2013 Canadian Bookkeeping Conference

Join InsynQ and other event sponsors at the second annual IPBC Conference.

Building off the momentum from last year’s event, the 2013 IPBC Canadian Bookkeeping Conference is jam packed with even more speakers, training sessions, demonstrations, networking and more. With popular industry professionals leading educational tracks, and vendors displaying some of the latest technology, this event is sure to be the biggest event of its kind in Canada.

Click here to learn more about the IPBC Conference for financial professionals in Canada.

Application Hosting Is An Online Solution For Accounting

Using application hosting services, you no longer need to have a file server in your office and you don’t have to install accounting applications on all your workstations. For many businesses, the cloud computing can eliminate the worry and expense of building and maintaining a business network.

Your applications and data are hosted in the cloud by a provider and delivered to you via a virtual desktops that you access over the internet. Now, you can access your hosted network, desktop, applications, and data at any time, from anywhere! Your business LAN becomes a high-powered WAN, providing service to all users regardless of their location.

Image shows steps involved with QuickBooks hosting.

For a low monthly subscription fee, bookkeepers and accountants can have access to their managed desktop and applications from anywhere…since they’re always available in the cloud. You can login to the system while at a client’s office, from home, or anywhere you have internet access.

Start with service for yourself, then bring your clients online and get them working in the cloud right along with you. This enables you to work with write-up and offline clients when it is convenient for you. The hosted application model puts your applications and data online – without limitation to how many client data files you can access on the system.

Once you bring your clients online, they can access their accounting software and data from anywhere. For many small business owners, the benefits of having managed, protected financial data accessible from anywhere is very liberating and allows them the flexibility of working from the office, home or even while traveling.

If the client business has multiple locations, you can provide them with a service that allows all their offices to be working on the same set of books in real time. Once you start bringing clients onto the system, bring up your other staff members so they can also work on the client books also. Everyone is working on the same system, the same platform, the same applications, and all in real time.

Intuit’s ProFile Tax Software Now Integrates With Office Tools Professional Practice Management Software

By John Iarussi, Tech Manager – Office Tools Professional

Office Tools Professional and Profile’s integration is a breakthrough in the accounting industry. Two companies, with two pieces of software, with one common goal: to make your life easier. Office Tools Professional is the first practice management software to fully integrate with tax software made by another company.

The synergy and integration that can be created between applications represents the pivotal next step in firm efficiency. So often over the years, firms have been left with a multitude of disconnected applications, each performing an isolated function with the overall workflow. In addition, firm’s needed another set of applications to manage the practice. With the technology available today, software vendors are beginning to see the value in linking arms and creating less encumbered offerings through thought out integrations. If done well, with a seamless look and feel, firms will be able to leverage themselves to a new level of success when taking advantage of such offerings. By streamlining their work, life is made easier.

Another benefit of the Office Tools Professional software is its use of the latest Microsoft technology, which allows seamless installation on internal and hosted Windows servers. Providing another option, by utilizing some of the latest technology; Cloud Computing. As firms begin to evaluate where they want their office programs and data to reside they will be provided with a high level solution that promotes choice.

The newly announced integration between Office Tools Professional and Intuit Profile takes a leap forward in helping accountants and tax professionals share contact information, track time, create projects, send and store documents and invoices across both programs seamlessly. Profile allowed Office Tools Professional to build these processes directly into the Profile tax software which enables users of both programs to take their efficiency to another level. Integration is not a new trend in this industry, it is quickly becoming a standard, but the level at which software’s “integrate” has always been minimal. Syncing contact data is the norm, occasionally document management systems will allow you do very specific things, but none have ever been so all encompassing as to allow the entire office ecosystem (Office Tools Professional) to interact completely with the tax software (Profile). Until now this was only available to people willing to go with a large “suited in” company of products, which wasn’t always done well and defeats the point of allowing firms choice. 

While using the Profile integration you have the ability to create a project within Office Tools Professional based on the tax form the accountant is filing, in doing so the user can attach the related source documents and a profile link to the project for easy accessibility from within Office Tools Professional. From there you are able to track time against the project within Profile and auto update the tax payers contact information. When work is completed you can send the final returns in PDF format, to Office Tools Professional’s document management and Client Portal system, which also associates it to the client’s project. As the process moves on and you are ready to bill, the integration allows invoicing to be forwarded directly into Office Tools Professional’s billing section, or you can bypass this and bill from within alternate software as well. The choice is yours.

After all is said and done this isn’t just huge for Office Tools Professional customers and Profile customers alike, it is actually a giant leap forward for the entire industry. In a proprietary industry, allowing two programs to fully interact is a game changer. This integration benefits not only current users of these products, but it prods competitors to tear down their proprietary walls. This will hopefully begin a movement towards full office integration through multiple programs in an open source environment. This would undoubtedly allow the end user to choose the absolute best software combination for their specific needs, instead of being forced down a very narrow path lined with a multitude of separate programs. I vote for choice!

Accountants Cloud-Hosted Paperless Office

An accounting firm in Canada was recently looking to make their application hosting services more diverse by moving their document management software to the cloud. Luckily, they were a client of InsynQ, a hosting provider with the capability to test and deploy new applications in the cloud for people working on a private cloud platform. A private cloud is a client’s own dedicated platform that can be customized with the addition of software that is not on InsynQ’s list of standard cloud offerings.

The software that the accounting firm was looking to use was eXadox, an application that helps businesses manage, store and share documents. After a brief collaboration between InsynQ Engineers and eXadox technical staff, the software was able to be deployed in the cloud on an InsynQ Virtual Desktop.

Check out the full article to learn more about how InsynQ and eXadox were able to help create a cloud-based platform to meet the specific needs of an accounting firm in Canada that wanted to move more of their business to a paperless platform in the cloud.
http://www.exadox.com/files/pdf/en/Article-Accountants-Cloud-Hosted-Paperless-Office.pdf

To learn more about application hosting options on an InsynQ Virtual Desktop, visit http://www.insynq.com/virtual-desktops.html.

The Benefits of Working in the Cloud for Canadian Financial Professionals

Cloud Accounting in Canada is becoming more and more popular, and for good reason. The advantages to computing in the cloud are numerous. It provides enhanced security, reduces cost, allows for virtually limitless mobility, and drastically improves the client’s experience. Cloud computing gives professionals the ability to access applications and files in real-time, from any computer, without the need for anything but an internet connection. The benefits of cloud computing become even more important when you consider the fact that many CAs do not provide services at or near their clients business location.

ELIMINATING THE ISSUE OF GEOGRAPHIC SEPARATION

Canada is a country spread out across many thousands of miles. This results in time eaten up by transportation and causes many financial professionals to lose productivity when out of the office or on the road. In order to better assist clients, Canadian accountants are looking towards the cloud. Having your software and files hosted by an authorized provider such as InsynQ allows you to access your apps and data from any internet connected PC, Mac or tablet. This means that the user can be on the road, at home, in a coffee shop, at a client’s office or waiting in an airport and still be given the same access as they would from their office. With hosted applications, there is no need to lock yourself into using your applications on just one device or at just one location.

CANADIAN APPLICATION HOSTING

Any accountant who has ever travelled can instantly identify the benefits of application hosting. Yet surprisingly, Canadian accounting professionals have not adopted the business model as quickly as their American counter-parts. In a recent Leger Marketing survey of more than 700 Canadian business and government leaders for Microsoft Canada, just 29% of respondents said their organizations had implemented cloud computing. By contrast, a 2011 poll by Sunnyvale, California-based technology firm Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. found that almost 75% of U.S. organizations were using or considering using cloud applications.

SHARING FILES WITH EASE

Eliminating the access concerns from a geographic perspective can be a dramatic time and money saver for Canadian accounting firms alike. For the larger bookkeeping firms, the ability to access and share files with offices located many miles away without the need of emailing large documents or mailing USB sticks is quite beneficial. Instantaneous access allows users in offices located throughout multiple provinces to edit and view their co-worker’s and/or clients’ data in real-time. This instantly boosts productivity thus eliminating cost. In addition to the accessibility features, it also eliminates the need for program updates or installations. Cloud computing therefore allows the accountant to improve their productivity by focusing more on their clients and less on their technology.

The accessibility and mobility offered by cloud computing quickly becomes a huge asset to any financial professional that integrates it into their business. With popular versions of Canadian applications like QuickBooks, Simply Accounting and the all new Sage 50 being hosted, there is an option for almost anyone to start working in the cloud.

Join InsynQ-CPAASP, Guest Speakers & Other Sponsors At The First Annual Canadian Bookkeeping Conference & Expo

The IPBC invites all bookkeeping and accounting professionals to the first annual Canadian Bookkeeping Conference and Exposition, September 20 – 23, at the Delta Vancouver Airport Inn.  Register for the one day Pre-Conference, the three day conference, or both!

• Participate in numerous educational opportunities, learn and engage in dialogue about important topics being presented by a variety of top industry speakers.
• Network with renowned experts in the bookkeeping profession and discuss the latest and most advanced information and programs available.
• The full day pre-conference workshop on Thursday September 20th is being presented by one of the industry’s top influential speakers, Ronald Baker. Mr. Baker is the founder of VeraSage Institute, the leading think tank dedicated to educating professionals around the world. Mr. Baker will present; Implementing Value Pricing for Bookkeepers and Accountants: “Learn how to Make More Money and Have Happier Clients” Limited space available, register early!
• Browse the exhibit hall and take a look at what’s new from our sponsors.
• Fill your conference/exhibit passport and be entered to win an iPad, donated by the IPBC.
• E-handouts will be available after the conference to participants attending select sessions.

Some of the most influential names in the industry are presenting various educational sessions.

Ronald Baker Verasage Institute – PreConference workshop

Alan Salmon K2 Enterprises – Keynote speaker

Canadian Payroll Association

Intuit – QuickBooks

Sage 50 Accounting

CRA

Register today and join us at Canada’s largest bookkeeping event, ever!

You don’t want to miss this chance to further your professional growth, catch up on what’s happening in the industry, learn about the latest in evidence-based practices, expand your knowledge, and broaden your perspectives, all while enjoying beautiful Vancouver BC.

Cloud Computing Models: Weigh the Cost/Benefits of SaaS versus Hosting

The “web-based working model” continues to evolve and change, and the value propositions around Cloud Computing and Software as a Service will also continue to change. The comparisons of on-premises solutions to Cloud and SaaS are moving further apart as the technology and the platforms evolve, and many of the “old rules” of purchasing and maintaining business software no longer apply. Does your on-premises software vendor work to win your business again, each and every day? And the last time your network went down… did your IT guy write you a check?

Cloud offerings are providing new ways to manage business information, and a new valuation approach is required to truly understand the costs vs benefits. With on-premises software offerings, a business could develop an RFP (request for proposal), asking consultants and vendors to specifically address each requirement and ensure the fitness of purpose of the solution. Cloud and SaaS offerings are often sold a little differently, and with a slightly differing value proposition. Cloud and SaaS solutions create an ability for the business to extend their reach to include customers, business partners, and 3rd party services seamlessly via the Web, which should mean that they deliver a much higher return than a more traditional, localized solution approach. Comparing costs and benefits carefully, and weighing the cost against the benefits realized, can help to determine if the solution is delivering the expected bang for the buck.

Consider that many SaaS solutions cannot offer the depth of functionality that an on-premises alternative might offer. Is that depth of functionality actually required in your business, or is the online solution lacking? Do you have the flexibility of not using new features or additions to your SaaS solution? In an offline or on-premises solution, it’s called software “bloat” when the product contains more than you want. In an online solution, you should have the ability to “switch on” new features if you elect to use them.

Cloud and SaaS and other subscription-service providers must win your business each and every day, unlike more traditional software vendors. Most Cloud and SaaS solution providers are compelled to constantly improve or embellish their solutions in order to be perceived as continually delivering new value. This perception ties to the billing arrangement, where you have to pay regular and recurring subcription service fees to access the SaaS solution. With the boxed software model, you could decide very easily to stop purchasing more software, but you had the benefit of continuing to use the solution you already paid for. If you wanted new features and new functionality, you had the option – usually during an upgrade cycle- to purchase them.

Cloud and SaaS solution providers offer (or should offer) an SLA, a service level agreement that describes the guaranteed availability of the solution you’re subscribing to. With an on-premises solution, you are often responsible for the installation, implementation, and maintenance of the product. With a Cloud or SaaS solution, this is offered as part of the service. Depending on the complexity of the application or service, this could be quite a cost and time savings for the business.

With cloud-based computing options increasing every day, business owners must take a fresh view of their business technology. Where once a small business owner viewed their IT as simply a tool to facilitate a process, now we are seeing the innovative use of technology as a strategic asset, enabling the business to reach beyond physical boundaries, develop new markets, and engage new customers. The challenge is to enable the business processes and gain those strategic benefits which would offset the potential increases in cost.

Sage Taking Simply Accounting to the Cloud? You betcha

A recent article on itbusiness.ca discusses Sage’s plans to launch cloud hosting for accounting software solutions in Canada.  According to the article, Sage’s Jennifer Warawa said “We’ll be offering hosted options for Simply Accounting shortly”… around late October or early November.

Hosted applications, small/medium business accounting solutions specifically, have become the cornerstone of outsourced business arrangements around the world.  Small businesses benefit from improved financial information and timely results from their accountants, accountants and bookkeepers benefit by being able to serve a larger client base with more valuable services – and do it more efficiently and affordably then ever before.

Contact InsynQ for more information about leveraging technology and find out how accounting professionals and business owners alike are reaping the benefits of the cloud.  And keep an eye out for more news, information and articles about cloud computing, online applications, and services for accounting and business professionals… here on Cloud Accounting 4 Canada.

Learn more about hosting Sage Accounting solutions at www.insynq.com/canada-cloud.html.