Choosing a new Accounting product? There are a lot around, but there are a few of these new 'Online' products going around now as well. So what do I chose, a propriety product or an online product? I will go through a couple of options here for you so that at the end, you will know the benefits of both systems and can make an educated choice.

What are the options? Well, a proprietary software system is something like QuickBooks or MYOB, which is a system that comes in a box and requires you to download it from the CD onto the computers hard drive. It's then installed on the hard drive and can be used locally through the one system. These systems are the industry standard today and they are found all over the world.

Online systems are the new kids on the block. An example is the new system from Zenago called Cutty Sark (The Trader). You can see a tour of this system on www.cuttysark.co.nz. These systems work by purchasing a login and then you're away. The data is housed in one of the many secure data centres that are monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your account can be managed and viewed wherever your laptop (and soon your cell phone) can get service, servers are maintained so they don't break down, secure by bank level encryption and backed up everyday. You can see why these systems are taking off!

These are the two main systems around now, of course you can still write your accounting down, but you need a calculator for that!

So lets talk benefits. The proprietary software systems are yours once you buy the disk. You will always have that disk. Since they have been around for a while, there are many variations, such as payroll, basic systems, advanced systems, retail systems etc. and Timesheeting.

Check out how you could benefit from Cutty Sark Accounting Software

Benefits
1. 24/7 access, 360 degrees of the planet. You can follow your businesses from anywhere.
2. Advisors can login and have visibility of your accounts
3. Zenago's integrated online systems make painful data entry a thing of the past with transaction matching tools
4. Security - Data is stored on our secure servers and backed up daily. So even if the power goes down or your computer is lost or stolen, your data is safe
5. Automatically import bank statements
6. Invoice via email
7. Easy accounting across multiple businesses
8. When the Government changes the law, the system is automatically updated to comply.
The options for your business now are huge. The time has gone where the calculator was the only tool you used and when the government changed the law your accounting system went out of date. You have the benefits of technology mixing with accounting, and just in Time accounting.