Especially during tax time, a virtual desktop can make secure collaboration for sharing files, data, and scanned documents easier. With a virtual desktop and your accounting software hosted by AgCompass, you and your tax preparer can upload and access data crucial for preparing your returns from anywhere and from multiple devices.
“Security and data independence are important concerns for farmers,” says Nick Chambers, Business Manager for AgCompass. “With a virtual desktop, while your data is technically in the cloud, unlike web-based applications, your personal data is securely stored in your own licensed software – like how it is stored on a personal computer.”
The advantage of hosting your software with AgCompass is that they provide all the software updates, conduct daily backups, and your data is stored in a world-class data center making it less vulnerable to hardware failure. AgCompass can host any windows-based software including QuickBooks, FBS, RedWing, Microsoft products, and many more.
“We work with a variety of software companies and work with farmers and CPAs who use their products,” said Chambers. “It has never been easier to collaborate with others through the software you already use.”
The IT staff at AgCompass share a background in agriculture and they provide unlimited, U.S.-based support to clients. Set-up on any internet-connected device, including cell phones, tablets, and personal computers, is easy. You select which users you want to have access, such as your business partners and tax preparers. These additional users also connect through the secure virtual desktop environment – allowing them access to the same software and the same data.
“Especially around tax time, but also year-round, the ease of support and more efficient process brings true value to our businesses,” said John McNutt, a business consultant at Latta Harris, a CPA firm in Southeastern Iowa. “The Latta Harris and AgCompass relationship has been good for our clients.”
Another advantage of a virtual desktop is that you can truly go paperless by scanning in documents from your office scanner or your smart phone. Then just upload them to a folder on your virtual desktop. Paperless offices have proven to be more efficient. By scanning in your receipts, invoices, and mileage logs, you no longer have to deliver a stack of papers or a shoe box full of receipts to your tax preparer.
“By uploading statements from credit cards and vendors to the shared desktop, your tax preparer can securely access multiple records,” said Chambers. “Just designate a shared folder to deposit all the information needed to file your return and then let your tax preparer know where it is located.”
To learn more about AgCompass and to download “3 Farm Business Management Tips for Tax Time,” go to agcompass.com/taxtime. There you can also watch a video and compare AgCompass to other solutions such as web-based applications, your local PC, or your own internal server.