Having QuickBooks “hosted” is far different than using the QuickBooks On-line edition.
The QuickBooks Online version does not have the same features and functionality as the Desktop version of QuickBooks – while having QuickBooks “hosted” by a reliable service provider allows you the best of both worlds – anytime, anywhere access to your fully functional QuickBook Pro, Premier or Enterprise desktop software!
In an article written by Joanie Mann of InSynq, Joanie shares feedback received directly from their hosting customers; as to why businesses have opted to access their QuickBooks and other applications via a hosted solution instead of handling it in-house.
Here are the leading reasons why businesses opt for a hosted solution with InSynq:
- Ability to connect anytime, anywhere, with my applications and data (48.1%)
- Ability to collaborate with team members and/or clients (21.6%)
- Ability to focus on my business and not on my technology (10.8%)
- Benefit of knowing my data is secure (3.6%)
- Benefit of 24×7 technical support (2.4%)
- Benefit of predictability in IT cost (1.2%)
As you can see, businesses of all types really value the idea of anytime, anywhere access for their QuickBooks and other critical business software.
Based on our support services and consulting work with small businesses using QuickBooks, we would have thought the “ability to focus on my business and not on my technology” would have scored higher in the survey. We see small businesses struggling on a regular basis with the technology piece of this (i.e. servers, networking, desktops, etc.). In fact, I’ve been in several businesses that were ready to toss their servers out the window.
If you find your business becoming more mobile and need “always on” access to QuickBooks, the use of a hosting service should be considered as a critical addition to your playbook.
Some important things to take into consideration:
- If you use other QuickBooks 3rd party applications – these applications must also be installed by the hosting service.
- If the 3rd party application uses other software programs – in addition to working with QuickBooks; such as Microsoft Word & Excel – they too must be installed by the hosting service.
Our Certified Payroll Solution software is and has been hosted successfully by InsynQ as well as a software partner – click here for a list of other 3rd party applications being hosted by InSynq – http://www2.cpaasp.com/software.php?sid=126
Please let us know your thoughts about having QuickBooks hosted in the comment section below.
A recent AVG Anti-Virus update was responsible for receiving the following error message when trying to open (start) QuickBooks:
An error occurred when QuickBooks tried to start the database server that manages access to the QuickBooks company file. Error (-6094,0).
According to an Intuit Support Article, this issue was resolved by AVG, who had unnecessarily detected QuickBooks as being infected with a virus.
The fix, was not pleasant and I’m certain that there were a lot of very unhappy QuickBooks users!
Correcting the problem involved the following steps:
- Update AVG to the latest virus definition
Signature file 271.1.1/2832 (AVG v9.0.814) – this update was just released to correct the issue where AVG unnecessarily detects QuickBooks as infected with a virus - Restore QuickBooks files that were quarantined by the anti-virus.
OR
Repair the QuickBooks installation.
Intuit offered the following detailed instructions for resolving Error (-6094,0):
Follow these instructions to update AVG to the latest virus definition:
- Open the AVG Anti-Virus User Interface
- Click on the Update now button on the left part of the AVG user interface
or - From the Tools menu, select Update
Important: Always make sure to download the latest virus updates so that you are always protected
Restore any QuickBooks files that are in the vault :
- Open AVG Anti-Virus User Interface
- Click History from the top menu bar and select Virus Vault
- Locate any QuickBooks files and select one file at a time
- Possible files include: qbw32.exe, qbdbmgr.exe, qbdbmgrn.exe
- Click Restore located at the bottom of the window
- Once finished restoring all QuickBooks files, click Close
- Close AVG Anti-Virus User Interface
If you are still unable to open QuickBooks, or if there were no QuickBooks files in the Virus Vault, you may need to repair the QuickBooks installation.
Click the link below for steps on repairing QuickBooks:
http://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/support/pages/knowledgebasearticle/363372
Repairing QuickBooks does not affect company data files (.QBW). The data stored in these files will remain intact.
Just a reminder for those of you still using QuickBooks Pro 2007, Premier (any flavor – Contractor, Accountant, Manufacturing, etc.) 2007, and Enterprise 7.0 – certain features will no longer be available beginning on May 31, 2010. (See below for complete details).
You will need to upgrade to QuickBooks 2010 in order to continue to use the features listed below, however, if you do not use any of the features indicated – you can still continue to use QuickBooks 2007.
If you use QuickBooks Pro/Premier 2007 OR Enterprise 7.0 and need access to:
- Assisted Payroll
- Basic Payroll
- Enhanced Payroll
- Standard Payroll
- Employee Organizer
- Merchant Services
- Billing Solution (formerly QuickBooks Online Billing)
- QuickBooks Email
- Bill Pay
- Online Banking
- Terminal Download
- Technical Support Plans and Services
YOU NEED TO UPGRADE TO QUICKBOOKS 2010.
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Where can I get the best deal on a new version of QuickBooks?
Getting the best deal on QuickBooks 2010 will require some research on your part – check out the following companies:
- Staples
- Office Depot
- Office Max
- Best Buy
- Amazon
- Costco
- Sam’s Club
- Authorized QuickBooks Affiliates (Resellers)
- Intuit’s website
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How long will it take me to install the new software and be up and running again?
That’s a difficult question to answer, process takes depends on how fast your computer(s) is, how big your QuickBooks file is, and how many computers you need to install QuickBooks on.
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Any tips or suggestions before taking the “plunge”?
Absolutely!
- Don’t do an update on the same day that you need to get billing and/or payroll out!
- Backup, backup, BACKUP your QuickBooks file
- Make sure your computer meets the requirements of handling QuickBooks 2010
- Read our Best Practices – Upgrading to a new version of QuickBooks post
Please feel free to post your comments or questions.
An interesting article from the web by Mike Block.
Most new computers now have 64-bit Windows 7. Release R5P of QuickBooks 2010 recently fixed many 64-bit Windows 7 QuickBooks Errors (please forgive the SEO repetition) for QuickBooks 2010 and QuickBooks Enterprise 10 users. These 64-bit Windows 7 QuickBooks Errors mainly involved printing, invoice transmission, and charge cards. QuickBooks also recently fixed many of these 64-bit Windows 7 QuickBooks Errors in QuickBooks 2009 and QuickBooks Enterprise 9.
This, however, seems to have been only a start at fixing some of the 64-bit Windows 7 QuickBooks Errors. Mike Block has a company with several QuickBooks files. Some of its users have XP on older computers and some use 64-bit Windows 7. They cleaned all but one very large file of QuickBooks Errors as suggested at QuickBooks Errors - QuickBooks File Repair Procedures. (This is probably the oldest such web page of QuickBooks Errors.)
Their remaining QuickBooks Errors relate only to the largest QuickBooks files. These 64-bit Windows 7 QuickBooks Errors crash the program as soon as the user tries to use Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, or Rebuild, on two 64-bit Windows 7 systems. What is very unusual is that the QuickBooks Error message is SO LONG that Mike didn’t want to post it here. If you get these QuickBooks Errors, you will know it because these QuickBooks Error messages are completely unlike all other QuickBooks Error messages in length.
Mike’s QuickBooks Point Of Contact person believes that the problem is data file damage, but it seems clear to him that these 64-bit Windows 7 QuickBooks Errors relate to the QuickBooks program. Mike say this because these QuickBooks Errors do not show up when the file runs on several XP systems. The QuickBooks Errors also did not appear when the user, at his suggestion, ran QuickBooks in XP mode, on both his 64-bit Windows 7 systems. That is why we all should agree on the next step. Mike will submit the file to the Intuit QuickBooks Data Recovery Service. This service is normally $250 to $750. It is, however, free to QuickBooks ProAdvisors if errors occur in connection with QuickBooks upgrades. Not only can this group fix problems no one else can fix, but they work with programmers to fix the program causing the problem.
Mike expects the 64-bit Windows 7 QuickBooks Errors will need such program changes. Until then users may need to limit their use of 64-bit Windows 7 systems, or run them in XP mode. The other possibility is that they can run them on a network with an XP server. We did not yet try this yet, but it may work around the problem. For more on this subscribe to the http://www.QuickBooks-Blog.com/
By Emily Maltby From The Wall Street Journal – Small Business
Like many business owners who have suffered during the downturn, Randy Lebolo decided the most reliable client for his small construction firm would be Uncle Sam.
When the real-estate market was in free fall nearly two years ago, Mr. Lebolo decided to shave staff, negotiate with his landlord for a lower lease, and begin the long process of becoming certified to bid on federal work opportunities. He finally won his first government contract recently to remodel a courtroom in a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., courthouse. But the job pays just $250,000, not nearly the lucrative amount Mr. Lebolo—who says his Boynton Beach, Fla., firm had a history of multimillion-dollar commercial construction jobs before the downturn—thought he’d land.
Many small businesses are learning that it’s not always easy to get a foot in the government’s door, and the rewards might not always seem worth the hassle. Winning a government contract can require massive amounts of research, long wait times and capital—all difficult investments for a struggling enterprise.
Documentation is required to prove small-business eligibility and to obtain a number of certifications and registrations. Owners need to learn which agencies are best to target, how to write a government proposal and how to network with procurement agents.
The process requires lots of patience. On average, businesses have found that winning a contract takes nearly two years of trying, according to a recent American Express survey of about 1,500 businesses either engaged or interested in federal procurement opportunities. Some 42% of business owners who haven’t landed their first contract said they registered in the government’s procurement system for the first time within the past two years.
That means government work might not be a viable lifeline for businesses on the brink of shuttering. Despite an influx in training and networking events, some sponsored by the Small Business Administration, winning an initial contract can require more time, energy and money than some business owners can afford. Mr. Lebolo, for instance, spent months traveling the country to attend events, and hired advisers, lawyers and accountants to help him file all the necessary paperwork.
Still, the federal government is an attractive source of money for many businesses that have lost private-sector work or clients. Roughly one in five business owners who are seeking government contracts say they are doing so to counter the ebb and flow of their business, according to the American Express survey.
The federal government is mandated to award 23% of its prime contracts to small businesses every year, which amounted to $97 billion in 2009, according to preliminary data from the SBA. And contracts from the February 2009 stimulus have been particularly lucrative for small businesses, as nearly 30%, or $7.4 billion, have gone to Main Street firms.
Stimulus opportunities will continue to flow in coming years, given that only a third of allocated funds have been paid out thus far.
Mr. Lebolo is optimistic his recently won contract will lead to more. “You need to learn the [government contracting] process slowly, take a smaller job and understand what the requirements are,” says Mr. Lebolo, who has taken a few small commercial jobs to keep his firm, Lebolo Construction Management Inc., afloat. “If they ask you to paint a door, then take it,” he says.
But even business owners who are growing and interested in new revenue streams find the government-contracting process less than attractive.
A few weeks ago, Ben Engber attended an informational event in New York City sponsored by American Express OPEN, the company’s small-business division, to learn how his Brooklyn-based software development firm, Thumbtack Technology Inc., could land government projects.
“The biggest takeaway was that it’s a different world than the one I’m used to,” Mr. Engber says, adding that government agencies “want a specific service, and have set criteria to evaluate you.” With commercial work, “you can go in and explain what you do and why it’s superior,” he says.
Mr. Engber says he’d likely need to rebrand his firm and tweak his business model before diving into the process. Knowing the amount of time and energy that would take, he has decided to hold off on pushing into the federal arena, especially since his company is growing in other areas, he says.
Mr. Lebolo, however, is shifting his firm’s strategy to primarily focus on government work. “I made a determination to look hard into the federal market because it was the only place with money,” he says.
He says he’s not frustrated by the relatively small price tag of his first government assignment. Now that the process of landing a contract is behind him, he says there is no going back to commercial construction. He hopes to grow and begin hiring again by the end of this year. “This is a long-term decision,” he says.
Write to Emily Maltby at emily.maltby@wsj.com
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