Outsource Considerations for Small Business
Recently, Gartner Research Group projected that the IT
service market will grow to $760 billion by 2009, with
more IT services purchased as part of an outsourcing
arrangement than on a one-off project basis. In an
independent market analysis, the Everest Research
Institute recorded a 40 percent growth in global finance
and accounting outsourcing in 2006. What does this mean
for accountants and SMBs? Generally speaking, it means
that BPO (business process outsourcing) has gained a
firm hold as a fundamental asset in today’s business.
Outsourcing plays an important role in small business
because it allows an organization to focus on its core
operations and the activities that generate revenue.
Within the typical small business, a substantial amount
of time is spent handling non-strategic tasks, such as
bookkeeping or computer network maintenance. It’s no
surprise though, considering a business could not exist
without these basic components. The good news is that
there are solutions out there that can alleviate some of
the stress of handling these tasks.
Quality
outsourcers use a combination of efficient tools and
low-cost labor to help automate and streamline an
organization’s processes. It is their competency to
improve current business methods by applying technology
and structured business processes that an organization
either lacks or has not taken full advantage of.
Outsourcers That Use e-Accounting
The e-Accounting model has done more than act as
a bridge for accountants and their clients, it has
created the means for bookkeeping outsourcers to
offer their services in real-time as well. e-
Accounting has enabled outsourcing firms like
Accountiviti to offer their services anytime,
anywhere to clients using ASP technology and IT
infrastructure that supports real-time data access.
With e-Accounting’s hosted Windows desktop,
accountants and their clients are able share data
and work in the same files simultaneously. This
allows outsourcers to provide their services to clients
more effectively.
Accountiviti is one outsourcer that knows the value
of e-Accounting and has adopted it into their
business
model. As a bookkeeping outsourcer, they know the
importance of having real-time data accessibility for
their clients. Using e-Accounting’s Virtual Desktop,
Accountiviti can share data with clients and have the
functionality of a Microsoft Windows Desktop and all
of the necessary Windows applications.
The following testimonial is from an actual
Accountiviti client;
Accountiviti Inc. has been handling the daily general
accounting and bookkeeping services for our
organization since 1996. They handle our accounting
needs which include accounts payable, accounts
receivable, payroll, bank reconciliation and monthly
closing with financial reports.
Two years ago they introduced us to an online
accounting system which would not only save us
money but would allow us to access our accounting
data from anywhere, anytime in the world. It also
provided us with access to the MS office applications
we needed. This service was the Virtual Desktop
provided by e-Accounting.
Novell Highlights e-Accounting
e-Accounting was discussed in the June issue of
Novell Cool Solutions, which is a publication for the
Open Source giant. Because e-Accounting enables
not only Windows users, but also Mac and LINUX, the
services work well for those who use open source
and alternative software solutions.
Novell says: "Virtual Desktops are easy to use and
affordable, requiring no big initial investment. Your
service can be installed in a fraction of the time that
a traditional network takes, without all the mystery.
If you already have Internet access in your
business ... then you're 95 percent installed!"
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