Tag: hosting technologies

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Smarter Online Document Vaults: Document Management for QuickBooks, Microsoft Office and more

Smarter Online Document Vaults

Document Management for QuickBooks, Microsoft Office and more

Document management used to be just about storing and retrieving files.  Being able to easily store document images and other files, and then quickly finding them when you need them, is an important aspect of business record keeping.  If you are an accounting or bookkeeping professional offering outsourced services to clients, having a secure way to store and manage client document files from a variety of sources is key to developing workflows and standardizing service delivery.   Invoices, bills, bank statements, and all the other paperwork which is generated by various business processes must be captured, accounted for, and retained for future reference and documentation support.  With all of this going on, having a secure and easy way to handle all that paper and computer-generated reporting is really important.

Using an electronic document management system isn’t really that much different from dealing with paper filing systems, at least in terms of the process.  You obtain the document, you translate it into a journal entry or transaction, and then you file the document away for later use.  The difference is simply that the document becomes digital image data and is stored electronically, instead of keeping the paper file around.   And, the earlier in the process where you can turn paper documents into digital images, the better, because it reduces the need for “paper-based” processes which take more time and resources, and which may introduce risk of information loss or damage.

In an outsourced bookkeeping arrangement, for example, allowing the client to convert paper to image files is highly desirable as it prevents the outsourcer from having to travel to client offices to obtain paperwork, and reduces the time involved either with traveling to and from client locations or time spent waiting for mailed information to arrive.  For the client to handle this process willingly, or with any frequency, tools which are simple to understand and use must be supplied.   Scanning a document, saving it to the hard drive, and then trying to find the file to upload later to an accountant “portal” is not a simple process and it is not efficient.  If the user is somewhat nontechnical (most business owners?), or if there is a lot of paperwork to scan and upload, that multi-step process just won’t work for the client.

SmartVault, a solution for QuickBooks-connected and general purpose document management, has an elegant solution to the problem, and it’s called the “InBox”.   Just like the inbox on your desk, the SmartVault InBox is where new documents arrive to be processed. The ingenious part is that the InBox is a little applet that gets installed on the client workstation, and provides them with a very simple way to scan files directly to SmartVault.  The accountant or bookkeeper then accesses the client files from the inbox and processes and/or attaches them to QuickBooks transactions as required.  The client has only to perform the simple task of telling the SmartVault InBox app to obtain documents fed into the scanner.  No local file saving and retrieval required.  For the accountant or bookkeeper, the inbox is the first stop in the workflow, and is the place they go to obtain whatever information the client has provided.  The SmartVault InBox can also be used to return files easily and securely to clients, bypassing the need to have the client access and log in to a website in order to get the files (but a website portal is also part of the system, just in case the client prefers this method).  If providing seamless service and easy to follow procedures describes how you work with your clients, then SmartVault could become a key element in your service delivery.

Affordability and ease of use are important factors to consider when looking for document management solutions for small businesses.  In addition, having the ability to store documents from popular small business applications allows users to centrally store and manage all their business documents and files, not just those related to accounting.  When users wear many “hats” in the business, and need access to a variety of document types, a centralized filing system is an absolute necessity.  SmartVault addresses this by providing direct integration with Microsoft Outlook, Results CRM, and a variety of other popular small business solutions.

Oriented for use by small businesses and the accountants and bookkeepers who serve them, SmartVault delivers a surprisingly powerful solution which addresses the variety of document storage, attachment and retrieval requirements of most businesses, coupled with the workflow tools and a unique QuickBooks integration capability to specifically address the needs of accounting and finance department users.  You know you need to work smarter and not harder, so your document vault should be smarter, too.

Make Sense?

J

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Bringing Order to Inefficient Business Processes: Give people easy to use tools that make sense, and they’ll use them.

Give people easy to use tools that make sense, and they’ll use them.

Most businesses need a little help streamlining those frustrating back-office processes that remain as barriers to better information collection and use.  What sort of processes?  Time keeping, for whatever reason or need, is one of them.  Maybe employee time spent relates specifically to billable project revenue, or possibly time spent is part of an embedded cost in an engagement.  Or, time tracking may simply be a means to capture data on employee productivity.  In a lot of situations, getting time records from contractors or employees is like asking them to move a mountain.  Maybe there is a mountain to move, depending on how many sheets of notes and handwritten records they’ve got stacked up.

Another process to look at is expense management and reporting, where all those random size receipts taped to a piece of letter paper, credit card statements with lines blacked out with a Sharpie, and spreadsheets of purchase requisitions for things you’ve never heard of before get stacked in the in-box where you not-so-secretly hope a fire will start some time during the night.  Someone actually has to go through this information and enter it into the system, and then decide what to do with the requests.  When this “someone” is the owner or manager, it means taking time away from actually running the business.  When it’s the bookkeeper, more focus may be placed on data entry than on verifying spending authorizations or managing the cash flow.

While almost every business has these time and expense management needs in their business, it is an area of automation and “tooling up” that is often overlooked.   One of the reasons for this may be that a lot of the solutions users are asked to implement just aren’t “usable” enough, or don’t really fit the context of what the user needs to accomplish.  In order to get the most value out of any business solution, workers must actually use the solution.  It has been proven time and again that, if you give people easy tools that make sense, they’ll use them.

Your accounting software may have time tracking with it, but does it make sense for your employees to access accounting just to record their time?  How about your contractors?  Employee reimbursable expenses paid by credit card can be accessed directly via transaction downloads from the bank, but does it make sense for you to have access to the employee’s account?  While there may be many ways to accomplish these tasks, there are only a few really effective ways which deliver the access as well as the security, and the relevant functionality that makes it easier for good workers to capture good data.  Selecting a system with the right functionality is key, but finding a system people can and will actually use means you’ve found a real solution, not just a system.

Make Sense?

J

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Discussion on hosted service options at The Sleeter Group ASC 2012

Discussion on hosted service options at The Sleeter Group ASC 2012

Are you having a hard time understanding the best approach to hosting your business applications – wondering why it costs what it costs, and why some applications seem harder to get hosted than others?  While installing applications on your desktop seems pretty straightforward, it may seem like nothing short of rocket science to get an application installed with your hosting provider.  And, to make matters worse, a handy little software widget you just bought for $20 now means you must have your own entire virtual server just to run it in the cloud? What’s up with that?

There is a lot of confusion regarding application hosting services, what customers expect from them, and what service providers are reasonably able to deliver.  Unfortunately, software developers, customers and service providers are not always on the same page when it comes to trying to solve the problem or making it easier for businesses to adopt the service.

To attempt to address the issue, and to (hopefully) provide some clarity and guidance around the application hosting service model and its use in your business, I will be presenting a session on application hosting, including QuickBooks hosting, at the 2012 Accounting Solutions Conference, presented by the Sleeter Group and being held this year in Anaheim, California on October 22-24.  The discussion will include information on typical hosting provider models, as well as application issues and considerations businesses should be aware of when looking to have their software and systems delivered by a 3rd party.

In all fairness, I will not be recommending specific providers, nor will I suggest that any one provider is better than another.  Each hosting company has their own strengths and weaknesses, which is true with all businesses.  The focus of the session is helping attendees learn what they need to know to begin a basic evaluation of whether or not hosting of their applications makes sense, and to recognize those factors which will impact cost, performance, and usability.  Further, I’ll also be talking about how hosting isn’t a standalone solution, and how cloud-based applications and services may be combined with hosted application services to deliver the necessary functionality for the best value (“can you say chunkify!” to use a Doug-ism).

So, I guess you need to come to Anaheim in October to learn some stuff, and then take a day at Disneyland.

Make sense?

J

Get ASC 2012 conference session information here

read more about the confusion over hosted licensing on The Progressive Accountant http://www.theprogressiveaccountant.com/tech-tips/confusion-over-hosted-licensing.html

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Price Of The Cloud Still Out Of Reach For Small Businesses? Commercial QuickBooks Hosting Providers offer competitive pricing, but are still largely unknown.

Price Of The Cloud Still Out Of Reach For Small Businesses?

Price Of The Cloud Still Out Of Reach For Small Businesses?

Commercial QuickBooks Hosting Providers offer competitive pricing, but are still largely unknown.

In a recent article on Forbes.com, contributor Gene Marks contends that, for most small businesses, the most cost effective way to run their business IT is locally and not in the cloud.  The contention is that software features and functionality businesses demand isn’t yet available in affordable SaaS solutions, and outsourcing the hosting and management of desktop applications is more costly than doing it yourself.

Because the cost of a cloud solution like the one I have is still too high for most small businesses like mine!  The setup I have would normally run me about $100 per user per month.  Which means that a typical small business with a ten user network would be paying $12,000 per year.   Yes, you read that right.  It’s a great service.  But is it worth that much?  Not to my clients – all thirty of them who considered this option turned it down.  At least for now.  Forbes.com

http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2012/01/23/price-of-the-cloud-still-out-of-reach-for-small-businesses/

What this author did not take in to account is the aggressive pricing model which evolved around the hosted QuickBooks desktop editions, and how the community of Authorized Commercial Hosts for QuickBooks offer “full meal deal” hosting of those business applications most small businesses know and love.  Because the QuickBooks desktop editions have such a large market of integrations, add-ons, plug-ins, etc. it was necessary for most of the hosting providers to accept hosting of a wide variety of these applications in order to get adoption of the hosted QuickBooks product with ProAdvisors and accountants as well as their clients.

One of the Authorized QuickBooks Hosting providers, Cloud9RealTime.com, offers both shared hosting of QuickBooks desktop applications and Microsoft Office, as well as virtual server environments where customers may run whatever mixture of desktop software solutions the business already has.  By allowing businesses to place all of their licensed products in a managed environment, where installation of software updates and helpdesk support is part of the service, it enables organizations to have the benefits of remote access and high availability service without having to build the capability themselves – and for a fraction of the cost.  Cloud9’s pricing model is far less than described in the article, with services for businesses being available for half (or less) than the $100 per user cited by the author.

The Authorized Host for QuickBooks program and community of providers seems to be fairly unknown amongst small businesses, but owners and managers should look more closely at providers like Cloud9RealTime.com and see what pricing and services are available.  It may change your mind, and show that the cloud isn’t out of reach for small businesses.

Make sense?

J

read more about the confusion over hosted licensing on The Progressive Accountant http://www.theprogressiveaccountant.com/tech-tips/confusion-over-hosted-licensing.html

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Should you be paying sales tax on your cloud solution?

Should you be paying sales tax on your cloud solution?

There are a lot of undefined issues relating to whether or not sales taxes should be charged and collected on “cloud” services and online applications.  Traditional approaches aren’t quite right, because there isn’t a clear delineation of what is “service” versus “product”.  For example, an online storage service may be “service”, but when you are charged for bandwidth or other elements, it starts to be more product oriented and taxation may apply.  Online applications or cloud hosted software?  In some cases, the platform may be service, but the subscribed application may be taxable software.  It’s a clouded issue for service providers and their customers, alike.

‘Kelley Miller of the law firm Reed Smith, who specializes in technology law and specifically tracks how states have been enforcing cloud taxes, says it’s been a tough issue for states. The DOR says in its ruling that the market is evolving “at a rapid pace.” Traditionally tax laws just don’t work for this new era of cloud computing, she says, because there is not a tangible transaction of a disc or piece of hardware. Massachusetts seems to have echoed findings from other states though, she says. “The essence of the question is, are you buying software that people bought in a box at the store 10 or 15 years ago,” she says. If so, then Massachusetts, and other states, have claimed a right to tax it.’

A recent article on CIO.com discusses Massachusetts rulings on the subject, joining a number of other states in attempting to bring clarity to when cloud computing services should and should not be taxed.  The decisions sound almost as complicated as the underlying issues, so “clarity” obviously doesn’t mean simplicity.

Read the entire article here

Make Sense?

J

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Cloud FAQs for CFOs: CFO.com

There’s an amazing article on CFO.com called Cloud FAQs for CFOs and every business owner, manager, accountant, CFO and CIO should read it.

Here is one of my favorite Q/As from the article:

“Q: But I’m a finance officer, not a technologist. Can you guarantee that the total cost of ownership for the cloud is lower than what I’m already spending for my on-premises IT?
That depends upon what you’re already spending. Do you know?

According to Forrester senior analyst Dave Bartoletti, most companies are not all that good at knowing how much it really costs to run an application because IT departments “are still seen as cost centers.” The company buys the servers, the storage, and the applications, and flips the switch. “What does it cost to run?” Bartoletti asks rhetorically. “Who knows? You just depreciate the assets over a certain amount of time and after they’re fully depreciated, you buy more.” Even organizations that account for staff costs, maintenance, energy — all the indirect spend that goes into producing a service the business needs to run — will probably not be able to cost out individual applications with any degree of accuracy. How much, for example, does your e-mail cost? “If your CIO can’t tell you it’s x, y, z, per box,” Hotels and Resorts CIO Mike Blake tells CFO, “that’s a problem.”

“Enterprises are making significant investments in cloud technology in pursuit of lower costs,” says Dave Zabrowski, founder and CEO of Cloud Cruiser, a provider of cost analytics for cloud consumers, but “if you can’t see what you’re spending, there’s a good chance you’re spending too much.”

And that problem, that financial black box, has been the bane of the finance officer’s life in the IT age. The cloud, if nothing else, presents an opportunity to open that black box”

 Read more on CFO.com (http://s.tt/1jGJU)

Make sense?

J

read more about the confusion over hosted licensing on The Progressive Accountant http://www.theprogressiveaccountant.com/tech-tips/confusion-over-hosted-licensing.html