Cloud vs. desktop: What does the choice mean for security?

This is something that gets asked more and more frequently in today’s connected world: is the cloud secure? Is it more secure than my own network in my office? The answer is often “yes” – hosting your software and data in the cloud provides some security benefits that may not be easily available to desktop users.

Unless you happen to have dedicated IT staff that understands the complexities of securing hosts, applications and network against intrusion, your specialty probably lies somewhere else such as accounting, tax, and/or financial planning, but not information security.

Using an established cloud provider to run your applications and host your data can have many advantages over doing it all yourself locally. Let’s compare:

As you can see, there are often some great advantages to using the cloud when it comes to security compared to all the minutia surrounding a comprehensive security program that you manage for your own office.

That is not to say you cannot run a robust and secure office network locally, keeping your data safe from disclosure or theft, but the question is simple: should that also be your job? Allowing dedicated professionals, in the cloud or otherwise, to handle this part of your business makes a lot of sense, and will allow you to spend more time serving as a trusted advisor to your clients.

Editor’s note: Learn about Intuit® ProConnect™ Tax Online, our cloud-based professional tax solution that has free access to Intuit Link and QuickBooks® Online Accountant.