You are probably most familiar with the desktop versions. The software is maintained on your computer or fileserver. There are three types that I would like to review:
QuickBooks Pro: Includes customer tracking and invoicing, vendor tracking and payments, downloading of transactions, payroll processing, sales tax, inventory and more.
QuickBooks Premier: Includes all of the functions of the Pro version plus you can create business plans, forecast sales, and get additional industry-specific reports.
QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions: Ideal for a larger organization with multiple locations or specialized departments since it allows for more client and vendor data. In addition, it can be accessed by up to 30 users.
In most cases the Pro or Premier version will be a good fit.
Another type which is less well-known is the
QuickBooks Online version. The software is maintained on Intuit's Verisign-secured website. The user(s) are able to login from any computer that has access to the Internet. Intuit maintains the software and data on their fileservers which have data encryption. The functions are similar to QuickBooks Pro but the program does not maintain inventory. While the reports are substantial they are not as extensive as the desktop versions. Also, the speed of the software (i.e. data entry) is limited to your Internet speed.
