Why Firms Should Host ProSeries and QuickBooks Together

ProSeries and QuickBooks Desktop are two of the most widely adopted tax and accounting applications worldwide. As both are Intuit products, they integrate seamlessly to automate workflows, minimize data entry errors, and enhance productivity.

However, firms sometimes tend to install these software tools on different hosts, such as cloud and local servers. It leads to major IT challenges, such as integration issues, data mismanagement, and availability.

In this blog, we will discuss why hosting ProSeries and QuickBooks together is the right approach for accounting and tax firms.

1. To Get Consistent Performance

Let’s assume that you run ProSeries and QuickBooks Desktop on two different hosts, a cloud server and a local server. Both hosts offer different configurations and environments for these apps. If there is a lag or performance issue on the local server, accountants might experience disruptions, despite the other application running well in the cloud, and vice versa.

Hosting ProSeries and QuickBooks together in the cloud gives you consistent performance across accounting operations. It reduces the dependency on two hosts, minimizing performance issues. Moreover, during peak workloads in tax season, the cloud can scale easily to adjust to the dynamic IT requirements.

2. To Create a Unified Security Architecture

Data security is a major issue for tax and accounting firms, especially during tax season. That’s why the IRS warns tax preparers every year of threats like phishing, identity theft, and robocalls. Although every firm tries to build a robust security posture to mitigate these threats, it becomes challenging when your primary accounting and tax applications are installed across two different IT environments.

Hosting ProSeries and QuickBooks Desktop on local and cloud servers (or vice versa) creates security gaps due to inconsistencies and integration issues between the security tools, protocols, and teams. As a result, your data becomes vulnerable to exploitation by hackers.

Hence, it is always better to host both applications either on the local server or the cloud. However, if you have to choose one, cloud offers a superior security architecture with multi-level protection. With advanced features, such as 256-bit AES encryption, multi-factor authentication, DDoS protection, IP filtering, and patch management, cloud providers can ensure secure operations during tax season.

Moreover, they deploy an extensive team of cybersecurity experts to ensure 24/7 network monitoring. Creating such an expansive and advanced security posture is not feasible for an accounting firm.

3. To Ensure Seamless Integration

When ProSeries and QuickBooks are installed in different IT environments, they need to interact with each other through the Internet. Hence, when there is a bandwidth or network configuration issue, it could lead to disruptions and latency while syncing data, which can cause data corruption.

Hosting ProSeries and QuickBooks on the cloud eliminates dependency on local networks. All data is synced in real time without any interruptions, as both applications are present in a unified environment.

4. To Ensure Cost Predictability

When you host ProSeries in different IT environments, be it a local server and a cloud server or a multi-cloud environment, there are several cost parameters. For instance, let’s assume you choose cloud hosting for ProSeries and install QuickBooks Desktop on the local server.

You must account for all the capital expenses of local IT infrastructure, including hardware procurement, deployment, and upgrades. Moreover, you must track all recurring expenses of running a local IT setup, such as power bills, hardware maintenance, rent, and the IT team’s salaries. In addition, there is the bill you get from the cloud service provider. Having multiple cost parameters makes it tough to estimate the IT budget.

Hosting ProSeries and QuickBooks together on the cloud gives you enhanced visibility into IT costs. Cloud providers offer diverse pricing plans based on server configuration and users, which you can choose according to your business requirements. They offer a pay-as-you-go pricing model, where you pay only for the resources utilized during the billing cycle. The clear pricing structure helps you estimate budgets accurately.

5. To Ensure Compliance

Guaranteeing compliance with regulatory authorities like the FTC can be challenging when ProSeries and QuickBooks are not hosted together. It becomes a shared responsibility of the firm and cloud service provider to ensure compliance, which can create loopholes in security protocols.

With ProSeries and QuickBooks Desktop hosted on the cloud, providers can streamline compliance practices and protocols. They can monitor both applications’ data on a single platform and ensure every procedure is followed.

6. To Increase Productivity

Working in different IT environments is a hassle for CPAs. When ProSeries and QuickBooks are not installed together, you need to log in to multiple devices simultaneously. For instance, if QuickBooks and ProSeries are installed on local and cloud desktops, respectively, you must log in to the cloud portal via a web browser to access ProSeries and log in to the local desktop to work on QuickBooks.

With ProSeries and QuickBooks hosted on the cloud, CPAs get a common workspace to carry out their operations. It enhances your productivity and ensures a stress-free tax season.

7. To Centralize Data Management

Data management is essential for any accounting firm to prevent data loss and enhance fast-track accessibility during tax season. However, if you install ProSeries and QuickBooks on different hosts, accounting and tax data are also stored separately. Hence, tax preparers must switch between hosts to access tax-filing data, which reduces productivity.

When Proseries and QuickBooks are hosted together, it gives tax preparers and CPAs a centralized platform with all accounting data. Cloud service providers deploy access controls so that professionals access only the documents relevant to their process. It ensures better data control and prevents accidental deletions.

8. To Get a Common Environment for All Apps

Both ProSeries and QuickBooks Desktop integrate with several distinct third-party and Intuit applications. For instance, you might integrate ProSeries with SmartVault for efficient document storage and QuickBooks Desktop with Pipedrive for customer management. Installing ProSeries and QuickBooks on separate servers creates two distinct application ecosystems with different IT environments, security postures, and hardware infrastructure. It leads to data silos and compatibility issues due to a fragmented tech stack.

On the other hand, hosting ProSeries and QuickBooks on the cloud gives accounting firms a common application ecosystem, where they can host all their business apps along with the data. Moreover, as virtual servers can be upgraded instantly, there is no restriction on the number of apps you can integrate with ProSeries and QuickBooks.

9. To Optimize IT Management

Hosting ProSeries and QuickBooks on cloud and local servers (and vice versa) can cause roadblocks in IT management. Moreover, it requires double efforts as you need to monitor and manage IT resources on-premises while the cloud provider handles IT tasks on their end. This distributed approach can cause miscommunication between IT teams and increase the chances of disruptions.

When you host ProSeries and QuickBooks together, the cloud service provider is responsible for complete IT management. Your IT team only needs to monitor and coordinate with the provider’s team.

Choose the Perfect Host for ProSeries and QuickBooks

Hosting ProSeries and QuickBooks together in the cloud gives accounting firms consistent performance at predictable pricing and no hassles. However, it is essential to find the right cloud hosting provider to maximize the efficiency of both applications. You must invest time in deep research and planning to find the best provider for your business. However, it is vital to ask for a free trial to experience the service before onboarding.

Ace Cloud Hosting’s unlimited hosting plan enables you to create a complete accounting and tax ecosystem with ProSeries and QuickBooks on high-performance servers. Get multi-level security for your accounting data with 99.99% uptime and BCDR solutions. Learn more about cloud-hosted QuickBooks and ProSeries hosting solutions.