Numbers Have Moved to the Cloud… The Benefits of Online Client Accounting

Special feature from the February 2012 digital issue.

The Cloud has changed the world of accounting. This concept is not new—it actually dates back to the early 1990s—but the biggest growth inby accounting firms starting to take advantage of this online technology has been within the last few years.

Today’s technology is used by more and more accounting professionals and business owners to accomplish their tasks with far more convenience and efficiency. These new methods provide mutual benefits as owners and accountants work together in the Cloud.

While most of the advantages have been around for some time, they are now finally being utilized as they should be. Consider four unique mutual benefits of online client accounting.

Ease of Access

Being online to conduct business is no longer a dream or a wish. It’s a requirement professionally and personally. The most powerful feature and benefit of working in the Cloud is accessing information anytime, anywhere. All that is needed is an internet connection, and it seems that most professionals are constantly “wired” to the internet.

Ease of access means making the processes of storing, inputting, retrieving, and sharing accounting information simpler. Online technology allows instantaneous access for authorized people to see where their business stands: reviewing financial statements, accounts payable and accounts receivable (technologies like Bill.com), along with access to documents, (like SmartVault.com), financial charts and spreadsheets.

Compared to cumbersome practices of the past, well, there really is no comparison. Online technologies have changed, and are continually improving the ways accounting is conducted.

Sharing Information in Real Time

Ease of access naturally leads to enhanced capabilities for sharing information. Financial data can be accessed by employees, clients, shareholders, and consultants regardless of their physical location. No longer do people have to wait for the answers as economic issues arise (and they always do). The answers are available immediately and can be accessed by any authorized individual at any time.

Sharing information in these ways enhances client and accounting relationships, and allows accountants to become more valuable to their clients because the accountants can see how their client’s business is performing without the client having to make the first move. These relationships are pro-active, not reactive, empowering accountants to do what clients want them to do: Help a business make good financial decisions and grow its bottom line.

Sharing information in the Cloud means that even banking and accounting activities can be done in real-time. Wondering about, and waiting for information, are eliminated. Application Service Providers (ASP) have become popular because data is centralized in one place, and this “centralized computing” can save companies thousands of dollars in technology infrastructure (no need to manage applications, files, email servers) and software costs. With ASP hosted programs, firms and businesses can simply lease their programs instead of buying them, including QuickBooks and Microsoft Office products. With a current license, clients and accountants can access information from one central location.

For firms considering moving to the online accounting world, make sure you use a hosting company (ASP) that is a certified provider and has at least one of the following credentials: Managed Service Provider certification, the Authorized Commercial Host Intuit service program, or the authorized Sage hosting provider program.

Risk Management

Access to information truly is power, for your firm, your clients, but potentially also for bad guys. Therefore security will be a concern that always must be addressed and can never be taken for granted. That’s why strong security measures are a core, built-in component of online accounting systems. This enhanced security is one of the additional benefits of working in the Cloud.