Small firms. . . what are you doing?

[ajp]

We are a small firm, currently 3 preparers. One of the three is in the process of retiring.  Currently, we have one machine set up as a server/administrator.  We are set up as a LAN.  It has worked fairly well.  Now, with COVID, we are working remotely more often.  We are using LogMeIn to do this.  It has me thinking about next year.  LogMeIn is ok, but it makes things slow.  

What do other small firms do?  We would like to share access to client files, but mostly so anyone can answer questions, etc.  We primarily have our own clients.  I am not sure if we should continue with this network style license or if we should simply have three stand-alone licenses?  

I like the form based approach of ProSeries.  I have been looking at the product compare, but I am just not finding answers to what I need.  It looks like ProConnect is cloud based, but then it also looks like ProSeries has "cloud hosting" as an option.  What is the difference between cloud based and cloud hosting?

Thanks everyone!

[Just-Lisa-Now- · Accepted solution]

ProConnect Tax Online is completely different software....it appears to be clunky to use, I see people struggle with it all the time.

Id look into ProSeries Hosting, sounds more like what you could utilize.

https://proconnect.intuit.com/proseries/faqs-hosting/

[ajp]

Thanks!

Now to figure out pricing, and other details.  🙂

[atxcpa]

I was in much the same position as you going into this season.  I researched hosting options so that we could have the option to work remotely if needed.  After much research, I decided to try RightNetworks hosting of ProSeries Professional.  It has proven to be a disastrous decision and after reading other reviews, I'm afraid I'm not the only one that has had issues.  The platform corrupted my files, removed them HomeBase, and erased data in them.  After many sessions with my tech support rep, I cancelled my subscription and moved back to my local network.  Since I was within my initial 30 days, I requested a full refund as promised me by my sales rep. Not only did they not cancel my subscription as they confirmed, they continued to charge me.  Every request takes four phone calls and three emails, it seems, to get an appropriate response.  In theory, I think the platform is a great idea, but they clearly rushed this product to compete with other hosting platforms and are not ready to provide the service they promise.

[qbteachmt]

"What is the difference between cloud based and cloud hosting?"

Cloud Based = it's on the servers of the business that owns and runs the functions. Example: Google Docs live in the Google Cloud. You access them from your own system (phone, desktop, whatever) through the Google-provided portal.

Hosted= instead of being installed on your computer, the program is installed on someone else's computer. You pay them to be available to you through their portal. Example: MS Office can be the Cloud version or installed to run locally.

But the Office tools are programmed to have the similar "look and feel" no matter which you are using. That won't be true with ProConnect vs ProSeries. They are different programs. So this is more like asking "Should I take the bus along with everyone else (ProConnect) or drive my own car (ProSeries installed locally) or have a private car with driver come to my door (Hosted ProSeries)."

The Hosting service will make all the difference in your experience. I would never work with Right Networks.

And there is a big data center in Ogden UT that had a fire over Easter Weekend, affecting service providers such as Webnx and Gorilla Servers, that has been down for most of last week, doing disaster recovery. You want a provider that has co-location. If the servers in UT go down, the server farm in AZ or CA picks up from the latest mirrored status.

[ajp]

Thanks for the details.  It turned out to be a moot point.  The subscription fee was way beyond anything our small firm could consider so we stuck with our own local network.