As of version 2017, QuickBooks as we know it has a new name: QuickBooks Desktop 2017. This applies to both QuickBooks Pro and QuickBooks Premier. This is in line with the shift of QuickBooks Online becoming the native QuickBooks platform. Sooner or later, Intuit will remove the “Online” moniker from the brand and just call the online version “QuickBooks” – hence the additional “Desktop” branding starting in 2017. So far, I am stating only what is fairly obvious, at least in the horizon.
Calling QuickBooks Online (QB Online or QBO for short) a platform may not be fair. A computing platform is a framework on which applications can run. In and of itself, QB Online is not a platform per se. More of a platform, it is the accounting centerpiece of an ecosystem, where entities can manage their operations. There are hundreds of 3rd-party add-on online software applications that tie into QBO, expanding its capabilities as a business management system. And if the integration is not already there, there are several middleware tools that can be used to create that connection.
QB Online is not QuickBooks Desktop (QB Desktop or QBD for short), by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, we always tell clients how QB Online is so vastly different than QB Desktop, that it should not be called QuickBooks, but something else, so as to avoid possible confusion that one will look like or behave like the other. Yes, perhaps there is an overlap in the target audience between QB Online and QB Desktop, but that is not the reason to use the same QuickBooks brand for both. In fact, many well-versed QB Desktop users find QB Online less user friendly. On the other hand, users new to QuickBooks, find QB Online a lot easier to learn. So there are pros and cons from every side.
It is these differences and more that led us to create three new courses at Mendelson Academy:
- Inventory Beyond the Desktop
- QuickBooks Online – Beyond the Basics
- QuickBooks Online – Deep Dive
We created the course “Inventory Beyond the Desktop” because companies that need inventory tracking want to take advantage of cloud applications. In this course, we identify common and advanced inventory concepts, and discuss cloud software options for inventory, warehouse management, and supply chain. Participants learn what can be done within QBO and how to choose the proper cloud solution based on functional and operational needs. Just as importantly, we discuss what to watch for when converting QB Desktop to QBO inventory.
In the course “QuickBooks Online – Beyond the Basics”, we discuss the options for setting up a new company on QBO. Participants learn about the features and benefits of using QBO, as well as navigating through QBO, establishing the chart of accounts, products & services, customers, vendors, and time-tracking.
In “QuickBooks Online – Deep Dive”, we delve deeper into online world and discuss the payroll options in QBO; participants learn how to simply workflows using the Banking Center, how to implement and track sales tax, get familiar with financial and management reporting, discover additional functionality to take efficiency to a new level, and where to find the right help.
Please check our course calendar at www.mendelsonacademy.com for an up-to-date schedule and to sign up for all our classes. We look forward to seeing you “online”!
…MARIO
