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“Cloud computing” is a term that’s been slowly but surely gaining momentum. From Amazon and Google to HP and Intuit, companies of all shapes and sizes are now offering cloud-based services. But what exactly is the cloud? And how it improve the delivery of Intuit’s Quickbooks accounting software?

The cloud is somewhat of a catch-all term used to describe applications and services hosted on remote computers (known as servers). These servers deliver the applications and services to clients via the Internet.

Here’s an example: in the old days, companies were forced to purchase individual floppy disks or CD ROMs of software to use on their workers’ computers. Once purchased, the disc was placed into the computer for installation. Cloud computing differs in the sense that it does not require a physical copy of the software. The worker simply accesses the software over the Internet, without having to worry about discs.

One of the main advantages of using cloud-based software as opposed to traditional software is the simple fact that it can be accessed anywhere, anytime — assuming you have access to the Internet. Whether you are sitting in the office or lounging hundreds of miles away on vacation, you can access cloud software via the Internet. Just log into the secure terminal, at which point you’ll have full access to the software.

Another advantage of cloud software is automated backups. If your main computer was ever lost, stolen, or suffered a data crash, would your business stay afloat? Thankfully, using cloud-based software means that your data is automatically backed up. Let’s hope it never happens, but in the event that something happens to your main computer, you can rest assured knowing that your data is backed up to the cloud.

If you want to leverage the power of cloud computing with Quickbooks, you should sign up for Hosted Quickbooks, such as the service offered here at MyVao.com. We’ve talked about this before on our blog, but it’s worth mentioning again that Hosted Quickbooks is actually the Desktop version that’s hosted on the cloud by an authorized third-party organization. This means you get all of the features of Desktop Quickbooks, which trumps Quickbooks Online, while still being able to take advantage of the cloud. You simply log into a portal to access your account, at which point you’ll have full access to Desktop Quickbooks.