Can I Access My Tax Software Remotely? How?

If you wish to access your tax software remotely, then you are at the right place.
With the tax season just around the corner, every CPA firm is willing to find a way to access tax tools online.
The pandemic is at its peak, and taxes are more challenging than ever. In a situation like this, having remote access to the tax software not only seems logical but also improves your disaster preparedness.
To assist you move in a suitable direction, we have discussed three ways to access your tax software remotely. Check which is the best for your organization.

Ways To Remotely Access Your Tax Software

Remote access to tax software indicates the ability to manage your software and check its data from any device through an internet connection. You are not restricted to a physical location to access the information you need.
Let’s see how you can achieve this and improve your efficiency:

1. Online Tool

One of the easiest ways to remotely access your tax software is to purchase the online version, for instance, Drake Web Tax Solution or QuickBooks Online. These are easier to buy and manage. You just need to visit the website of the software provider and hit purchase.
● Shared access to data online.
● Optimum support.
● Secure transactions.
● Enhanced collaboration.

2. Remote Access Tools

There are multiple remote access tools that help you access your tax software online through the internet. It helps you remotely access the computer storing the information and application.
Here’s how it works:You need someone in the office to offer you TeamViewer access on the computer. From your computer or laptop, you need to establish a secure connection between your host and the computer that has the tax software. Once this connection is established according to TeamViewer guidelines, you are able to access data on the host computer.
Various other remote access tools similar to this have the ability to offer you internet access to your tax software.

3. Cloud Hosting

The final and the best option on our list is to host your tax software on the cloud. You can host practically any software on the cloud, including QuickBooks, Drake, Lacerte, or ATX. All you have to do is find the right hosting provider and move your app and data to the cloud instance.
How does this work?● With the help of a cloud hosting provider, you can migrate your software and its data to the cloud. This server instance contains everything related to your software.
● You can utilize an internet connection and password to access this cloud instance.

Why You Need Cloud Hosting?

From all three, cloud hosting is the most favorable solution on the list. Here's how:
If you use the online versions of this software, you get limited functionalities. For example, QuickBooks Enterprise is much more advanced than QuickBooks Online. So, what would you do if you wish to use QuickBooks Enterprise remotely? The only way to use the tool remotely is through cloud hosting.Similarly, for how long you can manage to get TeamViewer access to your data. Sometimes, no one would be available in the office. What about the tax season? It will be challenging to assign someone at all times during the busy season immediately.
Therefore, it seems safe to say that cloud hosting is the optimum choice, and here are some reasons that encourage us to believe so:

1. Cost-Effective

Cloud hosting is cost-effective.
● The hardware costs are mitigated. You can avoid purchasing hardware infrastructure needed for application management.
● There’s no need to hire IT staff to manage these hardware units. Your infrastructure would be managed by the service provider.
● The cost of disaster recovery is also mitigated, as you always have backups that you can recover anytime.
● The uptime is 99.999%, which reduces loss caused by downtime.
● You don’t have to spend money on up-scaling and down-scaling; at least not too much money. Down-scaling is possible, which automatically reduces your overheads.

2. Secure

Although multiple users have their doubts about the cloud, the reality says otherwise. Often, the cloud is more secure than your in-house security. Anyone can come and steal your HDD, and there’s nothing you can do at the time to restore your business information.
With a reliable cloud hosting provider, here’s what you get:
● Multi-factor authentication, so every user who signs in has to pass this authentication to securely access the cloud instance of the tax software.
● Access control to manage who can view and edit data and who can’t. It can also help in deciding which users can access certain files but not other data.
● Security controls, such as antimalware, antivirus, intrusion detection and prevention system, etc.
● Regular audits by experts to ensure no intrusions have occurred on your data. Close monitoring of apps and data.
● Regular backup support to ensure disaster recovery whenever there’s a need. These backups are redundantly stored on multiple servers.

3. Scalable

Cloud hosting is scalable. If you need more storage, you can get it anytime you want. When you need to downscale, you can decrease storage. This is a pay-per-use model, so you would be charged for services you acquire.If you use less storage for ten days in a month and more storage for the rest of the day, then your charges would be bifurcated accordingly.

4. High Uptime

Cloud hosting providers offer up to a 99.999% uptime guarantee. It indicates that the downtime is just for a few hours in a year. The loss caused to businesses due to downtime can be eliminated with the cloud.The high availability of servers ensures that the services are always up and running. Moreover, many providers offer Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery (BCDR) options to provide the services even in case of any mishap or accident.

Conclusion

The final decision of choosing the right type depends on the needs of your organization. In our view, cloud hosting is the best solution. In the long-term, this helps you manage employees and help them collaborate in an effective way. Further, if you do choose other ways of going remote, you may face issues. For example, you can’t always ask a team member to offer you TeamViewer access. In that case, you may need to visit the office to cater to client demands, which is also not always possible.Hence, the perfect solution is to implement cloud hosting, reduce costs, and improve collaboration.