The days of keeping track of accounting in musty old paper ledgers came to an end years ago. Now, many businesses use accounting software like Intuit’s QuickBooks to manage their business finance. This makes sense, since it is much easier to have accurate record keeping on a computer than on long sheets of paper than can be lost, damaged, or misplaced. It is also easier to search for and find entries in balance sheets that are computerized than to go flipping through over-sized books (that may even contain uncorrected errors.) This is not something we want to think about, but errors do occur, and they are much easier to spot and correct on a computer.
But now, business finance tools that are limited to only one computer via a traditional installation are going the way of musty old paper ledgers. The latest inclination is for business accounting to take place online, in some regard, effectively “in the cloud.” But what is the cloud? The National Institute of Standards In Technology defines it this way:
“Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”
That being the case, the cloud is both where, and how, applications and services are shared or stored. That place is accessed via the Web.
Intuit has already managed to integrate a number of web-based features into QuickBooks, including remote access capabilities and payroll outsourcing and assistance, the ability to handle online payments, online banking and reconciliation, mapping features that are integrated with Google Maps, Google marketing tools, and enhanced e-mail capabilities through Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. Intuit, for the 2008 version, also added import from Excel spreadsheet options, better employee time tracking options, pre-authorization of electronic funds, and new Help functions. Together, these all amount to a more cloud-centric approach to business finance management, with transactions relying heavily on the immediacy of the Web and the speed of the recent technology. The cable internet bundles out there can save you a tremendous amount of money over the years.
If you have not considered taking your business to the next level by delving into the cloud, you might want to consider some of the advantages of making that leap. First, when things are done in the cloud (or backed up in real time online, or even just remotely hosted on the Web) there is a significant decrease in the likelihood of permanently losing valuable data. That’s because providers of cloud services make frequent, redundant backups. Another advantage is that you could log on and manage those services from any computer with an active Internet connection. No longer would you be confined to just the computer in your office at work, but you could also use a laptop, anyone eles’s computer, or even your mobile devices. There is a lot more flexibility with cloud services, so you might want to explore some of these new options and find what works best for you.
