Since its initial release in 1983, QuickBooks products have branched into industry-specific solutions that are tailored to specific business needs. As cloud-based services matured, the software’s developer, Intuit, launched an online version of QuickBooks that has also seen widespread adoption by organizations that aren’t wedded to the desktop version.

But what if you could use the full desktop version of QuickBooks on any device, without needing to install it, just like the SaaS version? What if you didn’t have to sacrifice functionality and features to get the full flexibility of the online version?

First, let’s review how QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online differ

QuickBooks online (also called QBO) has a few key differences with the desktop software. The most obvious one has to do with pricing. Whereas QBO, like many SaaS products, is a monthly subscription with pricing tiers that are graduated according to number of users or features, QuickBooks desktop charges an annual fee (or annual subscription, if you prefer to see it that way). 

More importantly, the functionality can vary greatly between the two product categories. Intuit seems to target QBO toward small business owners and distinguishes it through features like mobile app integration. QuickBooks Desktop software, by contrast, is actually split out into three different products—QuickBooks Pro Plus, Premier Plus and Enterprise—that offer industry-specific features and more advanced capabilities.

However, as their name suggests, the variants in the QuickBooks Desktop line are not optimized for remote access or mobile devices. This makes these QuickBooks products more PC-oriented, whereas QBO’s cloud-based and mobile app capabilities require an Internet connection.

Those differences raise an important and frequently asked question: Which QuickBooks version is best suited to your business?

Hard choices: QuickBooks Online vs Quickbooks Desktop

For organizations that can fulfill their bookkeeping requirements with QBO’s cloud-based accounting, there’s no need for them to feel pressured into using QuickBooks desktop products. The various tiers of QBO, including the basic Simple Start plan, do offer fairly rich accounting features like time tracking, expense tracking and PayPal integration as well as the ease of use that users expect from SaaS products. The monthly subscription model might also be more attractive than the desktop pricing.

Larger businesses that need robust bank reconciliation capabilities, highly scalable inventory management and flexible automation integration are probably better served by QuickBooks’ pro-grade desktop Premier and desktop Enterprise variants. In fact, even small businesses that primarily comprise desktop users might prefer some of the functionality of the desktop QuickBooks products to QuickBooks Online.

But many organizations might still be left feeling like both versions of QuickBooks have show-stopping pros and cons. Sometimes it can come down to a single essential accounting feature that one or the other is lacking. For example, an organation might want the enterprise-tier handling of bank transactions and inventory management of QuickBooks Desktop software without having to sacrifice some of the user-friendly mobile capabilities and remote access. 

Is there a QuickBooks product that offers the best of both worlds?

Cameyo turns QuickBooks Desktop into a cloud-native app

While the key differences between QBO and its desktop version counterparts will continue to exist for the foreseeable future, you can bridge the gap with Cameyo’s Virtual App Delivery (VAD) solution. Using Cameyo, organizations can provide all or part of their workforce with the desktop versions of QuickBooks—whether you’re talking Pro Plus, Premier Plus or Enterprise—on any device, no matter where those users happen to be. All without having to install & manage the application on any of those devices. 

Cameyo’s pioneering Virtual App Delivery platform provides access to the Windows-native app in real-time via a secure HTML5 browser session. That means employees on Mac, ChromeOS, Linux and Windows computers, not to mention mobile devices like iPads and Android devices, can use full-featured QuickBooks Desktop products securely at home, on the road, as well as in-house. There’s no software redevelopment involved, no compromise on functionality and no learning curve. Users can continue to work with a company file the same way they would in QBO or, say, one of the desktop pro products like QuickBooks Enterprise.

This doesn’t just open up new possibilities for organizations that feel torn between QuickBooks’ cloud-based and desktop software. It also allows desktop-centric organizations to rapidly SaaS-ify their existing QuickBooks solution. If you already have templates, a chart of accounts and ecommerce settings (such as credit card processing) configured for QuickBooks desktop, Cameyo gives you the ability to cloud-enable that install without having to engage specialized professional services to perform an on-prem to cloud migration. And Cameyo does that while also circumventing the need for expensive and insecure VPNs.

The best part is that this ability isn’t limited to QuickBooks. Cameyo enables any software for cloud-based remote access from any device—including processor-intensive titles like AutoCAD and Adobe Creative Cloud. This eliminates the pain of having to choose between the desktop features your organization needs and the simple, SaaS experience that your users want.

Whether you’re trying to decide between QBO and QuickBooks Pro Plus or you want to SaaS-enable an existing QuickBooks desktop product, sign up now for your free trial of Cameyo and see how to expand your options. Just because a software product says “Desktop” or “Enterprise” no longer means that it can’t be cloud-enabled for your workforce. And if you’d like more detail on Cameyo’s security and ease of use before giving it a test run, simply reach out to us and schedule a demo with one of our engineers instead.

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Application virtualization is the legacy blanket term for any technology that enables users to interact with a software program on an endpoint device that’s different from the one on which that program is installed. Today, application (or app) virtualization generally takes two forms: application streaming and Virtual App Delivery (VAD).

On the face of it, these two approaches might seem similar. After all, they’re both designed to distribute apps—without the need for virtual desktops—to end users. But they’re actually quite different in what they ask of end users, IT staff and cost/pricing.

What is application streaming?

Application streaming works a bit like conventional video streaming whereby a user is able to access an application stored on a remote server on demand. When the user initiates that request by, say, clicking an icon in their operating system’s GUI, only then does the app start to download to the endpoint.

By copying essential code at the outset rather than the entire software application, the user can start working with the software program almost immediately—just like you can start watching a streaming video with only a few megabytes in the buffer. Meanwhile the rest of the application data will continue downloading in the background.

But even though we’re talking about application streaming, this approach tends to rely on the same platforms that are used for desktop virtualization. Streaming applications don’t simply run on any operating system. They require a dedicated virtualization or viewing client. This means that all the same infrastructure, costs and management that are bound up in virtual desktops are also part and parcel of application streaming.

Also, when it comes to user experience, application streaming can be just as cumbersome as full-fledged virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Users have to download the client or have it preinstalled by the IT department. Before using the client, they have to authenticate with the application virtualization server, which can involve the added hassle of virtual private network (VPN) connections. All those steps can be a little too technical for your average end user, and far too cumbersome regardless of your experience level. And that complexity can negatively impact your people’s productivity or security.

Classic examples of application streaming service include Amazon AppStream 2.0, which runs solely on AWS, or Citrix’s XenApp. 

What is Virtual Application Delivery (VAD)?

When you think of “virtualization” in general and how it should function, Virtual App Delivery (VAD) works a bit more like you’d expect. Instead of downloading all or part of the application to an endpoint device, VAD distributes and runs the entire application from a host server. Of course, the end-user can still view and interact with that application in real-time as if it were running natively on their own device. The big difference is that no part of the software is saved locally.

This fundamental distinction is reflected in the distribution platform. Whereas application streaming relies on the same infrastructure as desktop virtualization to issue an app to an endpoint device, VAD is much leaner and more cost-effective. It avoids the messy conglomeration of protocols and services that go into supporting a VDI environment.

With Virtual Application Delivery (VAD), the user experience is more straightforward too. The endpoint client is really just an interactive window into the virtualized software. As a result, there are fewer potential cross-platform compatibility issues with whatever operating system the endpoint device happens to be running. In fact, with Cameyo’s Virtual App Delivery platform, end users are able to access Windows software easily and securely through any HTML5-compliant browser. That means its cross-platform support extends to mobile devices running iOS and Android, too.

Which strategy is best for you?

Although application streaming may suit some use cases, Virtual Application Delivery (VAD) enjoys several clear advantages in most scenarios. These are most apparent in what VAD doesn’t require.

• VAD is an enterprise-grade virtualization technology that doesn’t depend on cumbersome virtual desktop infrastructure. It’s more versatile, more cost-effective and easier to deploy at scale.
• With VAD, end-users don’t have to download and run a dedicated virtualization client. Cameyo’s VAD solution in particular gives users direct, secure access to all of their business-critical apps on any device with an HTML5 browser.
• The VAD user experience is superior. Users don’t have to jump through hoops like logging into a virtual desktop environment. Yet they still enjoy real-time access to the full desktop versions of their business-critical apps.
• Because VAD is easier to manage, IT staff don’t have to spend hours wrestling with policy configurations, VPNs, app updates and user privileges. They can easily enable or disable access to apps on a per-user basis.

By the same token, in reducing complexity and cost across multiple areas, VAD realizes all the anticipated benefits of application virtualization. Consider these common use cases:

• Students engaged in distance learning can access essential software more easily and from a broader range of devices with VAD.
• Remote workers who use secure VAD solutions like Cameyo can stay productive from anywhere without opening themselves up to the risk of ransomware attacks.
• Thanks to VAD’s versatility, hybrid workplaces can seamlessly bridge the constant transition between in-office and work-from-home schedules.

The best virtualization solution will naturally depend on your individual criteria. But if you’re intrigued by the advantages of virtual application delivery, Cameyo represents the best that VAD has to offer. Try out your free trial of Cameyo today and see how easy it is to secure and optimize app delivery for every one of your end users—in as little as five minutes. You also have the option to schedule a demo and have one of our engineers walk you through the features of our Virtual Application Delivery (VAD) platform.

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