Online vs. Offline: The new safe, extensible, and time saving way of working with yourself and others.

Wednesday, 13 May 2009 16:29 Written by David Birchmier

Quickbooks vs. Freshbooks, Quicken vs. Mint, Microsoft Word vs. Google Apps, Outlook vs. Gmail, the latter of which are the modern answer to the old way of doing things. These tools can help you work better!

Contrary to our introduction, this article is not a comparison between the aforementioned apps, nor intended to be a complete list of alternatives to desktop based software. Instead we'll discuss advantages and disadvantages of moving your everyday tools from your desktop to the world wide web.

Here are just a few of the web 2.0 apps this article references:

Freshbooks -- Online invoicing tool & support tool
LessAccounting -- Quickbooks replacement / Full business accounting
Google Apps -- Emails, document sharing, calendar, and more collaboration tools. Branded with your domain!
Gmail -- Email
Mint -- Accounting software, online! Ability to import all of your bank accounts, credit cards and see live tracking. Tag your expenses and income. Great visual charts.

SECURITY
Despite being online, security is still a top concern for online companies. Most reputable companies use encryption and a username and password is always required before access to your account is granted. In my experience security measures have been sound. In fact, if local theft of data is a concern, an online system might actually be more secure if you're office doesn't already implement solid security measures.

ADVANTAGES
Here are some of the advantages that online web 2.0 applications have over their offline competition:

Cost is generally less or free -- The online aspect opens up new sources of revenue that many times leave someone else other than the end user (you) paying the bill.
Collaboration -- Google Apps lets you share document, spreadsheets, and presentations with others, and collaborate in real time! Freshbooks, a popular invoicing tool allows you to work with your team from any computer, or phone in the world!
Accessibility -- You're no longer tied to the laptop or desktop computer where you wrote the email, created an invoice, built a spreadsheet or balanced your checkbook. Instead, you can access these systems from any computer (or phone!) with internet access.
Backups -- When you're working with a major player, it's a pretty safe bet your data is secure. That doesn't mean it's a bad idea to download a backup to your hard drive every once in awhile, but it's far more secure than having one copy of the data on a single computer.
Ease of use/Time Saving -- Most of the products I've mentioned are drastically simpler than their bloated software counterpart. This means less time learning, and more time getting your work done!

DISADVANTAGES

Moving your existing data -- Moving your data from one place to another is never fun. Many online services feature an import tool, such as LessAccounting's import tool for Quickbooks, but there will be times you'll be left moving it by hand. That's not say the time spent isn't worth it, but it's hard to commit to such an unpleasant task.
Features/Functionality -- For all the things many of these systems do better, it's always possible they are missing the one feature you're used to and have used for years. It's important to explore any software fully before making a change.

I hope this overview has been helpful. If you're looking to move from an offline to online solution, and need help or wish to discuss your situation further, feel free to contact us.

How have you benefited (or not) from an online service. Any service you've found worth mentioning? Leave a comment!