Cloud communications and UCaaS for startups can seem daunting at first, but they can also be a real game changer. From supporting growth and team collaboration to helping you access the best talent anywhere in the world, the benefits abound.
But is there an optimal time or company size for scaling up to the cloud for your business communications? Is your startup “too small” to make an investment in UCaaS today? Let’s find out.
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What are “cloud communications?”
Cloud communications are internet-based voice and data communications tools for businesses to manage applications, storage, and switching—all hosted by a third party on the cloud.
Businesses can outsource systems management responsibilities like switching, provisioning, and data storage and security to cloud communications providers.
This does more than simply reduce costs (although this is a huge plus!). It also delivers advanced features and functionality that enable employees to communicate and collaborate in ways—and places—they never thought possible.
What is “UCaaS”?
Unified communications as a service (UCaaS) provides a cloud-based business communications system across multiple channels and devices. UCaaS combines phone service, video conferencing, team messaging, SMS, fax, and other communications tools on a single integrated cloud platform. It’s designed to be accessed from any device—desktop, smartphone, or tablet.
Basically, it puts all your business communication channels in one place, which can reap serious benefits. More on that later. – Read more
If you are an accountant, a CPA, or bookkeeper, or you have worked with any of these professionals, then there’s a chance you know about the importance of QuickBooks. QuickBooks Premier is one of the most used accounting applications in almost every small or medium business, offering accounting and bookkeeping services. It can be utilized to automate processes, accept payments, manage bills, and complete payroll functions.
The only thing that is missing from the unique functionalities of QuickBooks Premier is the ability to work remotely. Hosting your QuickBooks Premier on the cloud helps you use your on-premise application from anywhere. Looking at the COVID-19 pandemic, this has even become the need of the hour.
Therefore, this article will explore whether you should move your QuickBooks Premier to the cloud or not if you own a small business.
Should You Switch to QuickBooks Premier Hosting If You Are a Small Business?
Yes, it would help if you switched to QuickBooks Premier hosting. However, we understand that you need to evaluate whether this is the right decision for your small business or not. So, read on:
QuickBooks Premier hosting is nothing but installing your QB software on a cloud server. Once installed, you have the power to sign in to your software remotely. It also gives you the feasibility access your QB data from any device, such as your phone, computer, or laptop.
How is this model of accessing QuickBooks Premier better than your QB Premier Desktop?
QuickBooks Premier is designed with excellent features, such as automation for accounting calculations, more straightforward report generation, etc. But, the inability to access the application remotely restricts the flow of communication, hence reducing the business’s productivity.
Let’s compare the features of QuickBooks Premier with and without cloud hosting.
QuickBooks Premier Desktop
Hosted QuickBooks Premier
Your access to QuickBooks Premier is limited. You can use it on one or two desktops only; depending on your package.
The access to hosted QuickBooks Premier is amazing. Many users in your organization can access the app remotely.
Every dataset of your QuickBooks Premier is locally stored. This means your in-house security measures might be inadequate to mitigate modern-day attacks.
Every dataset is stored on a cloud server, which leads to better performance, quick access, and advanced security.
QuickBooks Premier without cloud hosting offers limited scalability. It also costs a lot of money.
Simpler scalability options are received with the cloud. You just need to give your QuickBooks hosting provider a call to scale (or descale) resources.
Limited number collaboration as multiple users cannot work on the same file.
Since everything is stored online, team members can easily collaborate and work on the same file simultaneously.
When you send data files, the data is not encrypted. This is often ignored because you don’t have a choice.
When you need to share data, hosting providers ensure that it is end-to-end encrypted.
Updates in the software are manual, which means hassle for your IT staff.
Updates in the software are automatic, and your service provider takes care of everything.
The risk of data loss is more.
Backups are regularly stored to help you recover in case of any emergency.
What Should You Know About QuickBooks Premier Hosting For Small Businesses?
We have already compared QuickBooks Premier with and without hosting. There are many other benefits that you get apart from remote accessibility with hosting. Let’s explore some of these in detail:
Multi-Device Support
In a world where most of the population is active on various devices, why access your software on just one desktop?
QuickBooks Premier hosting helps you access your application on various devices, such as your tablet, mobile phone, or laptop. You can use it on Linux, Windows, or macOS. There’s so much possibility in this feature, as it gives your employees the feasibility to open QuickBooks at any moment in any situation to extract essential data.
Fewer Security Issues
The pace at which cyberattacks are increasing in the market is frightening. Organizations, especially CPA and accounting firms, need to secure their users’ sensitive information. QuickBooks Premier hosting only adds to your data security.
As a small business, you cannot look after data security all the time. QB Premier hosting offers features like:
Automatic intrusion detection and prevention for constant data monitoring
End-to-end data encryption for resting or transmitting data
Multi-factor authentication
Internal firewalls for access control
Additional support via antivirus, antimalware, etc.
Automatic Updates
With QB Premier Desktop, your IT team needs to spend time updating your QuickBooks Premier version on every device or computer.
With QuickBooks Premier hosting, your software is automatically updated. The cloud service provider ensures that your software is updated and working with the latest features.
Disaster Recovery and Backup
Without cloud hosting, data backup and disaster recovery are entirely on your shoulders. Your IT team needs to regularly backup QuickBooks data and secure it properly. They also need to recover this data manually in case of an emergency.
In QuickBooks Premier hosting, backups are automated. This means that you don’t need to work on backing up your data. Your cloud hosting provider backs up your data automatically in geographically remote servers. This is why even during a disaster, you can easily jump back on your feet. You can quickly recover your QuickBooks Premier data and start working whenever your team is ready. This also ensures business continuity.
Conclusion
The cloud is value for money in every sense. As a small business, you can enhance the efficiency of accounting and bookkeeping functions with QuickBooks Premier hosting. Simply find the right cloud service provider and host your application on the cloud for improved access, better security, and much more.
“Is my password secure?” It’s an important question to ask yourself in this age of ever-evolving cybersecurity threats. With hackers perpetually developing more sophisticated cyberthreats, there’s no point in making their jobs easier by creating a password that’s easy to bypass. The strength of your password is key to protecting your website, personal data and other important information. With that in mind, here are some guidelines to assessing your passwords’ security, finally answering the question: Is your password secure?
How Secure Is Your Password If It’s Short?
When choosing or creating a password to your online accounts, it’s best to assign a password that’s difficult for a hacker to guess. When asking yourself “Is my password secure enough?” take the password’s length into consideration. Is your password secure if it consists of the website’s character minimum? Maybe, but not as secure as it could be. A long password is harder for a bad actor to guess than a shorter one. When assessing the question, “Is my password secure?” consider using a password that’s at least 12 characters long. As many as 16 to 20 characters is ideal.
How Secure Is Your Password If It Includes Personal Information?
Is your password secure if it references names or dates? People often insert birthdates, names of pets, and other personal signifiers to create a password that’s easy to remember. Unfortunately, these details can be easily gleaned from social media or other sources by bad actors looking to gain access to your accounts. In fact, you’re better off avoiding dictionary words, or combinations of dictionary words entirely. Your best bet is to construct a password from a lengthy combination of letters, numbers, and characters. If the application is case-sensitive, alternating between uppercase and lowercase letters can also bolster your password’s security. If you’re worried about not being able to remember a lengthy string of seemingly random characters, try using a password manager to safely create, store, and fill in your passwords. That way, you’ll ideally only have to remember one password, the one you use to access your password manager. – Read more
