Latest / The Accounting Podcast / SNH19: Desktop Accounting Podcast
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- This episode of The Cloud Accounting Podcast is sponsored by LivePlan. Did you know that millions of small businesses use LivePlan products to start their business? Did you know that these small businesses prefer a cloud-based accounting solution two times more versus a desktop solution? Did you know that 89 percent of these small business owners prefer virtual advisory services? Did you know that the number-one thing they want from an expert advisor is strategic planning and review? This is even more than general-ledger accounting, and bookkeeping services. Did you know that LivePlan has an expert advisory directory that you can join to gain access to these millions of small businesses? To learn more about becoming a LivePlan expert advisor, head over to CloudAccountingPodcast.promo/liveplan. That is Cloud Accounting Podcast dot promo forward slash L-I-V-E-P-L-A-N and be sure to check out the LivePlan method to learn how to grow and scale your advisory business. David Leary: Welcome to The Cloud Accounting Podcast I'm your host, David Leary. Lori Davis: And I'm Lori Davis with The Desktop Accounting Podcast- Ollie Blaine: And I'm Ollie Blaine, [00:01:00] also with The Desktop Accounting Podcast. David Leary: Well, Lori, and Ollie, thanks for joining us. This is pretty exciting. You guys kinda got a lot of eyeballs when you guys first launched your Desktop Accounting Podcast. Got some people motivated. Some people reacted negatively to your podcast being launched; even somebody created a Paper Accounting Podcast, I think mocking you. Nobody thought it was a serious thing. We're here at Scaling New Heights; we're doing an in-person interview, which is exciting. Scaling New Heights started on Sunday; so, it [00:01:30] was yesterday - full day. Then today is more training and then tomorrow there's more. Wednesday, there's about a half day or full day of training. There's four days of sessions; there's four days of apps; there's four days of information out there. What are you two looking forward to the most? Lori Davis: Well, for one thing, we are a little disappointed to see how little of the conference does actually really support the desktop user. Very, very few sessions this year. We used to be able to come to Scaling New Heights and get a ton of information on those sessions. The ones that are really focused on desktop, like QuickBooks Desktop for Contractors, part one and two, Troubleshooting QuickBooks [00:02:00] Desktop, Cash to Equity, parts one and two - those are some sessions that we're really interested in attending. Ollie Blaine: There's also some really great Excel sessions, which, as you know, I love Excel. I, at one time, did everything in Excel and slowly moved over to desktop accounting. I'm really excited for some of the special feature sessions. There is one session that's got my eye - Excel, Google, or Xolo: Which Spreadsheet is Right for You and why? David Leary: Xolo has a spreadsheet? I didn't know that. [00:02:30] Ollie Blaine: Mm-hmm. I'm sure it's going to be an interesting session, but let's be honest, there is no contest. Excel- Lori Davis: All the way, baby. Ollie Blaine: All the way. David Leary: What would you say your feeling is ... You're right, historically, I think at Scaling New Heights, it was always a little heavier desktop-focused- Lori Davis: Right. David Leary: -and it's been transitioning. What would you say the percentage of sessions and just people's mindsets ...? Are we now at like 80-20 cloud v. desktop, or is it still 62 ...? Lori Davis: Well, [00:03:00] it's always been our theory that the desktop users continue to make up the majority of the people who attend the conferences; that we really are ... We really do continue to be the silent majority. As far as the number of sessions here, there's ... I remember when we came a couple of years ago, it was probably 80-percent desktop and 20-percent online. I'd say that's more than flopped. It's maybe 10-percent desktop classes now and 90-percent online. David Leary: But, you feel like a lot of the attendees are still- especially at this conference, still have a lot of clients in QuickBooks [00:03:30] Desktop; they're still using desktop-hosted solutions. Lori Davis: Right. Ollie Blaine: Oh, yeah. Everybody wants to talk about the cloud, but let's be honest - the world runs on the desktop. Do you think, like Intuit ... Is Intuit running on cloud-based accounting software? David Leary: That I don't know [cross talk] Ollie Blaine: I bet you know the biggest companies in the world are not running cloud-accounting software; they're running on desktop, or server-based software, David. David Leary: In-house. That's like ... Blake's in mid-market and [00:04:00] heading towards enterprise market with FloQast, so this would be his domain, but Blake's not with us today to discuss that more. Did you guys see, Right Networks had a keynote yesterday? Right Networks has been- for those listeners that maybe don't know - Right Networks hosts QuickBooks Desktop in the cloud. They've been acquiring a couple of companies. They acquired Transaction Pro Importer to get data into QuickBooks Desktop. They also acquired Propelware, which is software to help you sync your QuickBooks Desktop to other apps. [00:04:30] I wasn't sure in the keynote if I understood it correctly, and maybe I can get you guys' take, but it sounds like they were going to ... Currently, I think if you have QuickBooks Desktop, and you wanna sync apps - you guys are the experts in this - you have to have QuickBooks open in order to sync data? Lori Davis: That's what you typically had to do in the past. David Leary: Versus cloud ... Lori Davis: It's like every minute, all the time, which is great and all, but cloud comes with its own challenges, as well. Ollie Blaine: I think the Desktop does that for security, right? You [00:05:00] don't want some crazy app messing with your general ledger, so that is a form of security. David Leary: It looks like Right Networks, at least the way they presented it, sounds like they're going to let ... Even when you're not logged in to your Right Networks machine - is this correct - an app could actually still write to the data, which is gonna give it a little bit more from a developer standpoint and an app perspective; a little bit more of a "cloud" feel. Is desktop evolving into cloud? Lori Davis: Right. Well [cross talk] my theory is Right Networks is [00:05:30] kind of doing that, as far as here, they're supporting the desktop, but they're really in the cloud, so now we have seen some of the same challenges that we had with being in the cloud anyways. Now I have to have an internet connection to work with my desktop software. I have a little bit of mixed feelings about the solution of the hosted desktop, because I feel like it really takes a lot of the advantages of being desktop-based, and things we talked about our last podcast, like you're never down; you never have to be around the internet; you can work on an airplane successfully without having to pay the extra fee. Now, with Right Networks- [00:06:00] David Leary: That's a big one. That adds up. Lori Davis: Right? It really does. Now, with Right Networks, it's like you still ... Now, you have to be on the cloud. It's like taking the desktop world and moving it to the cloud, which is great, and I'm glad to be able to use my tried and trusty desktop anywhere I go, but it does- it does kind of leave me feeling a little bit longing for the world where I could just open my computer and go- David Leary: Desktop software, now, is on hosted environments, and pretty much, you're at the same risk you are if you're just using the regular cloud, like a desktop-hosted [00:06:30] cloud ... If the internet's down, you can't access it. Lori Davis: Right. David Leary: If you're an airplane and the Wi-Fi's flaky, you can't access it, right, whatever it is ... If you're gonna experience those problems anyways, accessing your desktop-hosted solution, why not just shift all the way to cloud? I'm sorry ... Ollie Blaine: Come on, David. The truth is like I haven't had downtime since August 4th, 2002. 16 years, 10 months, 13 days- David Leary: Is your server underneath your desk? Ollie Blaine: No, no, no, my [00:07:00] laptop [cross talk] David Leary: Oh, your laptop; you don't have a server [cross talk] Ollie Blaine: No, no, I am ... I used to have a desktop. I guess I should ... You've exposed me. I use a laptop now. No, but I don't have downtime. It allows constant productivity. We talked about that in our first episode - the power of constant productivity with the desktop. David Leary: It's interesting, because I would put you guys in a lucky bucket, because I remember back in the day ... A lot of listeners know I was at Intuit for a [00:07:30] very long time. I started out doing tech support. I did tech support for QuickBooks DOS, for QuickBooks Desktop Windows. People's computers- their hard drives would crash. Their house would get struck by lightning, and they'd lose all their QuickBooks data. They'd have to start over; they'd have to buy a new server; get a new hard drive. You've just been lucky. Ollie Blaine: I've got a UPS. I get the best hard drives. It's doable now. David Leary: It's doable. Okay. Ollie Blaine: It's doable. David Leary: Any other Scaling New Heights highlights you wanna call out? Did you see anything yet exciting? Ollie Blaine: Well, I'm excited to talk to Intuit. Intuit's [00:08:00] coming out with a show of force, so I think we'll have a good chance to catch up with some desktop-accounting professionals from Intuit. I'm hopeful that they can give us the dirt on what's really going on. David Leary: I saw Intuit had some sort of Illuminati-looking thing in the hallway; some signs ... Is that like a secret desktop society? Ollie Blaine: Maybe. I don't know. Lori Davis: We were also thinking Desktop Accounting Podcast might need to start our own conference, since everyone else seems to be abandoning the desktop world, and we really deserve to be supported. We really are the silent [00:08:30] majority on this. Back to our roots, people. David Leary: I was gonna actually ask you, what is next for The Desktop Accounting Podcast? Ollie Blaine: Been a real struggle to find good news. I feel like the media has turned their backs on desktop accounting. It's really been a struggle to get the information. We have to really dive into release notes. The companies are kind of hiding their desktop products a little bit more. It's been tough. David Leary: You guys are out there fighting the good fight, trying to find the stories, bringing them to the audience- Lori Davis: Fighting the good fight. Ollie Blaine: Every day. Lori Davis: Start our own conference; start [00:09:00] the movement back to our roots! #backtoourroots! David Leary: Back to your roots. Enjoy the rest of the conference-. Ollie Blaine: Thanks, David. David Leary: We'll see you around. I'll say hi to Blake for you. Ollie Blaine: Yeah- Lori Davis: Yeah, sounds great! David Leary: For any listeners out there that maybe you want to tune into The Desktop Accounting Podcast, or get a hold of you, what's the best way? Ollie Blaine: Just search for Desktop Accounting Podcast and it will be the first search result- David Leary: All right, and Twitter? Are you on Twitter? Are there any socials? Ollie Blaine: We do have a Twitter account. Also, Desktop Accounting Podcast. You can find us there. David Leary: We'll [00:09:30] get you linked out in the show notes, so, if you guys want to get a hold of- listen to The Desktop Accounting Podcast, definitely, you'll have to look into the show notes. Lori Davis: Thanks for having us, David [cross talk] David Leary: Thanks for joining us. Bye, Lori; bye, Ollie ... Bye, everybody. This episode of The Cloud Accounting Podcast is sponsored by TOA Global. As you know, most firms struggle with attracting, managing, and retaining staff, and finding staff is getting tougher every day. This is where TOA Global can help. 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