QuickBooks To Update Or Not To Update
I tend to work on the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” level. I’m never the first person out selling the latest business technology and I never recommend the latest and greatest software for your business systems production environment. But, you can count on me to be on the bleeding edge with my own business software and hardware, both in production and in testing and evaluation. After all, I do this for a living.
I’m comfortably familiar with the bleeding edge, except when it comes to QuickBooks, the software I use to bill and count money; that’s right, MONEY. It took me from 1999 to 2008 to change my own version of QuickBooks. There is just too much at stake to move me off of the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” level. Change isn’t easy so if you want to change a software version, one needs a very compelling reason to do so. And one needs to schedule the transition carefully and deliberately, to positively impact one’s business, as opposed to the other stuff I constantly read about.
So, if you see one of these, avoid the urge to press the left button.
You’ll thank yourself later. After all, it’s too close to the end of the year, tax season and 5:00pm.
Cloud QuickBooks – Let Me Lay It Out For You
What’s all the fuss about QuickBooks not being ready for cloud computing? This one’s easy. Since version 9, Intuit fully supports QuickBooks Enterprise installed on Microsoft Server 2008 with Terminal Services deployed. Details for installing QuickBooks on a Terminal Server clear up any questions about setup and make the process easy for anyone schooled in Server 2008 Terminal Services.
Currently available hosted QuickBooks solutions sets the precedent for reasonable speed, performance and security of applications solutions from vendors like InsynQ, Right Networks, Real Time Data Services, myownasp.com and many others. Licensed through Intuit for hosting QuickBooks Pro through Enterprise and various add on software, these companies move thousands of QuickBooks users off of local computers, into hosted data centers with stable monthly services charges, usually around $50 per user. Strong arguments can be made for these solutions to be QuickBooks in the cloud, but not by popular definitions.
Contributors to Wikipedia state that cloud computing “typically involves the provision of dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources as a service over the Internet.” The key phrase here is “dynamically scalable” placing cloud computing firmly in the realm of services from Amazon Web Services, gogrid, The RackSpace Cloud and others. The “cloud computing” model, pay-as-you-go for server RAM hours, data transfer and storage usage easily scales from one to thirty users, the size of a large QuickBooks Enterprise deployment.
So, what about your QuickBooks in the cloud?
It’s a matter of time before QuickBooks Enterprise will not be the only product supported on Microsoft Terminal Services, by Intuit. Until that time comes, focus on using Enterprise for your cloud computing environment. Size your Windows 2008 server for the appropriate amount of QuickBooks users and add on software. Provision your Windows Server 2008 resources from a cloud service provider. Configure your virtual server to use terminal services. Complete a routine remote installation of QuickBooks Enterprise, a very straight forward task. Determine your method to deploy the application or desktop to end users. Copy your production company files and databases to your virtual server.
Your now in the cloud with your production QuickBooks environment. Enjoy the control you have over configurations and licensing. Scale to your maximum thirty users as needed by provisioning processor, RAM and storage as needed. Perform processor intensive operations like company file verify and rebuild, manipulating financial statements and spreadsheet operations on your virtual server’s desktop. Best of all, pay-as-you-go for computing resources. Your virtual QuickBooks Multi User environment in the cloud will pay big returns. ROI determined by your monthly expense compared to market pricing of hosted QuickBooks users, currently $50, should help make your evaluation and decision making process easy.
QuickBooks PCI Compliant
Beginning in 2004, the single most important question that merchants need to ask about their business software has to do with PCI Compliance. “The Payment Card Industry (PCI) has created the Data Security Standards (DSS) in order to support merchants. Credit Card companies now require merchants to be aware of and compliant with the Data Security Standards… Merchants, Is Your POS System PCI Compliant?”
Point of Sale or POS systems bear the brunt of the load when it comes to credit card transactions in the modern retail sales business establishment. It’s nice to know that according to VISA’s List of Validated Payment Applications , Intuit’s QuickBooks ranks as a fully PCI compliant software. I consistently recommend QuickBooks Merchant Services to clients mostly because it mitigates PCI risk.
I also recommend that people use the old style dial out or dual ip-dial out credit card terminal that uses a standard telephone line whenever possible because it shifts PCI compliance back to the merchant service provider. Avoid the newer network type terminals because no typical small business network can pass PCI’s muster without the business spending a great deal of money on special firewalls and logging software.
I’m simply amazed that since 2004, credit card companies and banks have successfully shifted the risk of data breach to merchants that use their services all while building inherently less secure transactional hardware and software APIs simply because of the need to connect through the Internet.
Merchants are in a terrible position. Check out this video.
The bankers birthed an entire new business model on unloading credit card risk to merchants. Kind of reminds you of the ridiculous fees and interest rates we are paying to the same banks.
QuickBooks Multi User Server Uses Up A License
Question: I recently set up the XP Pro QuickBooks server and have a couple of questions.
The only way for all users to have access to files is to keep QuickBooks open on the server. This, in turn is using up one of my licenses. I have tried the server manager, but it is not allowing users to access the files.
Is this the way it has to be setup? How can I fix this?
Answer: No, this is not the way it has to be set up. The entire version of QuickBooks should be installed on your server and hosting company files does not require QuickBooks to stay open or use up a user license.
The only time a user license comes into play on the server is when QuickBooks is open and has a company file open on the server for those times that you might be configuring automation or performing file maintenance.
These steps will clear up your installation:
1 – Restart your server then access the server’s desktop.
2 – Open QuickBooks with the Admin user and confirm that the server is hosting multi user access. From file, select Utilities. The drop out menu will show "Stop Hosting Multi-User Access…" (see below) The server is the only QuickBooks installation that should show "Stop Hosting Multi-User Access…"
3 – Select the F2 key to pop out the "Product Information" screen (see below). Print the screen or take note of these items. At the top, the "Product" "License Number", "Product number" and "User Licenses" needs to match on each computer that has QuickBooks installed. The "File Information" "Location" needs to be the network location and match on each computer accessing QuickBooks including the server.
4 – Confirm that you have unique users set up in QuickBooks. Select "Company" then "Set Up Users And Passwords" then "Set Up Users…" (see below) Every unique logon to QuickBooks requires a unique user.
5 – Close QuickBooks on the server
6 – Open QuickBooks on each client computer confirm that the server is hosting multi user access. From file, select Utilities. The drop out menu will show "Host Multi-User Access…" (see below)
7 – On each client computer, select the F2 key to pop out the "Product Information" screen and confirm that each item in step 3 matches.
Update your clients to the latest version if the "Product" does not match. Contact QuickBooks support if the "License Number", "Product number" and "User Licenses" do not match. Browse to open company files from the correct network location if "File Information" "Location" does not match.
8 – Confirm that no firewall software is turned on or running on either the server or any of the clients. Firewalls belong on your Internet gateway device, not on your business desktop computer. If you use a laptop, you need to learn how to disable and enable the firewall software.
Download QuickBooks 2010, Try Without Hurting Current QuickBooks Company Files
Today is the QuickBooks 2010 release date.
You will most certainly want to upgrade from your present version of QuickBooks to QuickBooks 2010. There are many New Features in QuickBooks 2010. My favorite new feature; “Scan documents directly into QuickBooks and attach them electronically to QuickBooks transactions”
However, please don’t endanger your current production QuickBooks. Try out QuickBooks 2010 without messing up your production quickbooks using one of several ways.
First, download the QuickBooks Solutions For Your Industry or, you can Save 20% off QuickBooks Pro Small Business Accounting Software + Free Shipping
Next, if you plan to buy a new computer in the next several months, purchase a new PC that is upgradable to Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate. Purchase QuickBooks 2010, install it on your new PC. Restore one of your company files on your new PC and start experimenting.
Use this combination as a tool to help you plan your upgrade after the first QuickBooks 2010 updates come out in several months. Then, in several months, install your clean version of Windows 7 on the new PC and move it into production.
Another great way to test QuickBooks 2010 without purchasing a new PC requires installing Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 to your current XP or Vista PC. Virtual PC 2007 allows you to create a virtual computer inside of your present computer. Follow the Virtual PC 2007 instructions, install Windows XP, Vista or 7 on your virtual computer. Install QuickBooks 2010 on your virtual computer.
Then get with the program; learn about QuickBooks 2010 and create your upgrade plan.
