In a previous blog, “Why you should switch your small business to cloud accounting (part 1)” we looked at our top three reasons why we love the cloud –
- Anywhere, any time access
- Collaboration and transparency
- Saving valuable resources (like time, money and maybe even your sanity)
However, if you’re contemplating making the switch, you’ve got more to consider than just the obvious benefits. Have you considered the safety and security of your data being hosted?
Very possibly you, like other small business owners are concerned with the security of hosting their data in the cloud. In fact, a recent survey conducted by accounting technology consultants Smithink found that 66% of accountancy professionals were either moderately or very concerned about the security of their data hosted in the cloud.
Hence, choosing the right provider – someone who employs strict business protocols to ensure their security is tight – can help alleviate these fears.
That’s why we thought you might appreciate some further insight into the security of a cloud accounting package like Intuit QuickBooks Online so you can see exactly why we love – and trust – QBO!
Intuit QuickBooks Online & the security of your data
The security of your data should be your top priority (just like it is ours here at Squirrel Street), and that’s why cloud technology is so awesome! Even if a company laptop/phone/tablet breaks down, is stolen or is run over (yes we’ve seen that happen more than once!), no one can gain access to your data unless they have your login and password details.
And, all things are stored in the cloud, meaning your data is continually backed up across multiple servers; so you never have to worry about losing data and you can control the level of access given to each user!
QBO’s “7 reasons to believe” outline their security protocols, including:
1. Staff and automated tools which monitor service performance around the clock and production equipment hosted securely on servers with 24/7 physical security, including a full-time security staff, video surveillance and alarms to prevent high-tech breaches.
2. Your financial data is kept private and protected by industry-recognised security safeguards – QBO is a VeriSign Secured product.
3. You get the convenience of automatic offsite storage without the extra effort and cost of managing physical backup copies on your own.
4. QBO is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program, an independent third party organisation whose mission is to accelerate online trust among consumers and organisations globally through its leading privacy trustmark and innovative trust solutions.
5. Redundant servers and a self-correcting error detection program mean that you can have access to your data online, anywhere and any time, even if one of the servers becomes unavailable, another kicks-in in its place. So your data, or your access to that data won’t be affected.
6. You get to make the rules – you decide and control who can access your data, what they see and what they can do with it.
7. QBO offers unique Always-On Activity Log and Audit Trail features, which records every login to the service and any changes made to each financial transaction. That means nothing can happen to your records without you (or your accountant) knowing about it and you’ll always have a paper trail to trace all transactions back to their source!
And better yet, with QBO, there’s no need to install software or worry about ongoing upgrades and maintenance – it’s all done for you! Seriously, don’t all those updates/installs just drive you mental? Us too!
Of course, if that’s not evidence enough of a strict security system, you can find more on QBO’s security here. You can (and we encourage you to) also read up on Squirrel Street’s security policy too!
If you’re ready to make the switch to cloud accounting, you can get started with a free QBO trial today. Of course, if you’d like to know more about cloud technology or integrating your accounting package with your Squirrel Street account, you can give us a call on 1300 00 1333 (AU) or 0508 00 1333 (NZ) or drop us a note.
