Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Business happens, even when you're not at your desk. If youtravel a lot, but you still need to keep an eye on yourcompany's numbers, why not keep your books on the Net?Intuit's new QuickBooks for the Web could be your answer.
For $14.95 per month, QuickBooks for the Web offers manyof the features you've seen in other Intuit products, such asaccess to checking and credit card accounts, check-writing,accounts payable and basic accounts receivable. If your business isservice-oriented, this Web-based service lets you and yourcompany's managers access key information anywhere, any time.That can be invaluable in today's fast-paced businessenvironment. Because it lacks a solid inventory module, however,this service wouldn't be the best choice for amanufacturer.
The good news is, you don't need to have a background inaccounting to use it. QuickBooks for the Web's interface iseven more streamlined and easy-to-use than the packaged version ofQuickBooks from which it was derived.
Incredibly, it has an even simpler look, fewer menu choices andvery few graphics, allowing Web pages to load faster. This may notmatter when you're operating from the broadband connection inyour office, but you'll appreciate it if you use a dial-upconnection when you want to check numbers from your home office oron the road from your laptop computer.
The sparse interface makes navigation easy in most areas. Forexample, when writing a check, the clean page setup leaves no roomfor confusion. But other areas, such as the reports section, areoverrun with text, which can be hard to scroll through. Still, youdo get several ease-of-use features that can speed up your work.For example, the AutoFill feature draws on the information you havealready entered, making filling out forms and writing checksquicker. The automated billing features allow you to schedulerecurring payments, which can save time.
QuickBooks for the Web is a multiuser service, so yourcompany's administrator can grant access to as many individualsas necessary-all for the $14.95 monthly fee. (By comparison,Web-based rival NetLedger charges $4.95 per month per user.)QuickBooks for the Web could be the better deal if you have a lotof users. But then, NetLedger offers payroll and inventory and alsoallows you to upload your QuickBooks files. QuickBooks for the Web,on the other hand, doesn't let you upload the files from itssister accounting package.
To share information company-wide, simply assign passwords anddesignate user-access levels. Then your marketing department in LosAngeles can share information with your sales office inChicago-although, without an inventory function, your sales staffwon't be checking price changes or supply levels on products, acommon remote activity.
Like many software-based accounting programs, QuickBooks for theWeb is not necessarily meant to replace your accountant. Instead,it's an easy way to grant him or her remote access to yourbooks. As a manager, you want to be able to stay on top of youraccounts payable, receivable and cash flow. But you don't wantthe drudgery of quarterly tax accounting and reporting. Give thatto the accountant.
While QuickBooks for the Web's remote access comes in handy,Intuit hasn't gone quite far enough. Specifically, this servicedoesn't synch with QuickBooks Pro or any other desktopsoftware, so your access is always through the Internet. That meansif your Net connection is down, you're out of luck. Not tomention, all your data is stored on Intuit's servers, so getready to relinquish control. A natural disaster, or Intuit changingits mind about its Web-based business model, could spell troubledown the road.
And then there's security issue. intuit says the data isprotected with encryption and each company's data is kept inseparate physical partitions on Intuit's firewall-protectedservers. The company insists the data is backed up, but is a littlefuzzy on the details. It's up to you whether you want to leaveyour financial data in the hands of someone else's-completely.of course, Intuit's hands have proved to be reliable in thepast (See "BuyerZone," December, for more information on choosing anASP.)
Bottom Line, quickBooks for the Web is a good collaborative toolwith solid accounting features for your business. With a fewtweaks, it could be a lot better.
Liane Gouthro, a former technology reporter atPCWorld.com, freelances from her home in Brookline,Massachusetts.
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