The Hassles of Using Desktop Software in a Socially Distanced Business

Time flies when you’re working from home. After four weeks, it’s likely you’ve settled into the work from home mentality and got your home office set up the way you like. But even though you’re ready to work, what about your software? For many small, medium, or otherwise growing businesses using QuickBooks, the answer is… “well… kind of.”

The Pitfalls of Using QuickBooks Remote Access

It might have taken a week or two, it might be a bit finnicky to run, you might not have complete access to the integrated applications you need, and it might be a bit slower than normal. “Oh well,” you may think to yourself, “it was just a few hoops to jump through, but at least I’m safe from the virus and can finally sit down to work.”

A healthy portion of businesses chose to take the traditional desktop-only route—because “when would we ever need to access this from outside the office?” This left many businesses scrambling for remote access tools when the stay at home orders came through.

“Necessary” Tradeoffs

The question is, why? You could have opted to pay for hosting, you could have chosen QuickBooks Online, but up until a month ago, you didn’t need to. Hosting seemed like an unnecessary cost, and many users felt that there are too many shortcomings in QBO to consider it viable.

Somewhere during your decision, there was a tradeoff that had to be made, and you took the one that was the best for your business. But why should you have to make a tradeoff in the first place?

The problem with using QuickBooks in today’s business is baked into the product category—desktop software. It was built to run on a desktop. It could be installed in hours with minimal IT staff intervention. It does what it’s supposed to—when it’s not put under stress.

However, just like the fastest, most powerful PC processor couldn’t run dozens of computers at the same time, the term ‘desktop accounting software’ means that anything beyond the basics is considered ‘stress’ on the system. Whether it’s growth, complexity, or additional access needs, when desktop software is pushed to or past its limits, it falters.

Unchained from the Desktop, Comfort in the Cloud

It doesn’t have to be like this. As a growing company using QuickBooks, you might be finding that it is showing its limitations, especially now that you’re pushing the limits of the product even further.

Some software products are built in the cloud, others are cloud ready. Desktop-based products like QuickBooks are neither. Even “Enterprise Edition” only goes so far, and you’re likely out of luck if you want anything beyond basic accounting.

Even if you can access QuickBooks Enterprise over the Internet, Intuit will admit the product is not optimized for full cloud functionality. A lack of access to cloud data limits mobility and is thus less convenient than having a cloud-based system.

Learn more in 6 Signs Your Business Has Outgrown QuickBooks.

Acumatica: The Ideal Option for Companies Outgrowing QuickBooks

QuickBooks by Intuit offers users a good starter accounting package at a good price. However, it is designed to handle basic accounting only. To manage business processes outside of financials requires an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution, which can handle accounting and financial management needs along with other business requirements, such as manufacturing, distribution, and much more.

Here are just a few ways Acumatica differs:

True cloud: Acumatica works on premises or in the cloud without additional equipment or software. QuickBooks Enterprise can be accessed over the internet, but even Intuit acknowledges that QuickBooks has not been optimized to be a true cloud product.
Full function ERP: Acumatica offers your organization a complete ERP and CRM solution. While QuickBooks Enterprise contains some of these elements, it is ultimately an accounting solution and not a full function ERP solution.
Scale as you grow: Acumatica allows you to scale as your company grows and can accommodate multiple companies and multiple currencies. QuickBooks Enterprise limits you to a maximum of 30 users and handles multiple currencies but not multiple companies.
TCO: Because both products serve different purposes, it would be difficult to say which one has the best total cost of ownership. We recommend, however, that you apply due diligence when selecting a replacement product for QuickBooks to ensure you get a product that can continue to grow with your company for several years.

We have worked closely with many senior IT leaders on assessing the suitability of cloud ERP for their organizations. If you want to learn more about Acumatica cloud ERP and how it could help your business, let’s talk. Contact us for a free consultation and demo.