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Remove and Disable Windows Media Player DRM License Acquisition and Music Copy Protection

FairUse4WM DRM stripper is a hacker utility that has the ability to crack and strip DRM (Digital Rights Management) copy protection from music and songs files offered by PlaysForSure-commpatible online music stores, music download sites, music subscription sites and record labels that are using Windows Media Player 10 and Windows Media Player 11 encoding protected by Windows Media DRM (WMDRM) version 10 and WMDRM 11. Current, online music stores that using PlaysForSure DRM license protection include NapsterToGo, MSNMusic, Amazon Unbox, Urge, Wal-Mart, Liquid Audio and AOLMusicNow.

When you download and play the Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Windows Media Video (WMV) protected with WMDRM, you’re told a license is required to play the selected content and Windows Media Player will launch WMP Digital Rights Management License Acquisition process to acquire valid license for the media from the DRM store servers. If no license can be found, you won’t be able to listen to the music song or the video.

FairUse4WM (Fair Use for Windows Media) uses a GUI version of drmdbg that supports individualization blackbox component (IBX) version .3930 and some WM11 versions and able to strips DRM headers from secure WMA files. FairUse4WM intends to enable fair-use rights to purchased media so that owners can freely copy to any devices or media. So import of KID/SID pairs is not allowed and, license expiration and rental detection is not supported. You won’t be able to unDRM any without them being licensed to you or without at least a file with active valid license.

FairUse4WM version 1.2 (new version that works around the new IBX version being pushed by Microsoft on new individualizationsfeatures) features DRMv1 support for files you ripped yourself with protection enabled, works with WM9 (individualized), includes a workaround for WM11 beta 2, subdirectory support by taking a directory as the command-line parameter, and WM10 and WM11 support.

To use FairUse4WM, download FairUse4WM. Just launch the FairUse4WM hack program to extract personally identifiable information (decryption keys) from the Media Player while playing the DRM protected media. Some WM installations have multiple ECC key-pairs where users need to do “Extract Keys” using multiple licensed files. Users may also need to individualize the system. With individualization the licenses information is stored in IndivBox.key. To individualize the system, download any demo drm video from ezdrm.com. Or go here to automatically individualization your system.

Update: FairUse4WM 1.3 Fix-2 with Mirakagi which supports Windows Media Player DRM up to version 11.0.6000.6324 in Windows XP and Vista has been released.

Source by dvdvideo

Usergate Proxy Server for Windows

Windows Strengths and Weaknesses
The overwhelming majority of computers, both personal and corporate, use Microsoft Windows, which has included Internet access for well over a decade and as Windows became more complex, so has its Internet connectivity software. Windows 98 Second Edition introduced Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) to provide group access to the Internet from a local network. More complexities were added with the outbreak of Routing and Remote Access Service in Widows 2000 Server with its Network Address Translation (NAT) functions.

It took awhile before experts noticed that ICS has specific shortcomings. ICS changes network card addresses, which can cause problems on intranets. Because of this, ICS can only be used in small office or home networks and even then, ICS in office networks is not recommended, because there is no user authorization or validation with ICS. Even using it on a home network makes any connection to the Internet insecure, since it is so easy for criminals to gain access to your computers by falsifying where they are coming from (their IP and MAC addresses).

Some Help is Needed
Windows can organize Internet sharing, but security has never been a strong point. In practice either hardware or software solutions from other companies are generally purchased to provide the security solutions needed. One of the more important of these is UserGate Proxy Server.

UserGate Proxy Server provides local network users with a secure Internet access by defining policies of this access, forbidding particular Internet resources, and limiting traffic or time of a user’s work on the Internet. Additionally, UserGate can keep distinct traffic calculations of users and of protocols, which greatly simplifies Internet traffic cost control. Lately, among Internet Service Providers (ISP) there has been a tendency towards unlimited traffic and for that purpose, UserGate Proxy Server provides a very flexible system of rules.

UserGate Proxy Server with NAT support works on Windows 2000/2003/XP with the Internet (using the standard TCP/IP protocols). UserGate can also work on Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0, but without NAT support. UserGate does not require any special resources for its operation; it simply needs a relatively small amount of hard drive memory for its cache and log files. UserGate can also be installed on a dedicated computer to maximize your network’s resources.

Proxy Servers
Your web browser (whether it is Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Netscape, Opera or Mozilla to name the most popular) is already able to cache documents. However, significant disk space is not reserved for these purposes if the Internet connection is shared by an entire office. The reason for this is that the probability of one person visiting the same web pages is far less than if dozens or hundreds of people are sharing the connection. Creating a common cache for a company can greatly decrease bandwidth waste as well as make almost instantaneous the receipt of documents that are commonly accessed by employees. UserGate Proxy Server can also link with the external cascade proxy servers (of your Internet Service Provider) to increase the speed of receiving data and reduce your Internet bills (traffic costs for a provider are usually less when a proxy server is used).

Program Configuration
Configuring the cache settings is done from the «Services» page. The first step is to enable the cache, then you can set its separate options, which include caching of POST requests, dynamic objects, cookies, and FTP content. You can also set the size of the disc space for the cache and the time-to-live of cached documents.

Other options must also be set before you can start working with the program. As a rule, this task is completed in the following order:

1. Create users of the program.

2. Configure DNS and NAT on the UserGate server. At this stage you can configure NAT using the wizard.

3. Set parameters of the various protocols (HTTP, FTP, SOCKS), the intranet interface on which they will be listened for, and whether cascading will be done. All of these can be set at their corresponding pages of service settings.

4. Configure the network connection on each client computer, including gateway and DNS in TCP/IP in network connection properties, which must be set.

5. Create an Internet access policy.

Modules to Make Things Easier
To make the program more user-friendly, we divided it into several modules:

The Server module is started at a computer that has Internet access. This module controls the execution of all tasks.

UserGate administration is performed with the help of a special module: UserGate Administrator, which handles all server settings.

UserGate Authentication Client is a client application installed on each user’s computer. This module monitors and controls user authorization to the UserGate server, if you choose an authorization independent of IP or IP+MAC.

Security and Permissions
UserGate Proxy Server locks out unauthorized access. Each user can be authorized automatically by their IP address alone or by a correct combination of IP and hardware (MAC) address. Each user can be assigned specific permissions

To make it easy to add users and to quickly assign the same permissions to a group of similar users a separate page is provided for the managing of users and groups. Groups make it easy to manage users that should have common settings, including network access and rates. You can create as many groups as you need. Groups are usually created based on company structure and hierarchy.

Each group can be given its own rate that is used to manage Internet access expenses. A default rate can be set or left empty, in which case the connections of all users in a group are not paid unless a different rate is set in a user’s own properties.

There are a number of default NAT rules provided in the program. These are access rules through Telnet, POP3, SMTP, HTTP, ICQ and other protocols. While setting group properties you can identify which rules will be applied to the group and its users.

A dial on demand option can be used when an Internet connection is through a modem. In this case the modem dials up the connection only when it is requested. Dial on demand can also be used with ADSL, if in order to get connected to the Internet provider it is necessary to dial up a VPN connection. In this case the VPN connection can be set as dial on demand.

If a computer with UserGate is in an Active Directory domain, users can be imported to it and then divided into groups that need similar access rights: authorization type, rate, NAT rules (if group rules do not fully meet the user’s needs).

Authorization Types and Rules
UserGate Proxy Server supports several authorization types, including authorization through Active Directory and Windows Login, which allows integrating UserGate into existing network infrastructures.

UserGate uses its own client authentication module for some types of authorization. Depending on the type of authorization you choose it is necessary to indicate, in user options, either the user’s IP address (or IP address range), assign a login (username and password) or assign just a username. If you want to send to a user, reports of their Internet traffic use you can enter the user’s e-mail here.

UserGate rules can be more flexibly configured than RRAS Remote Access Policy. Using rules you can lock access to specific URLs, limit traffic on certain protocols, set time limits, set a maximum file size that a user can download, etc. Windows does not provide the functionality needed to fulfill these tasks.

Rules can be created with the help of the wizard provided. Each rule has application conditions and an object it is executed when one or more conditions are met. For examples, close a connection, assign a rate or speed, etc. Conditions include protocols used, time of work, a user’s traffic limits (incoming and outgoing), money remaining on account, as well as, IP address list and URL list. Settings also allow the specifying of any file extensions that users cannot download.

In a number of organizations the use of instant messengers, such as ICQ, is prohibited. This is easy with UserGate. To prohibit ICQ you simply create a rule, locking out any connection with the host ‘*login.icq.com*’ and apply it to all users.

UserGate Proxy Server provides rules to allow varying rates for day or night time access, to local or common resources (if such variations are offered by your Internet provider). For instance, for switching between day and night rates two rules are created: one that performs the switching at a fixed time from day to night rate and the other that switches back to the day rate.

DNS and NAT Settings
DNS (Domain Name System) is what is used on the Internet so you don’t have to remember a site’s numbers (its real Internet address), such as 53.128.182.67), but instead you can just remember its name, such as www.famatech.com. One of the controlling parts of the Internet’s DNS is the DNS server, which is a computer (there are many DNS servers) on the Internet that translates the names of sites to their numbers, so when your browser goes to www.famatech.com, the DNS server knows the correct IP number to send the browser request to.

The DNS setting in UserGate Proxy Server is simply the locations (IP addresses) of one or two of these DNS servers (the closer the DNS server is to your ISP’s physical location, generally the better), where each client’s DNS requests will be forwarded to. It is necessary to indicate the IP address in your network interface of UserGate Proxy Server as the gateway and DNS in the TCP/IP properties of each user’s network connection on their local computer.

There is another way to set the DNS. You can add a new NAT rule, in which the IP receiver (the internal interface) and the IP sender (the external interface) are set to port 53 and the protocol to UDP. If you use this method, this rule must be applied to all users. In connection settings of each local computer, the IP address of the ISP’s DNS servers must be set as the DNS and the IP address of UserGate Proxy Server set as the gateway on each local computer.

Mail clients can be set either through port mapping or through NAT. If instant messengers are allowed to be used in the organization, the network settings must be changed for them: both user firewall and proxy, the IP address of the internal network interface of UserGate Proxy Server must be indicated, and the protocol HTTPS or SOCKS needs be selected. If you use Yahoo Messenger, you should keep in mind that when you work through a proxy server, Yahoo’s chat rooms and video chats are unavailable.

Statistics for each user are recorded in a log. These include data on the time each connection started, its duration, total cost, the URLs and IPs visited, the number of bytes received and bytes sent. It is impossible to cancel or falsify the recording of any of this information about user connections in UserGate Proxy Server’s statistics file. The statistics can be viewed either from the Server Administrator or from a special module Statistics. Statistics data can be filtered by user, protocol and time period; and these stats can be exported to Microsoft Excel for further processing.

The early versions of UserGate Proxy Server cached only HTTP (web) pages. The latest version introduced new components designed to guarantee information security. Now UserGate users can take advantage of the built-in firewall and Kaspersky Antivirus modules. The firewall can control (permit or block) specific TCP ports and can also publish a company’s resources on the Internet. UserGate Proxy Server processes all packets received from the network. Every port that is open in the program, for example HTTP, SOCKS and others, are either selected by the administrator or can be opened in the firewall automatically. You can see which ports are open in the auto rules table on the Firewall Rules page.

Future development plans for UserGate Proxy Server include creation of its own VPN server—so you have an alternative VPN solution to that offered by Windows—an introduction of a mail server that has its own antispam support and the development of an intelligent firewall at the application level.

Source by Helen Markova

Specifications that make ERP software a necessity

Enterprise Resource Planning software or ERP software is ideal system of software applications developed to meet the financial and operational needs of a medium and large size business. The most prominent feature of this software is that it integrates the needs of various business departments into a single computer system. Moreover this system amalgamates all data and procedures of any firm into a more effective and unified system.

It is interesting to note that the concept “ERP” was initially developed to sketch the use of enterprise-wide resources, and though the initial ERP originated in the manufacturing environment, but this ERP system has broadened its scope in global market. Basically it’s an attempt to cover all basic functions of an organization, regardless of the organization’s business or charter. In addition to this, ERP software also acts as main software system for all areas of an enterprise and has the ability to maximize efficiencies, and modernize the flow of information throughout an organization.

Mentioning about some of the major advantages of ERP software, it helps in breaking down the differences between different departments by making the best use of a single database for the storage of all corporate information. Further more it also empowers members of staff with the facility to quickly gather data from their own and other section so they work more efficiently. In fact, ERP facilitates:

  • Deduction or exclusion of reliance on paper documents.

Removal of re-keying of data and integration of reports like financial and manufacturing reports can be viewed in conjunction.

Source by Antje Wilmer

Web Based Software Technology – A Globalization Perspective

World has synchronized in a compact dwelling. All the scattered continents are now interconnected through various technologies. Invention of new means of transportation has led to this phenomenal globalization. Multinational companies are the best examples of corporate globalization. Today, with the help of technology a single company can operate through multidimensional locations; and the most important factor that has brought this phenomenal change is the internet.

Web based software technology has enabled every company, whether big or small, to operate from any metropolitan city in the world. The latest web based trucking software has brought about a revolution in the transportation industry. This technology has widened growth opportunities for smaller trucking companies; as now trucking companies are not restricted by the boundaries of a single nation. Using the web based trucking software an ambitious trucking company can now spread its scope of activity, as far as possible. With the help of this new software, a trucking company can manage all its business activities, anywhere from the world, through the internet. Web based trucking software has not only overcome the irksome tasks of the trucking business, but has also given a fare degree of mobility to the owners of trucking business.

Transportation industry has always acted as an important factor of globalization. Web based software technology has brought about a phenomenal change in the global business logistics industry. Its convenient methodology has brought a high level of efficiency in the system of business logistics. Web based features of software technology is giving birth to new innovations across the globe. New methods of transportation functioning are being derived from this technology. It has further pushed forward the process of globalization, by intruding in various conventional and traditional industries around the world.

Technology has made this world a synchronized global village. Web based software technology has given a new direction of movement to the whole corporate system. The successful implementation of web based trucking software in the trucking industry is the best example which depicts the potentiality of this technology. The future of the corporate world relies on the fact that, how well the web based software technology is harnessed to enhance the process of innovation.

Source by Ray Donovan

Great Plains Reseller: Moving Dynamics Gp to New Server

If you have solid Great Plains VAR support from your local partner or certified consultant, then this routine should be entrusted to their hands and you should not worry about it.  However if you are without support, typically when you are using one of historical Great Plains versions: 7.5, 7.0, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0 or even GP 8.0 and you are not sure who is your current Great Plains Partner, then you need to local Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant for helping you in Great Plains migration from one server to another.  Let’s consider migration scenarios:

1.       Great Plains on MS SQL Server 2000 (or SQL Server 2005).  In the case of being on MS SQL 2000, you need first to understand, that you should move it to exact blend of SQL Server.  Especially it is important if you are on version 7.5 or earlier – these versions were sensitive to SQL license.  This means that if you are using MSDE, you can’t redeploy Great Plains on new server, where you load MS SQL 2000 Standard, for example.  If you have SQL DBA in staff – you can ask her or him to simply transfer all the databases, users and security to new server.  If you don’t have DBA, then you should have your GP consultant to use GP users capture and transfer scripts, available from Microsoft Business Solutions Partner or Customer Source (if you are not current with GP annual enhancement program, likely that your customer source expired too)

2.       Great Plains on Ctree.  This version is easily transferrable to new server, assuming that you are on GP 7.5 or 7.0.  You should install Ctree default GP on the new server and then copy over files from your old server.  You will need help with Location Translation, when you first launch Great Plains.  You can call us to get this help

3.       Great Plains on Pervasive SQL.  You should have Pervasive SQL CD, and you install Pervasive server first on the server.  If you plan to use GP on Pervasive as Single User Workstation, you do not need to install Pervasive SQL Server there.  Then simply repeat steps described in #2

4.       Great Plains Standard on MSDE.  You follow the same recommendations as in #1, however we recommend you to use Microsoft SQL Server 2000 client tools – SQL Enterprise Manager and Query Analyzer.  You can probably do the work with DOS based tools available for MSDE instead, however it is more difficult

Source by Andrew Karasev

Low Cost Outsourcing

EASTERN SOFTWARE SYSTEMS PVT. LTD. A SEI CMM, Level 5 Company ISO 9001 : 2000 Certified

Outsourcing is a process, such as manufacturing anything or product design, to a third-party company. Outsourcing often results lowering cost or making better use of time and energy costs.

Offshore software development outsourcing has led to dramatic industry growth around the world.

There are some few but most important factors that led big companies to outsource their software application development to offshore companies.

These factors are like better management at small cost, good quality products in very low cost etc.

Eastern countries like India etc are the good market places and number one choice due to cheaper human capital, very skilled professional, rich resources and low processes cost etc. Due to these factors India and some other Eastern countries are the first choice of big companies.

Around 40% of the Fortune 500 companies including Lucent, Microsoft, Oracle, and Motorola etc are leveraging the outsourcing model.

Companies are outsourced and hire consultants in order to maintain a flexible workforce.

If we will analyze overall strategy like failure and success we will find overall the offshore outsourcing effort is a successful idea.

The main Objective of Outsourcing is to maximize the ROI (Return on Investment)

There are some points that are very important while doing offshore software outsourcing.

You should remember while doing offshore software project outsourcing:

  • Proper synchronization between onshore and offshore team.
  • Better time management.
  • Quality of the end product.
  • Better growth opportunities. etc.

Eastern Software Systems A SEI CMM, Level 5, ISO 9001: 2000 Certified Company is a Low Cost Outsourcing Company, Offshore IT Outsourcing Company.

Source by Hem Singh

Busting The Five Myths Of Saas

Myth 1: SaaS is irrelevant.

Looking at the growing track record of SaaS success, the statement that “SaaS is irrelevant” seems to lose its significance at once. Over the past three years, there is a significant increase in SaaS usage, with companies adopting it for a variety of reasons. Some wants to embrace SaaS because of its features like faster deployment, reduced capital expense and scalability while others are running after the effectiveness. On the other hand, ease of use remains the biggest driving force. Enterprises are not only renewing their SaaS subscriptions but also planning to expand the use of SaaS. Indeed, Gartner has estimated an increase of 20pc in the SaaS adoption rate over the next two years and it will be doubled to US$11.5bn by then.

Myth 2: SaaS will not have a major impact on the IT industry and will fade over time.  

In addition to winning increasing acceptance from global customers, SaaS model is also gaining momentum in the IT industry. The nature of SaaS makes it a great way for enterprises to have the best software tools to work with, without worrying for any overhead expenditure. Lower cost of ownership that comes along with SaaS model allows customers to leverage the benefits of a broader range of products than they could otherwise consider. And as long as the quality and reliability of SaaS continues to get better, the appeal of SaaS is not going to fade ever.   

Myth 3: SaaS is less reliable and less secure than on-premise applications.

Service outages experienced by Google or Salesforce generated quite a bit of hue and cry throughout the industry, leaving all wondering if SaaS is really ready to meet all the hype. However, such types of incidents don’t happen frequently, and they don’t last as long as enterprise disruptions. Even if we go through the IT security breaches news, no major SaaS incident has been reported yet. So it would be wrong to question the reliability and security of SaaS so soon.

Myth 4: SaaS is limited to one type of application.

In fact, SaaS supports the overall range of software available today. Users can also configure different SaaS applications according to their individual business requirements. It’s true that SaaS cannot undergo customization as traditional applications can; but it’s not at all a disadvantage. Many enterprises have customized their in-house applications to such an extent that no vendor can fully support them now. Designed to support multiple users with a single code base; SaaS can be packaged and priced in numerous ways.

Myth 5: SaaS can turn out to be costly in the long run.

Much has been made of how cost effective SaaS is in the long run, ignoring the fact that what is actually grabbing the attention of enterprises is its lower upfront costs!  Businesses that adopt SaaS model save initially by saving on hardware and operating system installation. Since the SaaS provider takes the complete responsibility of maintaining the system including troubleshooting, equipment replacement and applying upgrades, enterprises can have their IT staff focus on core competencies. With everything in place, all you pay is for software.

Moreover, businesses that go with SaaS services generally opt to lease the software on a pay-as- you-go basis. Such a pricing model is not only economical but also easier to manage over time.

The best course of action is to plan your SaaS requirements according to your business and don’t let market talks derail your decision. Understanding your enterprise’s application needs will help you determine an apt long term SaaS model as well as the SaaS vendor. You can consider Genpact SaaS services which are not only supported by breakthrough infrastructure technologies but also designed to meet the unique performance, security, integration and cost challenges facing SaaS providers today.

Know more about SaaS Services at http://www.genpact.com

Source by Saumya Aggarwal

The efficient way to manage your data

With the advent of cloud computing, business is able to efficiently install software systems without any capital outlay to implement. Cloud-based systems can achieve businesses considerable savings from the outset.

Because the cloud software will use the very latest cloud-based technology and be delivered as “software as a service”, the delivery method is very different to the traditional “on-premise” model of hosting. Using the cloud doesn’t require expensive on-premise hardware. So rather than traditional arrangements where you would purchase hardware and software, cloud-based software would be leased which saves on capital outlay.

Subscription-based pricing

Because you purchase cloud-based software on a licence, the price model in place would invariably be subscription-based pricing. So you would only pay for the amount of software as a service you require. Or simply, you’d only pay for the amount of server space you would require in the cloud.

What is the cloud?

Being “in the cloud” or using cloud-based technology means that the software and your data would be hosted in a highly resilient and secure data centre, managed by your software supplier.

 Because it is hosted by your software supplier you would get continual upgrades to systems and should receive best-of-breed security measures. Hosting will often be in a Tier 3 data centre, a bullet proof environment for your data where it could not be compromised in any way.

So as a business you would only be leasing the software on subscription, and the kind of deal that can often be arranged also means that savings can be made on day-to-day running of the software, as well as efficiencies found because of free updates and upgrades.

What about security?

Some businesses may want reassurances about a solution that is based in the cloud. But the software and associated data would be hosted centrally and securely in a data centre designed to prevent unauthorised access and to keep your data save.

Your date would be made accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, as long as the person is authorised to access and has the correct login and password.

Because you would often what is know as a “private cloud”, the arrangement would be that your business has its own server, with arrangements made for back-up servers in the unlikely event of an accident or disaster, which would only be accessible to you and your authorised people.

All in all the cloud offers news ways to store and manage data efficiently without capital outlay and in a save and secure environment, where only the amount of server space you need can be purchased on subscription. Now, that’s truly scalable and an efficient way for your systems to grow as you grow as a business.

Source by Sebastian Street

How Will Cloud Computing Affect It Support Services

How will Cloud Computing affect IT Support Services.

In the 80’s it was Home Computing, in the 90’s it was Internet Computing, the 00’s was wireless computing. What’s next?????????

Cloud Computing is looking to be the way forward.

Cloud Computing, similarly to home computing and the internet will revolutionize the way people interact and use technology. Cloud computing will change the way you live.

By Definition Cloud Computing is style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet. Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure in the “cloud” that supports them.

Any Clearer?

Cloud Computing essentially will remove capital expenditure for the consumer treating the use of a computer as a service rather than a physical purchase as the computing power will be pooled in “the cloud” allowing maximum processing power shared across many systems and infrastructures.

The server infrastructure is therefore integral to the effectiveness of cloud computing and the “virtualization” of its resources to supply the demand of the cloud users. The cloud with be able to be accessed virtually through an internet connection, the server will contain open source and or registered software which can be accessed online and used by the user from any computer with an internet connection. The virtualization of server and client hardware can be distributed to fit the demand.

Where does this put IT support?

Some of the best IT Support Companies in the world rely on maintaining client hardware issues as well as infrastructure problems and software glitches, this could all change with cloud computing as companies will have infrastructures based solely within the cloud, thus removing the need for a complex hard wired network.

IT Support Companies therefore need to identify the need to support server virtualization in order to benefit from the change to cloud computing. When companies adopt a cloud structure they’ll want an IT Support company to be able to provide adequate IT support. Those who focus on server consolidation and flexibility will be those who come out on top.

Source by Thebigblogger

QuickBooks Online: How it scores in comparison to QuickBooks Hosting

Bookkeeping is an integral part of today’s business environment as record of financial transactions are as important as the business goals themselves. But it is considered as a necessary evil in the business community, as it is not the core domains of small and medium business.Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Hosting by Application Service providers has emerged as important platform for making your BookKeepimg process easier,cost efficient and at the same time allow multiple access and file sharing.But let me help you compare the respective features of both , to reach a definite point of view regarding  Online QuickBooks and Hosted QuicKBooks.


QuickBooks and many  other software were introduced with specific aim of simplifying the book keeping process, so that even non technical people can make entries after some learning. But the advent of Software as a Service (SAAS) technologies provided new opportunities to software service providers to simplify the way we use the software. Now instead of buying them we can simply, in a sense, lease them for monthly fee. QuickBooks online almost falls in this category .You do not have to buy the license for using the service and thus save your upfront investment. Other benefits are also obvious. Since you are not running the software on your own system hardware requirements for your system are minimal and you get liberated from the need for backup facilities and server requirements, as all of them are provided by the service provider, of course, at a price.



But there is another group of technologies called Cloud Hosting which provides not just software services but also hosts your Hardware requirements and has the potential of drastically reducing your IT infrastructure cost. This third party Hosting Service Providers hosts your licensed software on their terminal servers.

We will discuss QuickBooks Online and Hosted QuickBooks in this context. QuickBooks Online edition has the benefit that it provides you access to your Book keeping account any time any where through online connection. Also they provide backup facilities for your data which is more reliable than that of the local data backup. Further you can exchange files with other persons online through your account.

But these services come with some limitations. Online QuickBooks compromises with some features which the desktop versions such as QuickBooks enterprise, pro and premier provide. For example it do not have feature of online bill payment or customized inventory. Also since QuickBooks online is a completely new platform the user has to invest considerable time in learning the new interface.

And the user always wants a local copy of data which QuickBooks Online do not provides. Also QuickBooks Add-ons have become an important feature of   book keeping as it allows the data generates on QuickBooks to be used for other purposes. Online QuickBooks do not support these Add on Software.

In contrast to this, Hosted QuickBooks truly brings you the innumerable benefits of cloud hosting. First they provide anytime anywhere access to the version of QuickBooks that you want to host. This means that you do not have to learn anything new for using the new service. Then you have the benefit of hosting many different versions of QuickBooks from the same user account.

And most important of all it is most reliable in terms of data security. Hosted QuickBooks service providers such as Real Time Data Services provides dual backup of your data. Also they provide the facility to print local copies of your files and also their backup, as well as using them on your desktop versions of the Software.

And now something about the true power of cloud computing. While QuickBooks online can give you access to only one type of software hosting with Real Time Data Services you have the benefitting of hosting innumerable other services such as Tax software Hosting, MYOB hosting ,MS Office hosting, QuickBooks Add-ons hosting  and many other  Applications Hosting so as to meet the entire range of services you need. What I am stressing here is that the breadth of services that cloud computing provides is unmatched and here Hosted QuickBooks scores over Online QuickBooks.

Source by Susanne Parker