The term “cloud” implies a monolithic and singular environment that delivers computing, storage, and application services through the Internet, with an array of options within each service. One such example is the technology that has various deployment and implementation options — or topologies — SharePoint. Let’s take a look at how Azure fits in with SharePoint, including recommended practices. Traditionally most SharePoint installations have been deployed in the on-premises configuration. The on-premises format has served well in that it has allowed for: Onsite hosting of data in a controllable and administrable environment Collaboration in an environment that can be scaled as and when required Flexibility to integrate with customized solutions SharePoint online, a part of Office 365, changed the scenario even more dramatically by enabling organizations that had not budgeted for on-premises SharePoint, and the accompanying infrastructure costs, to reap the benefits of SharePoint at a low per-user fee. The fact remains, however, that the two topologies, SharePoint Online and the on-premises installation of SharePoint, are almost diametrically opposite. The following are a few characteristics of SharePoint Online that might prevent a full-scale migration of an on-premises SharePoint installation to Office 365 or SharePoint Online: This is a SaaS implementation of SharePoint and the user has little or no control over customization and administration. The SaaS version would also not support third-party or custom code, and applications that would be integrated into an on-premises installation. There would be compliance-based restrictions that would prevent migrating all SharePoint documents to the cloud — as would be required in migrating an on-premises installation to SharePoint Online. How do users benefit by using the cloud and maximizing their investments with SharePoint? Microsoft Azure, a cloud-based platform and infrastructure service, can bridge the gap and create hybrid solutions. Let’s look at a few benefits of using Microsoft Azure: Given the flexibility of Microsoft Azure, SharePoint server farms hosted on this platform can be rapidly scaled up and down as per changing requirements. Provisioning and configuring a server on Microsoft Azure is a well-defined series of steps and can be easily carried out by using ready-to-deploy server images. Here is a great resource to get you started on provisioning a SharePoint farm with Azure, and another one to create a testing / dev environment on Azure using SharePoint 2016. Microsoft Azure is natively compatible with not just SharePoint but also SQL Server and other Microsoft applications. This ensures that SharePoint servers can be seamlessly deployed onto Azure and moved from Azure to on-premises environments as and when required. This is specifically of use when creating temporary staging or testing environments or secondary production environments. Since Azure is a PaaS and IaaS, it uses a pay-as-you-consume model that ensures you use computing resources, memory or storage capacity only as necessary. Azure is a cost-effective solution for hosting SharePoint server farms. On-premises SharePoint installations cay be heavily customized or configured. Running a SharePoint server on Azure is no different from an onsite SharePoint installation. There are no restrictions in running third-party applications or custom code. Thus, existing investments made for customizing SharePoint on-premises can be protected when migrating the SharePoint solution to Azure. More info: SharePoint on Azure | GPU Dedicated Server Regards, Bruce

1. Flexible Access to Your Tax Data Cloud allows users to work from anywhere and at any time with an Internet-enabled device. This easy accessibility adds great convenience for the users. Multiple users can access and share the same files and data simultaneously with no disruption. With a collaborative platform, the cloud makes it easier for tax preparers or CPAs to coordinate with their clients to make necessary changes in their tax filing process. As there is no restriction of being tied to a local system, productivity increases, irrespective of the location from which you are working. It is easier to work on Drake hosted software as the user-interface is the same as the desktop version. 2. Huge Cost Savings in the Cloud Drake hosting results in cost efficiency as it reduces the cost of IT infrastructure significantly. There is no need for software installation, upgrade, maintenance, or even a dedicated IT staff, as all these things are taken care of by the cloud provider. Moreover, cloud services free you from capital expenditure. You just need to pay for what you use and enjoy the services based on your subscription plan. Moreover, as downtime issues are rare in the cloud, you don’t have to spend money to fix potential downtime issues. It is a misconception that only large companies can afford cloud services, when in fact, they’re extremely affordable to SMBs. 3. Enhanced Security Gone are the days when technical experts doubted security in the cloud. In the past few years, security in the cloud has elevated to much higher levels. With advanced security techniques such as firewalls, anti-virus, multi-factor authentication, automated backups, end-to-end encryption, and Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDS & IPS), your tax data is more secure than a locally managed system. Users can even remotely wipe out their data from stolen or lost systems to avoid it getting in the wrong hands. Drake hosting providers are also equipped to prevent data loss from any human error or natural calamity with well-documented disaster recovery procedures. 4. Get 24/7 Support on The Cloud For a smooth tax process, it’s essential that all your issues are resolved on time. Most tax professionals aren’t able to hire a dedicated IT team to handle their tax issues. However, with Drake tax software hosting, you always have a well-trained team of industry experts to ensure that your software runs smoothly and is always accessible by the users. 5. Cloud Ensures Backup and Disaster Recovery Tax data on the local system is always prone to permanent loss due to various reasons like data theft or software damage. Regular data backup or disaster recovery solution is one of the reliable ways to protect your data. However, most tax professionals and CPAs find it a little heavy on their pocket and are usually ignorant to take these steps. With Drake cloud hosting, you will get automated and secure data backup stored in multiple locations on a regular basis. Therefore, even if you make small changes or accidentally delete some files, you can easily recover them. According to research by Aberdeen Group, SMBs are twice as likely to adopt a cloud-based backup and disaster recovery solution. It was also noted that cloud hosting helps businesses save time and huge upfront investments in servers to store data. 6. High Uptime and Always-availability As firms become reliant on business applications to run their key processes, downtime can be disastrous. The competent Drake hosting providers are reliable in offering their cloud services and maintain an uptime of 99.999%. They also offer an SLA (Service Level Agreement) which assures 24/7 availability. As long as you have an Internet connection, you can work from practically anywhere. Read more: Drake Hosted | Cloud PC Regards, Bruce

Step 1: Download the QuickBooks Tool Hub The QuickBooks Tool Hub helps fix common errors. For the best experience, we recommend using Tool Hub on Windows 10, 64-bit. Close QuickBooks. We recommend you download the most recent version (1.4.0.0) of the QuickBooks Tool Hub. Save the file somewhere you can easily find it (like your Downloads folder or your Windows desktop). Note: If you've already installed Tool Hub before, you can find out which version you have. Select the Home tab. The version will be displayed on the bottom right or you can select About to view the version. Open the file you downloaded (QuickBooksToolHub.exe). Follow the on-screen steps to install and agree to the terms and conditions. When the install finishes, double-click the icon on your Windows desktop to open the tool hub. Step 2: Use the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool Open the QuickBooks Tool Hub. In the tool hub, select Installation Issues. Select QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool. Let the tool run. It can take up to 20 minutes. When the tool finishes, restart your computer. Step 3: Update Windows Window updates prevent and often fix install errors. Check out Windows Update: FAQ on how to update your version of Windows from Microsoft, Once the update finishes, restart your computer. If you could open QuickBooks before you saw the error, Open QuickBooks and your company file. If you weren't able to install QuickBooks, install QuickBooks Desktop again. If you can install and open QuickBooks, you're good to go. If you continue to see issues, move to Step 4. Step 4: Manually fix Windows components If the QuickBooks Install Tool and the update didn’t fix the error, you can repair specific Windows components yourself. You should only do these steps if you’re an IT professional, confident Windows user, or have help from Microsoft support experts. Repair or reinstall Microsoft .NET Framework Repair Microsoft MSXML More info: QuickBooks Dedicated Server Hosting | Quickbooks Online VS Cloud Regards, Bruce