23 Nov Remote Access Overview
Remote Access Overview
Within the past 10 days I have spoken to more than 250 CPAs about financial statement preparation using QuickBooks and by far the most often ask question deals with the “best” way to remotely access client data to reduce the time and trouble it takes and provide the ability to eliminate all the wasted time traveling.
The answer, although not specific, is . . . it depends. We use all the different forms of data transfer and remote access. Depending on the client’s comfort level, software owned, type of work to be performed, type of internet connection, etc. Different methods work easier and more efficiently in different situations.
For some clients a simple back up from their system onto a zip disk (or floppy diskettes if it is not too large) or onto a CD works well. For others, more immediate issues or the size of the file makes e-mail a better alternative. For clients with larger files, Remote Accounting Solutions is a good alternative. For quick changes or training with clients on 2002 or 2003, the remote access feature within the QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition is a possible solution. Although, when possible, PCAnywhere (or some other remote access software such as gotomypc) is often less problematic. We do not use the Windows XP remote access feature. Mangomind is a good choice for the clients that either have difficulty with the whole transfer process or we need to both access the data quite regularly (although this solution does work best if both the client and accountant have high speed internet access). As is quite obvious, there are many solutions available. The trick is deciding which will be best for both the client and the accountant.