Manage Your Business Apps in the Cloud: Swizznet Delivers Enterprise-Grade Hosted QuickBooks and Sage Solutions

Swizznet Delivers Enterprise Grade Hosted Accounting

TL; DR: Created for accountants by accountants, Swizznet delivers enterprise-grade hosted accounting and business solutions designed to meet the business-critical needs of accounting and business teams. In addition to hosting market-leading products like QuickBooks and Sage in the cloud, the company protects them with bank-level security and Obsessive Support® services. The result is a secure, hassle-free cloud-based accounting experience designed for a carefully regulated environment. //

Businesses have been participating in a long-distance race to the cloud for a good decade — with some industries maintaining a cautious pace and others focused squarely on the finish line.

That was then. Now, amid an ongoing pandemic, cloud-hosted systems have become essential to business continuity. And that lengthy race to the cloud has become a mad sprint.

Perhaps Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella puts it best. “As COVID-19 impacts every aspect of our work and life, we have seen two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months,” he said while on an earnings call in late April.

The folks at Swizznet, a provider of enterprise-grade cloud-hosted accounting and business solutions, said they couldn’t agree more.

Bob Hollander, CEO and President

Bob Hollander, CEO and President, gave us the scoop on Swizznet.

“Swizznet, and the industry as a whole, has seen a move to the cloud that is only accelerating as businesses look to find a way through the pandemic,” said Bob Hollander, CEO and President at Swizznet. “The pandemic has changed how most companies will do business from this point forward.”

According to Bob, those who attempt to return to previous norms are in for a rude awakening: The pandemic has simply accelerated the inevitable — and there’s no going back.

Fortunately, that’s where companies like Swizznet can help. In an era where it’s never been more critical to access business tools remotely, Swizznet’s hosted accounting solutions provide a desktop-like accounting experience that users have grown to expect. It also offers layers of built-in tools to enhance security and provide a better overall experience.

“Swizznet enables businesses to leverage the applications that their operations run on from the cloud,” Bob told us. “We have architected in-house, and continue to enhance, an enterprise-grade platform with bank-level security. It’s flexible in using third-party applications and integrations to deliver the same, full-featured, on-premise experience that clients already have with the desktop versions of Sage or QuickBooks.”

Take Sage, QuickBooks, and Tax Software to the Cloud

Swizznet has served a customer base of accounting firms and accounting practices since it was founded in 2007 by experienced certified public accountants (CPA).

In the years following, the company has focused on freeing accountants and businesses from the shackles of in-house infrastructure via cloud solutions that allow them to collaborate securely from any device.

In 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and partners from the Security Summit released cybersecurity guidelines for tax professionals (or any business) centered on critical areas known as the Security Six. The document points to six essential elements of an effective digital strategy: antivirus software, firewalls, two-factor authentication, backup software and services, drive encryption, and a data security plan.

Icons depicting Swizznet's security and support benefits

The cloud-hosted accounting platform is designed for the high-security needs of the financial services industry.

Swizznet’s platform supports each of these tools as a minimum precaution but goes above and beyond by partnering with leading security companies for threat detection and response. All solutions are deployed in SOC-2 datacenters built and maintained to combat unpredictable disasters, such as earthquakes. The system also ensures PCI and HIPAA compliance.

The ultimate aim is to allow both SMBs and mid-size enterprises to eliminate technical worries while enjoying the benefits of mobile and scalable business and accounting applications.

“We want to facilitate access to your accounting and business software to maximize the efficiency of your back-office solutions,” Bob said. “Our systems were originally designed, and are continuously updated, to support hosted accounting solutions for a highly regulated environment. We don’t just put a few data centers together and stick software on it for a user to access.”

Pairing A Market-Leading Platform with Hassle-Free IT

Swizznet provides users three ways to access its software remotely — through the HTML browser, desktop app, or workspace.

“It is the Citrix or CloudJumper tools that are absolute game-changers,” Bob said. ‘These two tools deliver the look and feel, speed and security of an in-office experience where, unlike Remote Desktop Services (RDS) alone, you can print locally, use multiple monitors, copy and paste between file explorers, and much more. Our competitors’ resolve is to provide only one way to access your tools that is an inferior user experience and open to security vulnerabilities.”

Bob told us that Swizznet’s cloud hosting model offers significant advantages over other options for using Sage and QuickBooks on-premise or via SaaS. “With cloud hosting, you get the best of both worlds where you host the full version of desktop software, safely on their platform – to be used from anywhere, anytime, any device – without changes to your business processes or requiring new training,” he said.

Swizznet product shot

Swizznet offers a familiar, desktop-like software experience that’s cost-effective and secure.

Bob told us that, as companies rushed to employ remote solutions at the beginning of the pandemic, many chose low-cost, low-quality solutions without the necessary qualifications. (Swizznet, on the other hand, is an official Intuit QuickBooks Authorized Commercial Host and a Sage Authorized Partner).

“This has left them very exposed in many ways,” he said. “As seen in our Why Tech Matters guide, Swizznet has layers of user experience and security built throughout our entire solution. We go above and beyond to offer secure, enterprise-grade technology.”

Around-the-Clock Obsessive Support® Based in the U.S.

Swizznet is known for its trademarked Obsessive Support®, characterized by a seamless, reliable customer experience and a 99.95% uptime guarantee.

“We want to facilitate access to your accounting and business software to maximize the efficiency of your back-office solutions,” Bob said.

The U.S.-based support team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year via three channels: ticket, email, live chat, and phone.

“Most competitors don’t allow for phone support as they are lower-cost providers,” Bob said. “Our customer satisfaction rate is consistently over 95%, and all of our support team are certified through the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program as well as Sage-certified.”

Swizznet’s support team assists with both the hosting aspect of the service and the software itself. “When it gets beyond our skillset, we personally connect them with a contact at Intuit or Sage for a seamless handoff,” Bob said. “We take this very seriously.”

Since Swizznet was sold to the equity firm Bluff Point Associates in 2019, it has doubled down on investment intended to scale the business, better penetrate the market, and offer increased value to customers. “So we are always improving the existing systems today while building for tomorrow,” Bob said. “It’s not just about moving a business to the cloud but also about how clients utilize the power of the cloud and gain more value-added benefits.”

Bob Hollander, CEO and President, remains at the head of the small but growing company, where he pushes for an inclusive, collaborative, and solutions-based environment.

Ensuring Bank-Grade Security Amid a Cloud Rush

As for what the future holds, Swizznet will continue to facilitate the race to remote working solutions while ensuring a secure environment.

“With the rush to remote work, there is a move to provide security at the edge, or out to the user’s device, which is heavily exposed,” Bob said. “With so many bad actors seeking to do harm, many businesses may be unnecessarily exposed while using systems of lesser quality.”

Swizznet knows that malware, ransomware, and other cybersecurity threats can lead to a loss of productivity, data, and consumer confidence — and the company takes those risks seriously.

“Users on our system can rest assured that their data is protected, whether it’s stored or in-motion between systems and people, using 256-bit encryption and a safe-site SSL certification,” he said. “We are built to beat every conceivable mechanical and natural disaster with industry-leading back-up and disaster recovery processes.”

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