How to Choose the Best QuickBooks Hosting Provider for Your Business

QuickBooks Desktop can become difficult to manage when your business needs remote access, multi-user collaboration, reliable backups, and consistent performance. QuickBooks hosting lets you run QuickBooks Desktop and store your company files on a managed cloud server, so your team can access the accounting environment remotely. But selecting the best QuickBooks hosting provider is about more than just monthly price comparison. Consider compatibility with QuickBooks, hosting performance, backups, security, uptime, user capacity, third-party application support, technical support, scalability, and cost, among other factors.

In this guide, we’ll discuss what QuickBooks hosting is, why businesses should consider it, what to look for in a hosting provider, QuickBooks hosting costs and security, who should use it, how to choose the right hosting plan, and why Cloudies365 can be a suitable option for your business.

What Is QuickBooks Hosting?

QuickBooks hosting (also known as QuickBooks Cloud or Hosted QuickBooks) runs QuickBooks Desktop and its company files on a remote cloud server instead of a local computer or office server. A third-party hosting provider manages the server and hosted environment, while authorized users access QuickBooks over the internet.

QuickBooks hosting is different from QuickBooks Online, which is a separate cloud-based QuickBooks product. With hosting, users can work remotely with current versions of QuickBooks Desktop, such as Pro, Premier, Accountant, and Enterprise. This allows users to have cloud access without replacing Desktop with QuickBooks Online.

Why Should Businesses Consider QuickBooks Hosting?

QuickBooks hosting can help businesses access QuickBooks Desktop remotely, collaborate on shared company files, and reduce local server management. It also shifts infrastructure, backup, maintenance, and security responsibilities to a hosting provider. Here are the key benefits businesses can expect from QuickBooks hosting:

Remote Access and Collaboration

Access QuickBooks Desktop and company files from devices with an internet connection. Multiple authorized users can work on the same files without repeatedly transferring or exchanging company data. 

Performance and Scalability

A properly configured QuickBooks hosting environment can provide consistent performance and support additional users as business requirements grow. Capacity depends on the hosting plan and available resources. 

Reduced IT Infrastructure Costs

Decreases server and related hardware purchase, maintenance, upgrading, and replacement at the local level. The hosting provider is responsible for the underlying infrastructure.

Automated Backups and Maintenance

The provider can take care of regular backups, maintenance of servers, software updates, security patches, etc., freeing up your own IT staff.

Security

Firewalls, encryption, access control, and/or multi-factor authentication can all be used to secure this financial information within a managed hosting environment. Different plans and providers vary in their security features.

Third-Party Integration

Connect hosted QuickBooks Desktop with compatible CRM, payroll, inventory, billing, payment, and other business applications to support connected accounting and operational workflows.

What Should You Look for in a QuickBooks Hosting Provider?

Choosing the best QuickBooks hosting provider requires checking Intuit authorization, QuickBooks compatibility, security, uptime, backups, support, scalability, and total pricing.

Here are the key factors to evaluate when choosing a QuickBooks cloud hosting provider:

Intuit Authorization

Confirm that the QuickBooks hosting service has Intuit authorization. This helps to verify that the provider is compliant with requirements for hosting supported QuickBooks Desktop products as set forth by Intuit.

QuickBooks Compatibility

Ensure that your QuickBooks Desktop edition, version, features, and add-ons are compatible with the QuickBooks hosting service you are considering. Be sure to check for compatibility with third-party applications as well before you migrate your data.

Security and Data Protection

Look for encryption, multi-factor authentication, firewalls, access controls, and threat monitoring. Ask how the provider protects sensitive accounting data from unauthorized access.

Automated Backups and Disaster Recovery

Ensure that the provider has an established retention policy and that backups are done on a regular basis. Also inquire how quickly it can recover your QuickBooks files after you delete them or after a system crash or other catastrophe.

Customer Support

Check response times, support options, escalation processes, and what is included. Your QuickBooks hosting provider should assist you with access, permissions, printing, email settings, integrations, and hosting-related issues.

Performance and Scalability

Evaluate server resources, network performance, and user capacity. The hosting plan should support additional users and resources as your business grows without requiring an immediate platform change.

Transparent Pricing

Compare the complete QuickBooks hosting cost, not just the starting price. Check user fees, setup charges, migration costs, storage, add-ons, and support fees before signing the agreement.

How Much Does QuickBooks Hosting Cost?

QuickBooks hosting plans generally cost about $ to $ per user per month for standard shared plans, while dedicated hosting can range from $ to $ per user per month. Businesses that choose an Intuit software-and-hosting bundle need to pay $ or more per month, depending on the package and requirements. Here is the complete breakdown of the QuickBooks hosting pricing. 

QuickBooks Hosting Option	Best For	Indicative Pricing	What You’ll Get
Standard Shared Hosting	Small businesses and individual users	$–$ /user/month	QuickBooks Desktop hosting, remote access, backups, security, and standard support
Premium Shared Hosting	Growing teams	$–$ /user/month	Higher resources, multi-user access, additional storage, and enhanced support
Dedicated Hosting	Larger businesses and accounting firms	$ –$ /user/month	Dedicated resources, greater control, customization, and higher performance
Intuit Enterprise with Cloud Hosting	Businesses using QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise	From $ /month	QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, cloud hosting, online storage, security features, and hosting support

Note: The third-party pricing ranges are indicative figures for budgeting purposes only and do not represent fixed market rates. The actual cost to host QuickBooks varies depending on the hosting provider, QuickBooks version, number of users, resources, level of support, storage, and other services.

Who Should Use QuickBooks Hosting?

QuickBooks hosting is perfect for organizations that want remote access to QuickBooks Desktop, shared company files, and collaboration on the Desktop version of QuickBooks without on-premises servers.

Here are the businesses that can benefit most from QuickBooks hosting:

• Accounting Firms and CPAs
• Growing and Enterprise Businesses
• Construction and Contracting Firms
• Remote and Multi-Location Teams
• Businesses That Need QuickBooks Desktop Without Local Servers
• Businesses Using Compatible QuickBooks Add-Ons
• Businesses Planning to Scale Their Accounting Operations

How to Choose the Right QuickBooks Hosting Plan for Your Business?

Choose a QuickBooks hosting plan based on the features and resources your business actually needs. Focus on user capacity, performance, security, integrations, support, and the total cost before selecting a plan.

Here are tips to choose the best QuickBooks hosting plan for your business:

User Capacity and Scalability

Select a plan that supports your current team and lets you add users as your business grows. 

Performance and Resources

Check the available CPU, RAM, storage, and network capacity, especially if you manage large company files or multiple users. 

Security and Compliance

Discuss protections including multi-factor authentication, encryption, firewalls, Access Controls, and any relevant security certifications.

Backup and Uptime

Make sure to check uptime SLA’s for the provider, backup frequency, data retention, and data recovery for access and protection.

Add-ons Compatibility

Ensure that the hosting environment is compatible not only with the version of QuickBooks Desktop in use, but also with any third-party application that your business requires.

Technical Support

Check the availability of support, response time, support channels, and how much support is included in a plan.

Total Cost

Compare the full QuickBooks hosting cost, including user fees, setup, migration, storage, support, and additional services.

Why is Cloudies365 the Best QuickBooks Cloud Hosting Provider?

Cloudies365 is a QuickBooks cloud hosting provider that runs QuickBooks Desktop in a managed cloud environment for secure, remote access. It stands out through QuickBooks-focused migration, scalable resources, add-on compatibility, and dedicated technical assistance.

Here are the key reasons to choose Cloudies365 for QuickBooks hosting:

QuickBooks-Centric Hosting

Get a cloud environment built specifically around QuickBooks Desktop usage rather than a generic application-hosting setup. 

Guided QuickBooks Migration

Move your existing company files to the hosted environment with support for migration, user setup, and configuration. 

Right-Sized Resources

Instead of paying for infrastructure you don’t need, choose hosting resources based on your users, workload, size of company files, and application requirements.

QuickBooks Add-On Support

Integrate compatible payroll, inventory, CRM, billing, and other applications with your hosted QuickBooks environment.

Built to Scale

Scale by adding users or resources as needed, without having to replace your hosting environment.

Dedicated QuickBooks Assistance

Get support for QuickBooks access, user configuration, application setup, and hosting-related issues from one team.

Conclusion

Choose the best QuickBooks hosting provider by comparing Intuit authorization, QuickBooks compatibility, security, uptime, backups, technical support, scalability, integrations, migration assistance, and total hosting cost. These factors help you select a provider that fits your accounting workload, user requirements, and budget. Consider the number of users, your edition of QuickBooks and performance needs, required add-ons and security requirements, as well as growth potential when selecting a plan. Instead of just comparing the monthly price, compare the total QuickBooks hosting cost.

Frequently Asked Questions