Top 3 reasons tax firms choose hosting

As we all learned in 2020, “the cloud” is no longer a catch phrase; it’s an essential part of running a thriving and profitable business. Firms choose to host Intuit® Lacerte® Tax and ProSeries® Tax for a variety of reasons; here are the three most common reasons cited by our customers.

#1: Hosting provides enterprise class security

This may come as a surprise to most firms that hold firmly to their belief that their data is more secure if they can see it, control it, and find their own means to protect it, but hosting your software in the cloud is usually going to be more secure than managing it on your own or even through a local IT provider. While it’s true that you can protect on-premise applications with your own firewalls and antivirus software, control does not necessarily equal security. Unfortunately, even with some of the most intentional efforts made, mistakes still happen, which can lead to big business implications. When they’re not operating in the cloud, companies have to manage access privileges, data policies, and application security all by themselves—these usually require them to have a professional IT department watching over everything, and that is costly.

On the other hand, experienced hosting providers are data security specialists. A team of certified security experts proactively manages and protects their clients’ servers, platforms, applications, and data. Leading firms know to double down in the tax and accounting areas they are experts in, while leaving the management of servers and firewall security to hosting experts.   

#2: Reduced IT hassles and maintenance allows firms to focus on their clients

Gone are the days when you’re left to manage the installation, provisioning, and data pathing of your desktop programs to an internal server. Not only is it time consuming; it’s also harder to come to grips with non-billable time. IT management is frustrating and takes business leaders away from working on their business to working in their business.

The cloud is allowing firms to grow and optimize their business in new ways. When leading firms spend less time on IT management, they have more time to prioritize the things that are most impactful for their firms to survive, such as growth, managing client relationships, and empowering employees to do their best work. 

#3: Working remotely offers flexibility

Whether you’re still working remotely or once again working in your office, you most likely appreciate the ability to access your data from anywhere without messing with a less-than-ideal remote setup back to your computer at the office.

The flexibility to access information remotely and remain productive wherever you are is a popular motive for many firms making their way to cloud-hosting solutions. Moreover, you’re not sacrificing your workflow around a solution you’re proficient in, but rather taking the one that you’re using and putting it in the cloud.

In addition, leading firms are leveraging remote capabilities to overcome the serious challenge of staffing. Hosting software allows you to expand your talent search outside the geographical boundaries of your physical office location.

Editor’s note: Discover the advantages of the cloud for your practice; get more information on Lacerte and ProSeries cloud-hosting solutions. This article was originally published June 12, 2020, and updated with new content on March 30, 2022.