According to Gartner’s projection, by 2028, approximately 70% of the workload is expected to be operated within a cloud setting. It marks a significant increase from the 25% observed in 2023.
The statistics mentioned above also fit tax preparation. Filing taxes becomes a tedious task for most of the professionals. Moreover, every year, the tax season brings in loads of responsibilities for experts.
Therefore, various tax software, tools, and technologies have become necessary today. Cloud hosting tax software is one such service that can help streamline tax preparation for busy professionals.
It brings many benefits to the table. Let’s have a look at some of them:
- Remote Accessibility
Tax filing requires working for long hours. It often ties them to their physical office desks for the period. However, there are times when clients send documents at odd hours, and tax professionals require their files to work on the task immediately. Using desktop-based tax software or storing information on a local device can make accessing them an issue.
Moreover, multiple versions of the same document are created once it goes back and forth to the client. It can form discrepancies, and the chances of error may increase by many folds.
Hosting tax software like ATX and Lacerte on the cloud provides access to tax data at any time and in any location that has internet availability. It provides a virtual platform where one can use all the required data and have it updated in real time. This flexibility can, in turn, improve efficiency and even improve customer satisfaction.
Additionally, cloud hosting provides a centralized repository for storing and managing tax documents, eliminating version control issues and ensuring all stakeholders have access to the latest information.
- Resource Scalability
Every year, this busy season increases the workload for professionals involved in the tax filing process. So, most of the time, many accounting firms hire interns or freelancers to manage the job. It further increases required resources, including RAM, storage, processing power, and more.
Cloud hosting offers scalability, allowing professionals to easily adjust resources based on demand. This means additional resources can be quickly provisioned during peak periods to handle the increased workload, ensuring optimal performance without costly hardware upgrades. Conversely, resources can be scaled down once the tax season ends to avoid unnecessary expenses. This makes it a cost-effective solution for managing fluctuating workloads.
- Cost Efficiency
Traditional on-premises setups demand significant initial investments in hardware and software licenses. Moreover, they entail continuous expenses for maintenance and upgrades. These costs can quickly add up and strain the budget of tax professionals.
Most cloud hosting providers, like Ace Cloud, operate on a subscription-based model, where users only pay for the resources they consume on a pay-as-you-go basis. This setup reduces the necessity for substantial upfront costs, enabling tax professionals to match expenses with usage. It leads to cost savings and better financial efficiency.
Moreover, cloud hosting removes the requirement for in-house IT staff. The responsibility for managing and maintaining infrastructure, including hardware, software, and security updates, shifts to the cloud service provider. It reduces the overhead costs associated with hiring and retaining IT staff and the expenses related to training and infrastructure maintenance. As a result, tax professionals can focus their resources and efforts on core competencies.
- Improved Collaboration
Tax professionals need to collect extensive financial information from clients to ensure accurate tax filings. It includes income statements, expense records, investment portfolios, and other relevant documents. Collaborating effectively with clients is crucial to obtaining complete and up-to-date information, addressing any discrepancies, and clarifying complex financial transactions.
Also, tax professionals need to collaborate with colleagues and internal teams of accountants, financial advisors, and other experts to review documents and verify the accuracy of financial data. It becomes difficult to do so when one has to travel to a physical office to meet everyone.
Tax software cloud hosting facilitates improved collaboration by providing a centralized platform where all relevant parties can access and work on tax data simultaneously. Real-time document editing, version control, and communication tools streamline collaboration efforts, ensuring everyone is on the same page and can contribute effectively to the tax preparation process. This enhances productivity, reduces errors, and fosters better teamwork among tax professionals.
- Enhanced Security
Tax experts handle sensitive financial data, like income statements and investment details, which must always be kept secure. Maintaining client confidentiality and protecting against unauthorized access or data breaches is crucial. Therefore, maintaining robust data security measures is a top priority for tax professionals to ensure compliance with privacy regulations and safeguard clients’ sensitive information from potential threats or cyberattacks.
Reputable cloud hosting providers implement advanced security measures, such as data encryption, multi-factor authentication, and regular security updates, to protect tax data from unauthorized access, cyber threats, and data breaches.
Many cloud service providers also offer BCDR (Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery) plans in case any natural disaster can impact the remote data centers. It ensures data redundancy at multiple locations. So, even if one of the centers is down for maintenance or ransomware attacks, there is no effect on the business. This setup mitigates any security threat and provides a streamlined workflow for professionals.
- Seamless Integration
Tax professionals use different software tools and applications to make their work easier and more efficient. These tools help them manage various tasks involved in tax preparation, such as data entry, calculations, document management, and client communication. However, integrating third-party tools into the tax software often poses a compatibility issue.
Using these add-ons with tax software in the cloud environment can take care of such problems. It makes the integration process seamless and improves workflow efficiency by enabling seamless data transfer and synchronization between different systems. Tax professionals can leverage the full capabilities of their software stack and maximize productivity during tax preparation.
In Conclusion
Cloud hosting offers numerous benefits for tax professionals that significantly streamline the tax preparation process. As we move towards an increasingly digital and interconnected world, embracing cloud hosting for tax preparation is a convenience and a necessity for staying competitive and thriving in the modern business landscape. By harnessing the power of cloud technology, tax professionals can unlock new levels of productivity, innovation, and client satisfaction, ensuring a brighter and more prosperous future for their practices.
Want to streamline your Tax Season? Move your tax preparation to the cloud with Ace Cloud Hosting.