann Consulting 