Premier vs. Enterprise

Q - As a QB Pro Advisor I have both Premier Accountant's Edition and Enterprise Accountant's Edition. I am starting a new CPA accounting firm"s set of books (I will be the controller/CFO using QuickBooks.) Which QuickBooks Accountant"s Edition should I use for my new CPA firm and why?

A – From the question, I do not have enough information to offer an opinion, but I can share the questions (and possible answers) I would ask to determine which product is a better match.

Do any of the following apply?

• ü      The number of users needing simultaneous access is between 6-20 users
• ü      The file size is expected to grow rather large (i.e. extensive job costing for numerous employees via payroll in this example would make it grow more significantly)
• ü      The size of the lists is expected to exceed approximately 10,000 (i.e. in this example my guess is this will not be an issue)
• ü      Will the software be used with Microsoft Windows Terminal Services for remote access?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, Enterprise is probably the required solution.

Now, assuming the answer to all of those questions is no.  Then the next issue to consider is the long term use of the file.  If it is anticipated that at some point the client may way to take the file and begin doing some of the work in house, my recommendation would be use your Premier: Accountant Edition.  If the Premier features are not used, when the client needs to purchase the software, they can purchase the appropriate product (i.e. maybe they will only need Pro?) and a reasonable cost.  If you begin using Enterprise, they would be required to purchase Enterprise since the files are not compatible with the other desktop products.  If, however, the business grows and they need Enterprise in the future, you can upgrade from the other desktop products without any problems.

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