Cloud-Based Accounting Firms and How to Find Them

Hence why it is time to look behind these cloud-based accounting firms and how you can tell them apart from those accounting businesses which do not utilize the benefits of online accounting.

Why are cloud-based firms better?

Just like your accounting software itself, your accountant can fully operate from the cloud. They can continuously monitor your books and correct them if needed, since your online accounting solution records everything in real time in a mutual ledger. Furthermore, the firm doesn’t have to be based in an office or, in fact, in your state: the data the firm needs is always available no matter where they are. Moreover, the convenience of availability applies to you as well: whether you are in your office our on the road, you can do accounting tasks in a jiffy and let the software (and later the accountants) do the rest for you.

How to recognize a cloud-based accounting firm from quite a long way

The easiest method to be sure that you are dealing with a cloud-based accounting firm is to search for their listing in your preferred online accounting solution’s advisory list. It is guaranteed that the first hits will mostly be related to cloud accounting firms, or at least accountants with the right certification. By the way, if you are searching for such a firm using Google, the very first thing you need to look for is whether the company has the necessary certification or if not, whether it mentions the existence of said document in some way.

Another way to recognize a cloud-based firm is to check which online solutions they use. Since accounting is an umbrella term comprising of invoicing, estimating, time tracking, payroll and so on, the more accountancy-related software the firm can handle, the better chances are you are at the right place. Be sure to look into the used third-party solutions as well: they have to be able to integrate into the accounting software either directly or via a process automation solution like Zapier or OneSaas.

Last but not least, do not be surprised if the firm also offers offline accounting: as weird as it may sound, there are still some businesses which don’t trust cloud-based accounting solutions, therefore they stick to the traditional method of bookkeeping. However, do not think of it as a disadvantage: in fact, it shows that the accounting firm can be versatile and face challenges in an effective manner by appealing to less tech-savvy businesses while also thinking outside of the box – and, not to mention, keeping a “lifeboat” in cases of emergency.