Virtual Accounting Offers Flexibility in Bookkeeping

Author: Paul Cantelli

Remember when you finally moved from paper-based manual accounting to a desktop software solution like QuickBooks? Your efficiency and productivity improved dramatically. You understood your financial situation much better and saved a lot of time.

Next up: cloud-based accounting. This new wave of Internet-based technology will bring about equally dramatic changes, with less effort on your part.

Cloud computing lets you access both software and data remotely, so you can access them from any computer with an Internet connection. QuickBooks and other providers of accounting solutions are rapidly adapting to offer cloud-based alternatives to desktop-based software.

Although it can be daunting to change systems, the benefits of virtual accounting far outweigh the potential challenges of the brief transition period. They include:

1. Mobile flexibility - Have you ever been in a meeting and needed to quickly access sales data or other financial information? Cloud-based accounting solutions allow you to retrieve or update information from a laptop or smartphone, and you will always get current data.
2. Data security - If you keep QuickBooks on a single laptop or desktop computer, data may be lost if the computer is lost, stolen or damaged. Even if you regularly update your company file, any data entered between the last backup and the incident will be lost. Virtual accounting solutions store the data on remote secure servers, so no matter what happens to your computer, your information is protected.
3. Real-time updates - When you send a copy of your QuickBooks company file to your accountant, certain functions are restricted until your accountant is finished. Virtual accounting means that both you and your accountant can get real-time data anytime. 
4. Easier IT setup - When QuickBooks updates, you don't have to modify every copy. It's already done for you in the cloud. Everybody always has the same version.

If you're interested in exploring virtual accounting for your business, call the cloud specialists at The Tax Office to learn more. Outsourcing your bookkeeping to our certified specialists can help you save time and focus on growing your business. With our online bookkeeping services, you'll have access to your data anytime, anywhere. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.