We take our “anytime, anywhere” access guarantees seriously at NovelASPect—which is why it feels important to address an issue that came up recently that relates to this aspect of our service.

What happened is this: One of our accounting clients failed to pay their bill for three and a half consecutive months—so, after numerous unfulfilled promises to pay, we restricted their access to our system. Unfortunately, however, a second party suffered when we did this: the accountant’s clients. Because the accountant’s clients do not directly contract with NovelASPect, we were not able to restore their access until the accountant settled their account. (In this case, we actually ended up contracting directly with one of their clients so that they could regain access.)

It’s important to keep in mind this is a rare occurrence. The vast majority of our clients pay their fees in a timely manner. But think: If you were one of those individual clients, and you suddenly lost access to all of your data due to circumstances out of your control (i.e. a company not paying its bills), what would you do? What could you do?

If you’re thinking of contracting with an accountant that uses NovelASPect or any other hosting service, you should do one crucial thing: make sure they’re a steady, dependable company that has a history of staying up-to-date on its payments. A little research can go a long way.

As long as you choose a solid accounting firm to work from the start, there’s no reason to worry—they’ll take care of you. But if you sense trouble and wish to continue hosting with NovelASPect, consider contracting directly with NovelASPect. That’s the beauty of our application hosting model, after all: it doesn’t matter how big or small your company is; since there are no setup fees or long-term commitments required, it’s an easy thing to do. For $50 a month, you can get the same access to our services that the big firm you work with has—and we guarantee 99.9% uptime, so you’ll never have to worry about getting cut off (as long as you pay your bills, that is!).

In his recent blog post about the coming shifts in the accounting world, Doug Sleeter of The Sleeter Group cited four important changes that he sees close on the horizon: chunkification, the (near) elimination of manual data entry, increased collaboration with clients, and increased mobile device usage.

Sleeter went on to break down why and how these areas are becoming so important to CPAs—the fact that clients increasingly need more flexible, industry-specific solutions, for example, and that the data centralization made possible by cloud computing improves CPA-client collaboration (and, by extension, work flow).

Reading this post, it was impossible to not connect the dots between the four trends mentioned above and the QuickBooks hosting services we offer here at NovelASPect. Application hosting not only ties in smoothly with these evolutions, it helps makes sense of them. For instance: One of the short-term stumbling blocks Sleeter discussed in his post is the difficulty some CPAs will have with figuring out how to fit together the various business processes that will emerge as chunkification increases. (If you’re not familiar with the term, “chunkification,” it refers to large business management systems being broken down into smaller parts to allow for greater specificity and flexibility.)

This point is spot-on; after all, the more pieces of the puzzle there are, the harder it is to assemble them. However, NovelASPect’s application hosting services offer the perfect solution to the problems posed by chunkification: we provide all of the parts in one place. When it comes to QuickBooks, for example, the numerous add-ons we make available dramatically expand the extent of what you can accomplish—and it’s always clear which processes are compatible with one another. Furthermore, the fact that they’re available as stand-alone options means that you only pay for what you’re using, and you can scale your use up and down as needed.

Just as this greater integration of systems will help CPAs surmount the obstacles posed by chunkification, it will also help them to reduce the energy spent on data entry; and, of course, the anytime, anywhere access made possible by data centralization facilitates mobility and client collaboration.

As the landscape around us continues to grow and change, it’s crucial to keep evolving along with it. By assimilating the tools of tomorrow into one flexible, manipulable system, NovelASPect makes this possible.

To read the blog referenced above, go here.

CPAs and Cloud Computing

The American Institute of CPAs recently released the results from their 2012 Top Technology Initiatives Survey—and according to their findings, the three technology-related issues with which CPAs will most concern themselves this year will be information security, remote access, and control and use of mobile devices.

Of the three priorities, respondents to the survey put information security at the top of their list. While many made it clear that the benefits provided by technology—namely, greater flexibility, efficiency, and productivity—are indispensable to their companies, they also all expressed some apprehension about the perceived security risks that can accompany greater reliance upon technology.

Why CPAs are Worrying about Data Security

It’s clear why information security comes first for CPAs: in the accounting world, data safety and confidentiality is imperative. And to be clear, the CPAs who took the AICPA’s survey say their companies are currently succeeding in meeting their information protection and privacy goals—they just know that in this ever-evolving technological landscape, it’s crucial to stay one step ahead.  

One worry that CPAs also appear to share, however, is that they may be unable to prevent a data breach in the case of a lost laptop or mobile device. That’s where NovelASPect’s data security protocol comes in.

Information Security with NovelASPect

In addition to server redundancy and daily data backups, NovelASPect employs two-level-strong password-protected logins, 128-bit encryption, and security timeouts to ensure that only you have access to the sensitive information you work with. That means that not only will you not lose any data if your laptop or tablet goes missing, you also won’t have to worry about that same data falling into the wrong hands.

If you’re one of the CPAs who are finding themselves increasingly dependent on technology—but you’re a little unsure about what that means for the safety of your information—take a look at the application hosting services we offer. As a company that was built by CPAs, NovelASPect has something important in common with the AICPA’s survey respondents: data security is (and always has been) our number one priority as well.

A corner office anywhere – one of the many benefits of cloud computing!

All the world may be a stage—but these days, it can also be a lot more things, including an office.

As cloud computing technologies become more and more advanced—and accessible—an increasing number of accounting professionals are recognizing the benefits of going virtual with their businesses. Some are only dipping their toes in the array of services and opportunities made possible by the cloud (by going entirely paperless, for instance, or by engaging the services of a QuickBooks hosting provider so they can always access the information they need); some, however, are diving all the way into the cloud—going 100 percent virtual—and it’s changing the way they do everything.

Going from office desks to virtual desktops doesn’t happen overnight, of course—it takes some serious restructuring. It also requires some selectivity when it comes to choosing which clients you’re willing to take on; if you want to go paperless, for example, all of your clients have to be willing and able to perform all of their transactions with you electronically.

There are a number of other reasons why switching to the cloud can be difficult, of course—but before getting caught up in all the “what-ifs,” it’s important to think about why making the move is worth the effort.

The most obvious advantage offered by QuickBooks Hosting and other cloud computing services is the mobility and flexibility they allow in terms of where, when, and how you get work done (especially when you avail yourself off the many add-ons that can be paired with QuickBooks). With a virtual desktop, the world is your office—and it can make your company competitive in ways it never could be in a static office environment. Cloud computing also makes employee retention a lot more feasible; with a cloud-based setup, you don’t have to lose valued members of your staff to unexpected moves or changes in availability, because they can take the office with them. (You can find even more information about the benefits of cloud computing here.)

There are some businesses, of course, for which going 100 percent virtual isn’t necessarily going to work. Every business, however, can benefit from taking some time out to look at the way they operate now, and to think about the many ways in which QuickBooks and other application hosting could be used to streamline and boost the productivity of that process. Hundreds of accounting professionals out there are making the world their office today—why not make it yours, too?

The QuickBooks hosting market is booming, and accompanying this increase in demand is an increase in the number of companies offering their hosting services. But which ones deserve your business—and how do you choose between them?

There are a number of factors to consider when you’re trying to figure out whether or not a QuickBooks hosting service provider has what your business needs. Here are some important things to look for when you’re making comparisons between companies—and some insight into how NovelASPect stacks up to the competition:

• Uptime. The anytime, anywhere access that makes QuickBooks hosting so appealing is only useful to you if you truly can get to your information anytime you need it. Before you sign up for a hosting company’s services, ask them how often their servers go down, and for how long at a time. A company should also guarantee a minimum uptime percentage in the service agreement they sign with you.

          *How NovelASPect measures up: NovelASPect offers 99.9% uptime,
            guaranteed.

• Data Security and Disaster Recovery. Concerns about data security are the primary reason that QuickBooks hosting didn’t take off even faster than it has, and understandably so—the data you input is sensitive, and you can’t afford to take any risks with it. Make sure you choose a company that takes every security precaution possible, including password-protected logins, encryption, time-outs, and server redundancy.

          *How NovelASPect measures up: At NovelASPect, we automatically perform
            a daily backup of our servers to an offsite location, and our Internet Backbone
            is an international, fully redundant OC192 (10,000Mbps). With two-level-
            strong, password-protected logins, 128-bit encryption, and security
            time-outs—not to mention biometric identification and fully escorted access
            requirements at our data center—we provide the highest level of data security
            possible.

• Are they an Intuit Hosting Partner? In order to partner with Intuit, a company’s facilities, technology, and services must all undergo a rigorous review process. Only those companies found to be secure, private, and reliable are granted accreditation and entry to Intuit’s Commercial Hosting Program. Choosing a company that has met these standards is a smart, easy way to ensure that you’re signing on for quality services.

           *How NovelASPect measures up: NovelASPect became one of the select
            QuickBooks hosting providers to be approved as a partner by Intuit at the
            beginning of this year.

• Cost. When it comes to QuickBooks hosting, prices range pretty far and wide. To a certain extent, higher cost can mean higher quality—but that’s not always the case. The best policy is to compare at least a few companies’ prices side by side, taking into account the difference in the service they’re offering, and keep an eye out for hidden costs that will jack up the final price tag. Most good companies will also offer a free trial.

           *How NovelASPect measures up: NovelASPect offers premium services at
            extremely competitive prices. We offer Citrix hosting at a lower cost than what
            many lower-quality terminal services providers charge, with no setup fees or
            hidden expenses.

The list goes on, but these are some of the most important considerations that you should take into account when you’re looking for a reliable, quality QuickBooks host. Every vendor has something different to offer; the trick is to find the one that offers everything. NovelASPect is that company—and if you’re not convinced, what do you have to lose by giving our free trial a shot?

Last week, Joe Woodard—an expert in the field of QuickBooks Hosting, use and support—wrote an interesting piece on the future of Intuit for the online tax and accounting news website Accounting Today. Woodard is the president of Creative Financial Software (CFS), a company that provides QuickBooks implementation, training, and consultation services for small businesses, and he has a lot to say about what Intuit is doing now and what it should do going forward in order to maintain its position as the leading company in SMB accounting technology.

In his article, “Projecting the Intuit QuickBooks World of Tomorrow,” Woodard argues that Intuit’s decision to partner with hosting companies (like NovelASPect) rather than to offer QuickBooks hosting services directly is the right one. For one, he says, Intuit’s core business model does not include hosting—and there’s no reason that it should right now. The technology is already completely developed and is readily available within the market, he explains, and Intuit’s decision to forge partnerships with the strongest hosting companies out there means that rather than insisting upon building its own hosting capabilities (thereby delaying access for its clients), they’ve already managed to make QuickBooks hosting the mainstay of their cloud strategy—a move that has not only benefited Intuit, but its customers as well.

As one of the companies that has been approved by Intuit as a hosting partner, we’ve seen firsthand at NovelASPect how beneficial their program has been for everyone involved. For one, NovelASPect employs a third-party company, MSPAlliance, to review companies and ensure that their facilities, technology, and services are secure, private, and reliable before granting them accreditation and entry to the Commercial Hosting Program. Not only does this give clients peace of mind, it rewards those companies that have worked hard to build and maintain a safe, secure hosting environment by allowing us to announce ourselves as authorized Intuit partners.

In addition to Intuit, we also partner with Citrix, whose technology enables us to provide a more scalable, on-demand computing model. With our Intuit partnership alone, we would be able to provide our customers with full anytime, anywhere access to their QuickBooks data; with our Citrix platform, we are able to offer our clients all of that plus an incredible amount of IT control and flexibility. At the end of the day, this translates into increased productivity and reduced expenses for our clients.

Since day one, NovelASPect has been changing the way small businesses access data around the world, and that continues to be our mission. As long as we’re here, we’ll keep on growing and evolving to meet the needs of our current and future users.

(To see what else Joe Woodard has to say about the future of Intuit, you can read the full article discussed above here.)

Do you run a small business? Have you moved to the cloud yet? If you haven’t, you’re one of a quickly shrinking minority—every day, more and more small businesses are turning to cloud computing as their new IT solution. Here’s why:

For large companies, locating the capital required to build an infrastructure, license software, and hire extra personnel to run an in-house IT setup is not an obstacle; small companies, however, can find those costs to be prohibitive. Cloud computing is the one technology that has managed to open the door for small businesses to improve their efficiency while simultaneously cutting their computing costs by more than half. With a hosting provider like NovelASPect, a small company simply pays a set monthly fee, and they gain access to a higher-performance system than they would ever be able to afford on their own—and they pay only for what they’re using, when they’re using it, since our cloud services are entirely scalable and individualized.

Since NovelASPect was formed, we’ve seen how dramatic savings can be for companies that we help move to the cloud. One of our clients, for instance—a San Francisco-based biotech firm—saves more than 70% on their IT costs as a result of their decision to utilize NovelASPect’s hosting services. Because there’s no need for server room buildout, office wiring, or servers with NovelASPect, they have benefited from hugely reduced capital costs; and because the desktop support, server maintenance and support, email exchange, and account management we provide comes at a fraction of the cost of the in-house model, their operational costs stay low as well. On top of all that, they can rest safe with the knowledge that we automatically provide all of our clients with disaster recovery at no extra cost—so no matter what, their data is safe.

If your small business is spending far more than it can afford on IT services—or even if you simply want to increase productivity and streamline the way you run things—consider cloud computing. With your IT infrastructure in the cloud, you’ll discover a greater flexibility, efficiency, and security than an in-house IT setup could ever offer—at a remarkably affordable price.