In this article
Many software today operate in the Cloud, requiring the creation of an account and the use of login credentials, without local installations. Data is accessible from multiple devices, but this also means that all data and documents are stored on the service provider's servers (e.g., Dropbox, iCloud, OneDrive, GoogleDrive).
- The advantages of the Cloud for private Banana users
- The advantages of the Cloud for companies or associations using Banana
- The advantages of the Cloud for fiduciaries and accountants
Banana Accounting Plus works with your Cloud
Banana Accounting Plus does not have its own Cloud, but allows you to work with yours! Since accounting data are particularly sensitive we believe that you should be able to choose where you save them. They belong exclusively to you. Our company has no access to your data.
In Banana Accounting, usually each accounting year constitutes a separate file, in .ac2 format.
With Banana Accounting Plus you can choose where to save your data: locally, on external devices, on Cloud systems to share them with others.
In Banana Accounting, saving your files to the Cloud is just one of many options, a free choice.
The advantages of the Cloud for private Banana users
For private users, saving their accounting files and digital receipts in the Cloud can be a great advantage: they are accessible from any of our devices, from home, from the office, from the phone.
For example, your mobile can be a good support to immediately scan all receipts or receipts (which are otherwise easily lost) and save them directly to the folder on the Cloud from which they can then be taken back and inserted as a link in the accounting file.
Save your Banana files on the Cloud
With Banana Accounting Plus you can keep your accounting files on the Cloud using any Cloud data management system. Total freedom of choice, without any additional cost.
- You can choose the Cloud service you prefer:
- Dropbox, Apple iCloud, Microsoft OneDrive, GoogleDrive or any other public service. Most of these offer a free basic service with limited storage, and then provide additional paid services. If you already have an active Cloud service, you won’t incur any additional costs.
- Your own private Cloud .
- If you already have an active Cloud service, you won't have additional charges in order to work.
- Your accounting data will always be accessible.
- Even if the subscription to Banana Accounting Plus expires, your data will always remain in your possession and be accessible.
- With the Free plan of Banana Accounting Plus you can always read and print the contents of the files.
- You can keep copies on any support or computer, in order to comply with the requirements of the law for keeping and archiving accounting data.
- You can store and share any type of file:
- Accounting files
- Receipt files or other documents that you link to transaction rows.
- Other Excel, Word, letter, photo or other files that are related to accounting.
- You can share data with others:
- Use the sharing features of your Cloud provider.
- You can have multiple people accessing the data.
- You can assign permissions, read only or write.
- Data can be accessed directly from the web.
- You can keep the accounts even if you don't have an active internet connection.
The limitation you have with Banana is that only one person at a time can modify the same accounting file. If more than one person saves the modifications there is a conflict that can result in data loss. It is therefore an ideal solution for individuals or small teams.
Set up Cloud data management service
To set up the Cloud service you have to follow the instructions given by your provider. As a rule, the procedure is as follows:
- Create the account through the cloud service.
- Install the cloud data access program on your computer.
- You will be asked for the data to access your Cloud account.
- This program will create a local folder.
- In this folder the program will synchronize the data with the Cloud system.
- When you make changes locally they will be automatically replicated to the Cloud or other devices you are connected to.
- If you don't have a Cloud connection you can still work on your files. When you reconnect, the program will re-synchronise your files.
- The Cloud system allows you to specify which folders and files to sync automatically.
- You can access the files both from your computer and from mobile devices.
- Install the Banana Accounting Plus software on your computer.
- In the local folder of the Cloud service:
- Create the folder for your company or accounting.
- When you create a new accounting file, save it under the folder you have created.
- Create sub-folders to better organise your accounting data.
- Your data will then be automatically synchronized in the Cloud.
- You can create other folders for other companies or organizations.
- Create the folder for your company or accounting.
The advantages of the Cloud for companies or associations using Banana
In addition to the benefits reserved for individuals of access from multiple devices and ease of scanning receipts, firms and associations can use Cloud services to share with others the folders where they keep their accounting files and receipts.
Share your data folder with others
All Cloud systems offer the ability to share data with others, a feature that can be useful for a small business or association. To share data with others, the procedure is as follows:
- Create an account with the Cloud service you use (this is usually free).
- Go to the folder you want to share.
- With the sharing functionality indicate the email of the user to whom access should be granted.
- You can share with as many people as you wish.
- You can assign access permissions (read only, write).
- All subfolders will also be shared automatically.
- With the sharing functionality indicate the email of the user to whom access should be granted.
- The user can access the data:
- Via the web interface
- By installing the data synchronization client on your computer
- The data will be synchronized between the different users.
Warning: two people cannot edit the same file at the same time. If you delete a file from the Cloud, it will also be deleted from all other devices that share that folder via Cloud.
The advantages of the Cloud for fiduciaries and accountants
Fiduciaries and accountants often use Banana Accounting Plus because it allows them to easily share data with clients. It is also kept as the firm's secondary accounting software. In recent years, thanks to the widespread use of the Cloud, Banana Accounting Plus has offered interesting opportunities to acquire new clients.
If you're an accountant and collaborate with your client on bookkeeping, Cloud systems can help you make the process very easy. You generally have two options:
- The client has its own Cloud service and then shares the data with you.
- You have a Cloud system on which you save client data and share the folder with the client.
Important information regarding the use of a cloud:
- The Cloud service is an independent program from Banana Accounting. Banana.ch Ltd. does not take responsibility nor can it offer support related to the use of the Cloud.
- It is recommended to have a Cloud with a business account to have sufficient space, all sharing features, and other advanced features.
- To ensure full compatibility between computers, in general, it is recommended to:
- Choose a Windows Cloud service like Microsoft OneDrive if you are operating on Windows.
- Choose an Apple Cloud service like Apple iCloud if you are operating on Mac.
- In the case of mixed operating systems, as a last resort, it is always possible to share files through encrypted file transfer services like Swisstransfer.
- Only one person can work on a file at a time.
- It might be necessary to manage the permissions granted to those with whom the files are shared.
Manage multiple companies and share data with clients
If you manage more than one company, it is better to organize the folders to facilitate sharing with others. Here we suggest you a possible organization of data, you can obviously choose the structure that you think more suitable.
- In the local folder of your Cloud system create separate folders for each of your customers.
- For each customer create two sub-folders:
- Internal
Where you can save the data you don't want to share. - Shared-[CompanyName]
- Save here the files that you want to share with your customer.
- Also indicate the company name, so your customer can recognize it
- Internal
- Share the Shared folder with your client, using the system provided by the Cloud service.
Important: Data backup service
Working with a data synchronization system is like working with a network system. When a user deletes a file or folder from their local computer, automatically the file or folder is also deleted from the Cloud . Similarly, if someone overwrites the data, the previous data is lost.
Therefore, it is important that you have a backup service:
- Check for how long your Cloud provider keeps copies of your deleted data. The duration may vary depending on the plan you choose.
- The system can also help you guard against hardware defects or ransomware attacks.
- It can be useful to have a local backup system, which also saves your data to disk.
- A system that prevents data deletion, with simple commands, is preferable.