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I work in a company with 3 people who regularly use the same Quickbooks file. However, they work remotely on different networks. I need to implement a solution that allows all three of us to access Quickbooks at the same time remotely (and each make changes at the same time). We have a spare desktop PC that can be utilized as a server.

So, my question is: what is the cheapest and most hassle-free solution to solving this problem?

I've considered using application cloud hosting, however, it is very expensive ($40 per user a month) and we are on a tight budget. Is it possible to install Quickbooks on my own server, and have them connect to it remotely? If so, what is the best way to accomplish this? Remote desktop protocol? Or is there a built in feature for this with Quickbooks Premier 2013?

EDIT: As MDMarra mentioned, I am looking for a solution that offers true simultaneous access. Will using a dedicated server and having users connect to a VPN be a viable solution?

airietis
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2 Answers2

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One of the biggest problems you will have with QuickBooks is that the connection to the "QuickBooks Server" or the computer with the company file needs to be a low latency, minimum 40mbps connection.

To give you a for instance. We have a dedicated fiber connection from one location to another. One houses the QuickBooks server - both locations have people that use it. There was a problem with our dedicated fiber (100mbps) and we were rerouted, adding approximately 11ms of latency to our connection.

The way QuickBooks and Windows handle the file sharing in their Server-Client setup actually cannot handle any sort of latency like this, because it the time between packets sent and ack becomes too long with the TCP transport. Users were ANGRY.

Your only solution is actually to use Remote Desktop connections or some other situation where multiple users can log into another machine. Any latency from a VPN connection will be felt brutally by the QuickBooks Client-Server architecture and will cause huge delays and problems for the users.

One thing you can do is check your latency on these VPN connections and induce latency through two bridged nics on a linux box for testing. I'd leave some room to wiggle, although I think if you are much over about 20ms latency, you will find the client-server solution you are considering to be abysmal.

I think to go that route you may need to have a copy of QuickBooks Enterprise, however and a Terminal Server and licensing such as that definitely doesn't fit a tight budget.

JTWOOD
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Most cloud solutions wouldn't be true simultaneous access. Things like DropBox or Skydrive would give each user a copy and then as they're saved, conflicting files will be created, leaving your quickboks data in an inconsistent state.

You are going to need to host the data on a central file server and give access across the remote networks through a VPN or similar technology. Each user will need a locally installed and licensed version of QuickBooks in this situation.

For more info about what supported multi-user scenarios exist for QuickBooks, see the documentation: http://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/support/articles/INF12724

MDMarra
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  • +1 VPN is the cheapest way, though QB gets flaky on VPNs in my experience. RDP is the most solid solution, but requires TS CALs and all that CapEx. – Chris S Jul 01 '13 at 19:42
  • Thank you for your response. Would you mind elaborating a little? More specifically, if I use a dedicated server and a VPN for the company files, will users have true simultaneous access? Also, can you describe the VPN workflow? From what I have gathered, I set up a VPN, have users connect to the VPN, and then the Quickbooks software will be able to find the remotely hosted Quickbooks files. Is this correct? – airietis Jul 01 '13 at 20:11
  • Chris, when you say QB gets flaky on VPNs, can you please elaborate? Using a VPN seems like the best solution at the moment. – airietis Jul 01 '13 at 20:18