Nurture your money plant
Accounting software comes of age
Since the advent of computers, business applications have been the primarily popularity propellant. One of the most critical business applications is the accounting software - the backbone of a business, be it a one-man army or a Fortune 500 corporate.
Conventionally, accounting software come in all sizes and shapes ranging from a small sized software that could fit into a 1.44" Floppy Diskette, to hundreds of megabytes worth of complicated software, to open source accounting software (gnucash) to software worth thousands of dollars.
Choosing an accounting software is like choosing a pearl from the ocean - there are thousands to choose from but not many that are reliable and can do the job well. The problem further accentuates in case of a small-medium business whereby the user may not be as competent a computer user and may want a really simple solution to manage his/her finances.
Be careful when you take your pick! The following may help:
- Research and short list your solution. There are hundreds of good solutions available out there including Quicken, manageME7, MS Money and others.
- Choose a solution that you can use! Being a small business is in itself a challenge and you do not want to waste your time learning software and spend hours trying to figure out what to do. Besides, save costs when you can - you do not want to hire personnel for software!
- A web-based software could be a better choice! With a web based accounting software, you do not need to worry about changing computers, losing data, backups and what not! Try out manageME7, mint and others.
- Spend some time, flex your muscles and try out a demo!
- Check support! Email them and see how responsive they are with your support requests. You cannot wait for a week in case you run into a problem.
- Do not buy the name! Remember, the most popular solution may not always be the most suitable solution for you!
- Do not buy the price! In many a case, we tend to relate the pricing with the quality of the software. The most expensive solution might not be the one for you.
- Be flexible! With out of the box solutions (also known as commercial off the shelf software), it is hard to find a software that would exactly match your current process. At the same time, do not trade-off integral business processes - go for a custom solution in that case.
While the aforementioned might not be the definite guide, it is certainly a good starting point for your research.
The right solution is waiting for you out there - for your own sake, go and get it!
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