How to Set up Your QuickBooks Server for Multi-User Access, and Why

What would make you set up your QuickBooks server for multi-user access?

Maybe it was the time you realized you’d been working with the wrong data all day. Or that other time, when your coworker accidentally saved over your updates, leaving you with hours of work and no one to hear you scream.

These are the nightmares hosted QuickBooks is meant to avoid. Now, instead of balling your hands up into furious little fists and cursing the very existence of computers, you can collaborate with your colleagues in real time. All you have to do is set up a server to host multi-user access to QuickBooks. One virtual machine, one data store, no stray versions or erased data.

The Benefits of Enabling a Multi-User Network With QuickBooks Hosting

Multi-user access may be the greatest of the many useful features of QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, because of all that it makes possible. Consider what your team could do with:

Real-Time User Collaboration Across Accounting Teams

No one is a fan of a bottleneck, especially in the system they rely on for daily work. But that’s exactly what you get when you have to wait for one person to save and exit software — then confirm they really, truly are done — before you can do your job. With multi-user access, your team can work together on the same information at the same time. Anyone can see what their colleagues are doing, and a clear history means you can track any change right back to the source.

In those critical moments where all hands are needed, this can be the difference between meeting a deadline and trying to craft a convincing excuse. QuickBooks Desktop lets you save your creativity for better things.

Learn more about QuickBooks Desktop pricing here

Bookkeeping Software That’s Accessible to Anyone (But Not Everyone)

QuickBooks with multi-user access transforms work by allowing anyone on your team being able to access your books anywhere they happen to be. But that kind of availability comes with its own concerns, especially when you’re talking about the sensitive financial information of your company and clients.

For those worried about hosting QuickBooks in the cloud and enabling multi-user access, fear not! Not only does everyone require a login to access the data, admins can assign permissions down to the task. You control what data each team member can see, and what actions they’re allowed to take with it.

If you’re less worried about security and more worried about an accidental mishap, QuickBooks has you covered there, too. The software has a change log capturing each update and who made it. And if you work with a hosting provider like Summit to get your QuickBooks in the cloud, we can establish a robust chain of backups so you’re always able to get back to business ASAP.

Data Syncing to Take Version Control Out of the Picture for Company Files

For most people working in organizations bigger than 10 or so people, just hearing “wrong file” can summon heartburn. When multi-user access for QuickBooks is enabled, it doesn’t just mean several colleagues can work on the books at once. It means there is only one book. Everyone is accessing and making changes to the same data store, so no one is wasting time looking at outdated information, and no one is working off of outdated numbers.

Hosted QuickBooks Desktop also handles version control. If you ever need to go back a step, you have a clear log of what has happened in the data. Just find the moment when things went awry, and restore the data to good working order for everyone at once.

Useful for day-to-day accounting — absolutely critical when it's time for reconciliation, reporting or audits.

See a full list of features available with QuickBooks Desktop vs. QuickBooks Online here

If your business is big enough and/or complex enough to be considering QuickBooks Desktop, these features mentioned above are likely non-negotiable. Multiple people need to not just access data, but change it, at different levels, at the same time, without ever working over each other.

How to Setup QuickBooks Hosting for Multi-User Mode

Once your business has decided that QuickBooks Desktop is right for you, you have to decide how you want to host it — locally or in the cloud. The first is a straightforward option for colocated, in-office teams, but those are increasingly rare. For companies with multiple locations or remote workforces, only a cloud-hosted solution will enable true multiuser access. Companies with large and capable internal IT teams can manage this in house. We have a step-by-step guide for businesses interested in taking on the project of self-hosting QuickBooks. It’s a lot. For the businesses that can’t rely on an internal IT team, or who just want QuickBooks Desktop to work as easily as QuickBooks Online does, the simplest way to set up multi-user access for QuickBooks is to find a trusted partner, like Summit, to handle all of these details for you — with 24/7/365 support.

Regardless of whether you choose local or cloud-hosted QuickBooks, there are a few critical steps every company has to take.

Preparing QuickBooks Desktop for Local or Cloud Hosting

1. Install a version of QuickBooks Desktop that’s equipped for multi-user access.

This used to be trickier, when QuickBooks offered Premier, Pro and other software tiers. Now, every QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise user is in the same bucket, with the same ability to set up multi-user permissions.

2. Identify users and assign permissions.

Switching to a new product is a great time to audit who has access to what tools, and how much. Look at your current setup. Is anyone missing? Is anyone unnecessary? Does everyone require the same access and permissions? Taking the time to answer these questions will speed up implementation and protect your data once it’s in its new environment.

3. Train all users on the new system.

A tool is only as good as the person who wields it. Before you switch all of your company’s financial data from one system to another, establish training guides and host training sessions to make sure everyone is prepared to make the most out of the new environment.

4. Map the network drive.

Create a drive to hold all the QuickBooks files users need access to. This gets data to users much faster than having to login into the rest of the network. Make sure the right permissions are set for all users.

5. Regularly review user access.

Remember, when QuickBooks Desktop is hosted in the cloud, anyone can access the information from anywhere, provided they have a login. To keep bad actors or disgruntled employees out, set a schedule time every month or more — depending on your organization — to review permissions and clear out any users who no longer need access.

Running QuickBooks Desktop on a Cloud

For accountants in small to mid-sized businesses, there really is no other accounting software that beats QuickBooks, even with its quirks. And when all you have to do is contact a cloud hosting provider to help you manage the servers, it’s a no brainer. With the many benefits of QuickBooks Desktop lined up on one side and the drawbacks on another, it’s clear that Desktop weighs out.

If your business is interested in using QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise on a cloud server, Summit can make it happen for you.