If there’s anything we’ve learned from the unfortunate arrival of COVID-19, it’s that businesses need to thrive remotely if they want to survive.
Cloud software isn’t exactly a new concept anymore, but some fields are trickier to adapt to an online workflow or require substantial time investment to get started. Accounting is one of these fields, and firms using CaseWare products may have once found themselves in a difficult situation trying to utilize our desktop applications in a fully remote environment.
CaseWare Cloud seems like the obvious solution, but when your firm is so used to Working Papers and it’s wealth of functionality, is making a complete transition to Cloud really the best answer?
Desktop or Cloud... Why not both?
Hybrid Cloud is what we call the integration between our desktop application — CaseWare Working Papers — and the CaseWare Cloud platform. Through this integration, firms can continue to work on engagements through Working Papers, while incorporating Cloud functionality and collaboration features.
Some key benefits include:
Online storage to access your files remotely
File access control and management using Cloud roles
Enhanced file protection with Cloud security
Simultaneous file collaboration and synchronization functionality
Direct connectivity with additional Cloud apps, such as AnalyticsAI and PBC Requests
Improved performance compared to a Citrix or terminal server environment.
So why choose? Hybrid Cloud gives businesses a chance to gradually evolve their workflow by combining the best offerings from both our desktop and Cloud platforms.
Moving on up...!
The first step to get your practice started with Hybrid Cloud involves migrating all of your desktop data — staff lists, entities, trial balance data, and files — up to the cloud.
This migration process is often a major deterrent for businesses looking to adopt new software solutions, so we’ve developed tools to make it as painless as possible. Each tool is based on the size of your firm’s migration, so firms with smaller data sets can easily migrate file data using CloudBridge, external software data using the Cloud Import Utility, and all other data through Cloud itself. For large data sets, take advantage of our Migration Manager tool that uploads all of your firm’s data in bulk. Contact CaseWare Support to find out the best approach for you.
Bringing it all together
Once you’ve migrated all of your data to Cloud, the ‘hybrid’ component comes into play. Integrating Working Papers with Cloud creates a seamless work environment for your staff to complete their engagements. The integration process is as simple as entering your Cloud site information into Working Papers and logging in; you’re immediately able to access your files on Cloud and additional functionality from the Working Papers ribbon. You can also expand the integration to include Cloud apps such as AnalyticsAI and PBC Requests, allowing your staff to continue their work on the desktop application while having access to a wide range of CaseWare’s offerings.