Google Accounting Software Options

Basic Small Business Accounting Software Options

Accounting; Most of us really hate it, but there is no way we can get around it. Accounting is just something that has to be done. And I do realize that some people actually love. More power to them. However, for a small business you should try to keep it as simple as possible. There is a really good case for avoiding complex commercial software when you are a small business. I probably need to go no further than expense, but complexity and maintenance are also strong points against commercial accounting systems for small business.

That leaves you with the ultimate tool in any small business. Excel (or another basic spreadsheet solution)! I truly love Excel. I believe it is one of the best things to come out of Microsoft. There is virtually nothing (IT related) you can't do with Excel. Even Excel, I have to admit, does have its limitations in the long run. The upkeep of mega spreadsheet is tedious at best and in most cases downright impossible.

Using a simple database system like Access can be a solution. It allows you to build your own accounting system that you can use for a long time. Unfortunately there aren't, at this point in time, any templates on Microsoft.com for accounting. That would be really helpful for small business owners. More importantly unless you invest in a SharePoint based solution neither Excel spreadsheets or Access databases are available on more than one machine at a time. These days you can get a SharePoint based solution fairly cheap through Office 365, but as you'll soon see there is an even cheaper solution.

Every (Google) Cloud-Based Accounting System Has A Silver Lining

I mentioned Office 365 a little while back. Office 365 is a cloud based SharePoint solution. Basically it allows you to do things you would normally need your own servers to do. Very smart. Office 365 is reasonably cheap, even for small businesses, but there is an even cheaper solution you should check out. If you already have a GMail account you may have heard of it. The name is Google Drive, used to be Google Docs, and is a cloud based office suite solution. It contains much the same functionality as any other office suite, except it's free and it's web based.

Whichever cloud based solution you pic the main advantage is the same. You can access it anywhere. As long as you have a computer, or a tablet, or a smart phone, or any device with a browser really; You can access your documents. That is such a huge advantage that I really don't know how to put across just how important it is. You get the advantages of having your own server setup without having your server setup. It is accessible for you and all your employees anywhere in the world. The maintenance is somebody elses problem. What's not to love?

In Office 365 it would obviously be Excel or Access you would be looking for as your accounting system. With Google drive you would use either Spreadsheet or Table, the equivalent Google applications. We'll get into the pros and cons of using Google accounting software tools like those two.

Google Spreadsheet - Browser Based Excel?

First of all, yes. Google Spreadsheet is the Google Drive equivalent to Excel. I you are planning on running your accounting in a spreadsheet solution you may well consider Google Spreadsheet. The added advantage is that it is a cloud based solution. That means you can access it anywhere. The functionality is pretty solid for a browser based spreadsheet solution. It's not quite up there with desktop based solutions yet, but that's only a matter of time.

The long term issues with regards to accounting are the same as for any spreadsheet solution. Upkeep is bound to be a pain at some point. Moving to a database solution may be a solution.

Google Table - If You Don't Mind Being A First Mover This Could Be Your Google Accounting Software Option

Google Table is an experimental solution by Google. That alone may make you think twice about using it. If you do decide to use it it should be for the same reasons you would use to justify using Access over Excel. You should expect the functionality to be lacking, at least for a while, but you do get the added advantages of cloud based technologies.

If you're sick of the old desktop solutions you have already tried for your small business accounting, you have probably considered what Google has to offer. The Google accounting software options are very similar to desktop solutions, except they are cloud based. They may lack a bit of the functionality you are used to, but they make up for it with cloud advantages.