Allen Bernier
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An error occurred while saving the comment I remember when Intuit rolled out the TLS 1.2 requirement and it caught a ton of people off guard. All of a sudden things like payroll, bank feeds, or even just updating QuickBooks Desktop started throwing errors, and the culprit was just that older security protocols (TLS 1.0 and 1.1) got phased out.
The good news is it’s not super complicated to fix. A few things usually do the trick:
Make sure your Windows is up to date (Windows 10 or at least 8.1 plays nicer with TLS 1.2).
Update QuickBooks Desktop to the latest version your license supports.
Weirdly enough, check your Internet Explorer settings even if you never use IE. QuickBooks relies on those under the hood. Just go to Internet Options → Advanced tab, tick TLS 1.2, and untick the older ones.
Sometimes you’ll need to grab a .NET Framework or system update, since those affect how TLS works in the background.
Once all that’s set, QuickBooks should connect fine again. If you’re on a really old version that’s out of support, though, you might run into a wall and need to upgrade or run it through a hosted setup where TLS 1.2 is already baked in.
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An error occurred while saving the comment I’ve hopped between QuickBooks and Sage, and honestly the best fit really depends on where your business is at.
QuickBooks is kind of the “default” for a reason. It’s simple to get started with, good for everyday bookkeeping, payroll, and invoicing, and you don’t need to be an accountant to figure it out. The flip side is, once you start needing deeper reporting or industry-specific features like advanced inventory or job costing, it can feel like you’re stretching it beyond what it was built for.
Sage is more heavy-duty. It’s great if you’re managing bigger teams, more complex projects, or need really detailed financial tracking. The trade-off is the steeper learning curve and setup headaches. I’ve seen it work really well for construction and manufacturing, but for service businesses it can feel like overkill.
Another thing to think about is whether you want cloud access. QuickBooks Online makes that easy, but some people still prefer the desktop version because of the advanced features. In that case, there are providers who can host it in the cloud for you so you get the best of both worlds: the desktop functionality with the convenience of logging in from anywhere.
So if your focus is straightforward bookkeeping and staying lean, QuickBooks will probably make life easier. If you’re looking ahead at more complicated operations with multiple users and projects, Sage might be worth the extra effort.
Have you thought about whether your business is more service-oriented or inventory and project heavy? That’s usually the deciding factor I’ve seen.
QuickBooks Pro is still widely used because it has features that many people feel QuickBooks Online doesn’t quite match. A lot of small firms and CPAs rely on it for stability and the fact that it’s been tested for years. Hosting it in the cloud makes it even better since you get the flexibility of QuickBooks Online with remote access and multi-user collaboration, but you also keep all the tools that come with the desktop version.
Cloud hosting also handles backups and security more effectively because providers build in redundancy and disaster recovery. I’ve seen Ace Cloud Hosting used for this and it makes QuickBooks Pro much easier to manage day to day. On top of that you can scale users or add-ons as your firm grows without going through a painful setup each time. Running Pro locally works fine for some, but once it’s hosted in the cloud it becomes a lot more practical for modern workflows.