How to Remote Access TaxAct Software?

In today’s world, every organization plans to increase work flexibility by integrating a “work from home” or hybrid model in their business process. According to Forbes, in 2023, around 12.7% of employees were working from home, and 28.2% were in hybrid mode.

Similarly, the tax firms using TaxAct software are looking to adopt the same model. However, the challenge with adopting a remote work model is that TaxAct desktop software does not offer remote access.

Let’s check out some ways in which tax preparers can access TaxAct software from remote locations.

Accessing TaxAct Software Remotely

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

A VPN or Virtual Private Network is a technology that creates a private channel between the system (server or PC) where TaxAct is installed and the device through which you are accessing the software. You can install VPN software on your laptop, put in the credentials, and access TaxAct on your office PC.

Benefits:

• Cost-effective: VPN is a very cost-effective solution to remote access TaxAct software. You can find various free VPN software in the market.
• Easy to Use: VPN technology is easy to install and use; it needs no technical expertise.
• Secures Connection: VPN secures your connection from public WIFI. Hence, you can access TaxAct, even from a café.

Drawbacks:

• Degrades Performance: As a VPN connection creates a secure channel on the internet bandwidth, it works at slower speeds than the actual internet.
• Device Dependent: You need to install VPN software on a device to access TaxAct software. Hence, you can’t use any device to access the software.

Remote Desktop Services

A feature of the Windows operating system, Remote Desktop Services (RDS) allows users to access TaxAct software installed on a local Windows server. Hence, you can still keep the tax operation running when working from home. All you need to do is install a Windows Desktop client and start working.

Benefits:

• Multi-user Access: With Remote Desktop Services, multiple users can create sessions on the Windows server at the same time.
• Platform Compatibility: Windows Remote Desktop Services have a desktop client for each platform, like Windows, Mac, or Linux. Hence, it does not matter which operating system you have at home.

Drawbacks:

• Performance: With RDS, multiple users can access TaxAct software. However, as the number of users increases, the server performance decreases. Consequently, you can experience lag while accessing TaxAct.
• Licensing: Windows RDS is a paid service where you need to pay for the Windows server license. Additionally, there are charges for the RDS license of every desktop client.

Hosted Virtual Desktop

Hosted Virtual Desktops (HVD) are virtual desktops created on the cloud using VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) technology. These desktops offer the same experience as a physical desktop with all your apps and data. You can install TaxAct software in these virtual desktops, and access it remotely from any location.

Benefits:

• Customization: Unlike a physical PC where the OS is mapped with the system resources, a hosted virtual desktop enables you to customize your desktop’s OS (Windows, Ubuntu, MacOS, etc.) as you please.
• Performance: HVDs are created on high-performance computing servers, ensuring that you get uninterrupted access while working on TaxAct software.

Drawbacks:

• Cost: Hosted Virtual Desktop offers you a complete desktop experience. Hence, if you are looking for solutions to remote access TaxAct only, HVD can prove to be costly.

Cloud Hosting

TaxAct cloud hosting is the process of installing the tax software in the cloud infrastructure of a third-party service provider. With TaxAct on the cloud, you can use any portable device, such as a tablet or a smartphone, to remote access TaxAct software.

Benefits:

• Collaboration: TaxAct cloud hosting enables any number of users to work simultaneously on the tax process. Moreover, you can give access permissions (for specific files) to the users according to their role.
• Secure Access: Cloud hosting offers the most secure remote access to TaxAct software. The hosting providers deploy security methods like data encryption, MFA (multi-factor authentication), etc., to ensure only authorized access.
• Platform Independent: Cloud hosting empowers you to log in to the cloud through a web browser and start working on your tax process. Hence, it does not matter which device you use to log in to the cloud.

Drawbacks:

• Cost: Cloud hosting offers you a complete platform for your tax process. Hence, if you want a solution to remote access TaxAct software only, cloud hosting might not be in your budget.

TaxAct Cloud Hosting vs. TaxAct On-premises

Since you now know about the various methods of accessing TaxAct software remotely, let’s look at some of the other benefits that hosting TaxAct on the cloud offers compared to installing it on the local system.

Enhanced Security

On-premises TaxAct software is vulnerable to various security threats, like phishing or DDoS attacks. To counter this, you need to deploy a robust security infrastructure, which can be quite expensive.

The TaxAct cloud hosting providers ensure data security at all levels, be it physical, network, or endpoint. At the physical level, they host your tax software and data in highly secure data centers with 24/7 CCTV surveillance, multi-stage access, and server monitoring. At the network level, they deploy advanced firewalls to prevent any intrusion of malicious data. And, at the endpoint level, the latest antivirus and antimalware software is installed.

Reduced Local IT Dependence

TaxAct software on the cloud offers you freedom from the local IT infrastructure. In the on-premise scenario, as TaxAct is installed on the local system, be it a PC or server, you need an IT team for maintenance, setup, and upgrade. Moreover, you need the team to be available whenever an issue arises.

With TaxAct Cloud hosting, the cloud hosting provider takes care of all IT responsibilities. As your tax software is hosted on the cloud, you do not need an IT team to maintain the on-premise hardware.

Unlimited Resources

Any on-premise hardware comes with limited resources (RAM, storage, etc.). As your tax data grows with time or new updates of TaxAct are released, you need to upgrade the local system (or buy a new one). This leads to additional costs and IT hassles.

Contrastingly, cloud-hosted TaxAct offers you unlimited system resources for tax data storage and TaxAct software. As your data grows and new updates come in, your cloud space is updated automatically.
Round-the-clock Support

When you install TaxAct software in the local system, you need a specialized IT team to be at your beck and call whenever an issue arises. For instance, you are accessing the TaxAct software remotely from a different time zone. What if you were to find yourself in a situation where you urgently need extra space and you’re not quite sure how to delete the backups that take so much space? Will the IT team be available then?

The cloud hosting providers offer 24/7/365 customer support over call, chat, and email. Hence, anytime you experience an issue with hosting, you can connect with their cloud experts.

Cost-Effectiveness

Installing TaxAct desktop software comes with certain operational and capital costs. The cost of buying and upgrading the local system absorbs a significant part of your budget. On top of that, paying the salaries of a dedicated and skilled IT team makes the entire tax process expensive.

By opting for cloud hosting, you must pay an annual or monthly charge as per your business requirements. All the costs of buying and setting up the IT infrastructure are eliminated as TaxAct is on the cloud, and you need a basic device to access it remotely.

BCDR

In the case of a local IT infrastructure, certain uncontrollable events can disrupt your entire tax operations. For instance, there can be a power outage in the locality or a fire on the premises. Your area can also be affected by natural disasters like earthquakes.

The cloud service providers are well-equipped to deal with these crises. A good provider implements Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery (BCDR), under which the TaxAct software and data are replicated on multiple servers in different geographical locations. Hence, you can keep on working even in the case of a crisis.

Get More Than Remote Accessing TaxAct Software

Accessing TaxAct software remotely solves only one challenge of any desktop software. However, various other issues with the local IT infrastructure, such as cyberattacks, IT costs, technical support, etc. can hamper the tax process.

You can overcome all these challenges with TaxAct cloud hosting. The best TaxAct hosting providers, like ACE, offer enterprise-grade security, 99.99% availability, and 24/7/365 customer support to host your TaxAct Software in a High-performance computing environment.

Get a 7-day free trial and experience the benefits of TaxAct on the cloud. Call us at +1-855-223-4887 now.