8 Factors to Consider Before Moving QuickBooks Premier to the Cloud

One of the most popular accounting software, QuickBooks Premier, helps you organize all your finances in one place. Besides, you can use the accounting software for printing checks easily, paying bills, tracking expenses, importing all your contacts from Excel or other email address books, and more. However, to use the software’s full potential, you need to host it on the cloud. QuickBooks Premier on the cloud offers broader capabilities than the traditional on-premise desktop solution. When hosted on the cloud, you can access all your files and QB Premier data remotely using your preferred devices. Additionally, real-time access to the files allows you to make critical business decisions while on the move. 

You must consider specific factors to move your QuickBooks Premier to the cloud. Doing this will help you understand a hosted QB Premier and how to get the most out of it.

Moving QuickBooks Premier on the Cloud? Factors to Consider! 

1. Discuss QB Premier Cloud Migration with Your Employees 

It can be uncomfortable for your employees if they encounter a sudden change in the internal process of their daily tasks with accounting. It’s recommended that you discuss the shift with them so that they can accommodate themselves to the new environment. 

• Ensure that you have communicated the extended functionalities of the cloud 
• Discuss your QB Premier migration plan with any future cloud users 
• Conduct a training session on how to access QB Premier from a cloud-hosted server 

2. Communicate Your Business Goals: 

Before moving your QB Premier on the cloud, ensure that you’ve a clear discussion of your business goals with the cloud hosting provider. You must clearly set your expectations about the hosted environment. Further, you can ask the hosting provider as many questions as possible. Here’s a list of queries that you may ask the hosting provider:  

• What are the various data security mechanisms, and how can they protect your business data? 
• How scalable are their hosting services, and are they flexible enough to change per the business needs?  
• Are there any limitations to the number of users who can access the server? 
• Where is the data center located? 
• Does the hosting provider have a robust disaster recovery mechanism in place? 
• Do they provide round-the-clock customer support, and what are the various means of communication? 

3. Set a Deployment Process 

You can host QuickBooks Premier on the cloud in two ways. You can either sign up with a reliable cloud hosting provider or do it yourself. While signing up with a hosting provider is a straightforward and economical process, it includes high capital expenditure if you do it yourself. Besides, you need a deep understanding of cloud hosting. So, if you plan to host QB Premier on the cloud, decide whether you want to set up the cloud infrastructure yourself or go for the services of a QuickBooks hosting provider.  

4. Evaluate Your Internet Service 

Hosting QuickBooks Premier on the cloud requires a good and reliable internet connection. Remote access to QuickBooks Premier is possible only if you have a good internet connection. Using a slow or unstable internet connection could lead to connectivity issues or a lag in the loading speed of the application. So, ensure that you have no problems with your ISP’s services. If required, upgrade your existing internet plan to have a seamless QB Premier hosting experience while working remotely. 

5. Authenticity of Hosting Provider 

When you opt for hosting QB Premier on the cloud by availing the services of a cloud hosting provider, you must check the trustworthiness of the service provider. You can go through user reviews online and find out how well your preferred cloud provider is established. You can check the below-mentioned reliability aspects before migrating QuickBooks Premier on the cloud: 

• Disaster recovery mechanism 
• Business continuity 
• Regular software upgrades 
• Backup policy 
• Managed services 
• Customer service 
• SLA-backed server uptime 
• Multi-user collaboration 
• Add-on integrations 

 6. Data Security 

If you plan to choose a hosting provider to migrate QuickBooks Premier on the cloud, you must ensure that your data is fully protected and secure. Before choosing a hosting provider, do some research and check what kind of security protocols are included in your hosting plan. You can check for the below-mentioned security features with your cloud hosting provider:  

• Multi-level firewall system 
• Virus and malware protection 
• Anti-spyware program 
• End-to-end encryption 
• Multi-factor authentication 
• Secure cloud locations 
• Data access management 
• Data backup and disaster recovery 

 7. Adherence to Regulatory Compliances 

Irrespective of the size and sort of your business, you must adhere to standard regulatory compliances. This helps you improve operational efficiency, achieve high-quality standards, and build a positive reputation in the market. If you are a CPA or an accounting firm looking to migrate QuickBooks Premier on the cloud, you must follow regulatory compliances like GAAP, SEC, SOX, etc. If you plan to avail services from the hosting providers, ensure that they adhere to regulatory compliances like SSAE-16, ISO/IEC 19941:2017, ISO/IEC 19086-1:2016, etc. 

8. Service-Level Agreement (SLA) 

A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a cloud hosting provider and a client. The agreement entails every aspect of the services the hosting provider offers. With SLA in place, the client and the hosting provider are bound legally, so you must have a good walkthrough of the agreement. 

The SLA has a detailed description of the hosting provider’s services, the tenure of the service, transition details, and more. All your decisions go on the agreement, so you must ensure that all your team members agree to the terms, as this directly impacts on the team. 

Concluding Thoughts 

As you can see, there are so many important things to consider before moving QuickBooks Premier to the cloud. If you find the right hosting provider, ensure you do all the validations mentioned here. 

The eight things to consider listed here should be your checklist while moving to the cloud. Use them to ensure you make all the correct decisions for your business.