Talking about "The Cloud" is becoming common nowadays but nine years ago when we first hosted Sage, I was the man from Mars. No one would risk it, mainly because it was simply 'too new'. We used it for clients who didn't need to know! With the advent of new forms of accounting software such as Xero, naturally in the Cloud, with massive marketing budgets it's become normal and indeed arguably preferable to the old fashioned software on the local pc.
Is it here to stay - no question! We reckon it's so important that we have embraced Xero alongside Sage as the two online systems we offer. The days of locally installed and supported software are numbered. The benefits of The Cloud are considerable - far less cost is the most obvious, to buy, to maintain and to use. IT department costs are usually an accepted overhead but why not challenge that cost.
As to security I know where I would put my money, the Cloud every time compared with the average client backup. OK one has to be realistic and reckon that there is a risk of downtime but unless you're running a mission critical or time sensitive system then this should be manageable.
Speaking to accountants, as I do a lot, what's become very common is the enthusiasm for sharing accounting systems live with clients (as if BookCheck hasn't been doing that for nine years!) so I smile a bit - the new world has arrived. It's a great advantage to share - it helps, it binds, it supports and it develops a client relationship and so easily.
Anthony Pilkington, Managing Director, BookCheck Ltd