What accounting software do you use? Most of our clients used to use Simply (Sage 50) for their business bookkeeping, whereas Quickbooks is a comparatively newer trend. Lately, however, our clients have been increasingly moving to the Cloud – mostly with Quickbooks Online or Intacct.
One advantage of online software is that it’s always up to date. Changes and improvements show up when you log on each day. No need to pay for and download the next update, then struggle to install it and update your data. In the online world, it just happens – all the time.
In January, we updated our network and ran into a glitch with our clients’ old Simply (Sage) files. We couldn’t get older versions of it to play happily with our updated Citrix operating software, and Sage was no help. Their policy is, “Sorry, but we only support the current and prior year versions.” We eventually found a workaround, but it required that we update each file.
The trouble is that we have many clients who refuse to update their version of Simply, and they are probably not alone in this. Some of you won’t update because of the cost. You feel that you’ve paid for the software once and that should be enough. Some of you will be afraid of learning a “different” system, or you think, “I’m only going to have to do this for a few more years, so why bother with change at all?”
Update or be left behind
Vendors update their software to make it better. Accounting software is a competitive industry and vendors have to change or die. Users are the winners, with better and easier to use programs coming out all the time.
Accounting software isn’t the only thing improving. So are the operating systems, hardware and complementary software such as Microsoft Office. Software vendors have to update to fix bugs, stay relevant or even work at all on new computers. It’s a question of “keeping up.”
So why do software vendors update their software and then refuse to support their older versions? All this updating is expensive and vendors choose to focus their spending on the new versions. Why should they fix an issue and still spend money supporting old, outdated software?
If you aren’t updating your accounting software, this is one more reason to consider it. What will happen when you run into difficulties with your 2006 version, or it won’t run on the new laptop you had to buy when yours bit the dust, and Sage (or Quickbooks) says “Sorry, we don’t support 2006”?
We recommend regularly updating all of your software. The expense is worth the improved functionality and keeping up with the latest developments. And, yes, being able to call for support when you need it.
Better yet, consider the online, Cloud-based version. Then you’ll never have to “update” again.