You have heard about it, may even know someone who uses this type of service, but is it for you? Mostly likely the answer will be yes and below you will see the benefits.

Because this is a site dedicated to the bookkeeping industry, we will be looking at online bookkeeping software. Lets review the common approach to picking out software, installing and implementing it and maintaining the program. Most people start with what they know or what their accountants/consultants prefer to work with. A business owner is busy running their business and so wants the easiest solution to record his financial information and for most companies that suggest a solution that is inexpensive to purchase, implement and maintain.

Whether you are a small company with only one or two people accessing your software, or a larger company with employees in multiple locations or sales personnel on the road, an online software solution can be the answer for your company. Buying a program to install on your computer is just the start of the cost of using software. Who will install it you or will you hire someone? Will you be running a network and can you set the network up or will you be paying an IT consultant? Do you have multiple locations or the need for personnel to access your records from remote locations? If so, this is probably another set-up expense you will incur. And there are those yearly support fees that all software companies charge so you may keep current with their software without having to pay the full purchase price every time you need to upgrade.

And this is where online software comes into play. An online software program is purchased by paying a monthly, per user fee which often saves the business owner a great deal of expense and adds convenience and security. Should you be a small company with only one or two people using the software, than the expense of the monthly subscription is usually much less than the purchase of the software outright. If you have multiple locations the ability for your personnel to access the software anywhere there is an internet connection at home, on site, while traveling or at another office saves time, phone calls, and the expense of setting up terminal services (remote access), in-house servers and the maintenance of the servers and associated software. The subscription cost includes all upgrades and maintenance of the software and back-ups of your data to a secure location.

So lets review for a monthly per user fee you always have the latest version of the software, it is already installed and upgrades are done automatically, and your data is backed up. You dont have to buy a server or server software, you dont have to hire an IT consultant and you or your personnel can access your information using a secure log-in from anywhere in the world as long as they can access the internet. And the log-in routine can be set-up to restrict access to certain parts of the program if needed. Sale reps traveling could access client contact information, estimates, order status and invoices without having access to the companys financial records, for example. Or a consultant bookkeeper or your accountant could access your records from their office if there is a need. There are no additional support costs and you can add users as your company grows. Or you are on vacation and just want to check in on sales volume. There are many conveniences to being able to access your records remotely, these are just a few.

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