Host a QuickBooks Desktop Company File | Cloud Guide
QuickBooks Desktop users widely use their personal (on-premise) computers to manage their businesses, which may or may not always meet the growing hardware & computing demands. Even users and organizations with dedicated hardware have to bear maintenance as well as purchase cost of new upgraded hardware that keeps adding up to increase storage capacity & manage the workload . This personal setup becomes a liability and just the managing cost starts affecting the profits.
Also, users frequently face technical complications that are tedious to overcome.
A far better alternative is to host the QuickBooks company files on the cloud, allowing authorized users to access the data while upholding the security standards. With QuickBooks cloud hosting, you won’t have to worry about managing the infrastructure, as the service provider is responsible for secure data file storage and managing the user data traffic, also boosting efficiency by streamlining team collaboration.
This guide demonstrates how to host a QuickBooks Desktop company file, enabling its secure access over the internet for all the people with proper authorization. You’ll also get to know the benefits of cloud hosting and the Intuit-authorized service providers that you can contact to host your financial data. Let’s begin!
What is QuickBooks Web Hosting: A Detailed Overview
QuickBooks web hosting signifies the method of storing the company file on a remote server, typically provided by a third-party hosting service provider. In simple words, you upload your company files to the cloud and assign a remote server that isn’t a physical machine or system but works similarly. Instead of accessing a physical system in the multi-user network, users can directly access and work on the company files stored in the cloud.
QuickBooks Desktop hosting can be set up by choosing a third-party hosting service provider and purchasing their hosting plan, after which it’ll be their responsibility to manage storage, data traffic, security, server data upload/download, and other technical requirements. Don’t worry, your data will be entirely secure as the hosting provider doesn’t get access to any of your personal data. Additionally, you can also install QuickBooks Desktop on the remote server, from where authorized users can utilize it portably from anywhere using the internet.
Why Should You Choose QuickBooks Desktop Hosting?
QuickBooks web hosting gives you the freedom of managing your business while on the go. Your employees, colleagues, or team members can easily work from home (or from anywhere with internet connectivity) and operate QuickBooks Desktop remotely. Some other advantages of using QuickBooks within the hosted environment are:
Secure access from anywhere, anytime
With QB Desktop and company files hosted on a remote server, you and your team members can access the company files on any device with an internet connection. You might be working from home, at your office, or travelling; you get the flexibility to track your business health and manage finances, just as if you are physically present in front of the main system (server).
Real-time integration & Increased security
You and all your team members can work on the company file simultaneously, which makes collaboration easier. Also, integrating with other services and tools is a lot simpler with your QB Desktop hosted on the cloud. All the authorized personnel can work on the data file in real time without worrying about syncing issues or generating multiple copies/versions of the same company file.
Also, storing your company files on the cloud prevents them from any physical damage or software corruption. SSL-level encryption is used to keep your data safe and accessible to authorized users only.
Minimal infrastructure and IT maintenance required
Hosting QuickBooks company file in the cloud helps you avoid the upfront costs of adding new hardware and other technical infrastructure required to cater to your employees. You just need to pay the cloud-hosting cost and save a lot on buying new storage devices, systems (servers), and setting up a LAN connection between them.
Additionally, you also get saved from paying regular maintenance fees for keeping your hardware intact. Once you opt for cloud hosting, maintenance and other costs are covered by the hosting service provider.
Enhanced scalability and performance
The servers provided by the hosting service provider are capable and optimized for handling loads of data traffic faster. Which eventually reduces the downtime and streamlines the accounting tasks by offering quicker access to the company files. You can also scale your business by adding new employees and increasing your daily operations, which were earlier limited due to a lack of infrastructure or accommodation.
How To Host QuickBooks Desktop On Cloud?
You can choose a hosting service provider, buy the best hosting plan for your business, and take your QuickBooks to the cloud. Once done, you just need to install QuickBooks on the remote server and upload your company files, throughout which the hosting service provider’s support team will be there to help.
Most importantly, you’ll have to choose the best hosting provider for your business, as there are lots of them in the market. Make your approach after leveraging the service providers with the following criteria:
- Understand your business needs: Firstly, you must have at least a little knowledge about what your business needs are. Do you want a large number of people accessing the company file, or are you just using the cloud solution for portable access? Having a better understanding of these things will help you make the optimal choice.
- Ease of migration & Customer support: Check out the migration process of each service provider to know more about how they are thinking of moving your company files to the cloud, including the time they’ll take to do so. Also, ensure that the service provider has 24/7 customer support so that you get the help whenever required.
- Compatibility with QuickBooks Desktop: It is really crucial to check if the service provider you are choosing works smoothly with QuickBooks and ask their team beforehand about all the complexities that you might have to tackle while hosting QuickBooks. Intuit always recommends using the authorized service providers to avoid any compatibility issues.
- Security measures and legal compliances: Carefully go through the security protocols they have in place to keep the hosted data secure from theft, unauthorized access, or malware. In addition to that, check the location of their data centers and their home branch to see if the legal compliances in that region differ from yours or any other thing that might cause you problems in the future.
- Pricing and payment structure: Compare the pricings of all the hosting providers to see who fits best according to your business budget. Also, check the worth they bring to your business against every dime you spend.
- Customer reviews: Customer reviews tell a lot about the user experiences of using the product. Observe them carefully to find out what the customers got in return for buying the product. Was the after-sales service as reliable as the service provider claims? You can also engage with existing customers on relevant forums or communities to know more about the product.
Best QuickBooks Desktop Cloud Hosting Providers
The list of best QuickBooks Desktop cloud hosting providers (Intuit-authorized) is mentioned below. You can take a look at all of them to check the services they offer, their pricing, and their reliability before selecting one for your business:
How to Host a Company File on a Remote Computer?
If you do not want to host your company files on the cloud or use a third-party hosting service, you can simply use QuickBooks Desktop in a terminal environment. In this setup, the company files are stored on a physical system. Users can remotely access that particular system and access the company files. Rather than directly accessing the company files on the cloud or internet, users can access that computer remotely and then utilize QB Desktop or the company files on it. All the users aren’t required to have QuickBooks Desktop on their systems, as they’ll virtually access a system with QuickBooks Desktop and use it via the internet.
Here are the steps to establish QuickBooks Terminal Server hosting:
- Check the system specifications of your server and compare them with QB’s minimum requirements to ensure the system is compatible.
- Sign in as an admin user in your Windows if you already aren’t.
- Type ‘cmd’ in the search panel and right-click the Command Prompt icon in the popup.
- Right-click Command Prompt (or CMD) and select Run as administrator.
- Type Change User /install on the black screen as a command and press Enter.
- Download QuickBooks Desktop and install it on your server computer. Pay attention while choosing the installation options.
- Reopen the Command Prompt after the installation is complete and type Change User/ Execute before pressing Enter to switch to execute mode.
Once the installation is finished, you can use Remote Desktop Services to access the server remotely from anywhere in this world.
Note: You can also use the Chrome Desktop Remote Access Tool to grant other users control over your system. Visit the link and download the application on your computer. Alternatively, download a companion extension to access your computer remotely.
Conclusion
You have completed reading everything on how to host a QuickBooks Desktop company file on the cloud using a third-party hosting service provider. We discussed what QuickBooks hosting is, how it benefits you, how to choose the correct hosting service provider, and some of the best hosting service providers authorized by QuickBooks. We hope the guide provides you sufficient information to make a choice and select the best hosting provider for your QuickBooks according to the business needs.
FAQs
Is it safe to host a QuickBooks company file on a remote computer?
Yes, it is entirely safe to host a QuickBooks company file on a remote computer and access it portably from different systems existing anywhere in this world. The data is encrypted with industry-level SSL protection, and you do not need to worry about the confidentiality of your financial data.
What are the costs of cloud hosting for QuickBooks Desktop?
This is a subjective question, and the answer varies with different hosting service providers. Also, the features and number of users you choose affect the pricing of the hosting plan. Usually, the basic plan of hosting providers starts from $20-40, and the premium plans are around $190-210.
Note: The hosting plan pricings may vary significantly on different platforms, and we do not guarantee the pricings mentioned above as they are just estimates.
Can I host QuickBooks Desktop without third-party providers?
Technically you can do it, but you’ll have to spend a lot on infrastructure, and you must have proper expertise to do so. The process involves setting up a system with powerful RAM and processors to work as a server. Then you have to create a virtual private network to provide authorized users access to your server. However, the maintenance would be a lot more difficult, and security will always remain a concern for you.
Instead you can try opting for QuickBooks Online, which is a better option for moving your financial data online. Here’s a comparison between QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online.
Why does QuickBooks crash in a hosted environment?
It happens because there are a lot of external factors involved in running QuickBooks in a hosted environment. QuickBooks might crash due to network connection issues, outdated QuickBooks, antiviruses blocking QuickBooks, or insufficient server resources.
How to access a hosted QuickBooks file from multiple locations?
If you use cloud hosting provided by a third-party service provider, multiple users can access the company files from multiple locations. All the users who need to access the data hosted on the cloud must go through appropriate authentication before getting their hands on the data. This involves each having a username and password, which are used to validate the identity of the user when they try to access the company files.
