How Is ERP Different from Online Accounting Software Like QuickBooks?

If your business is growing or becoming more sophisticated in its operations, QuickBooks may no longer be enough. QuickBooks Enterprise, a preferred online accounting software, can only go so far. Once your business reaches a certain size, there are likely to be more frustrations than benefits.

To understand how Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is different, first consider this: QuickBooks is only for accounting. It supports the most basic of financial activities, while solutions like Acumatica offer a complete ERP suite—including accounting–that can be tailored to the needs of specific types of businesses. And, while QuickBooks can be accessed online, Acumatica is built for the cloud. No extra equipment or software are needed to access it. Changes are immediately reflected in a centralized repository from no matter where you log in from.

The ERP system also includes:

A Complete Audit Trail: QuickBooks lacks an audit trail, so you won’t see what changes were made in transactions, when they were completed or who was responsible for them. Indeed, you won’t know if there were changes at all. In an ERP, a record of all changes is available to ensure accountability and evidence of all operations and events in your organization.
Full Customer Resource Management (CRM) Functionality: An ERP automates your salesforce and marketing activities, while all case management functions and insights into customer activity are at your fingertips. Acumatica also provides a full CRM portal to improve customer satisfaction.
Flexible Licensing: QuickBooks licensing is based on the number of users. With the Acumatica Cloud ERP, SaaS, subscription and perpetual licensing options are available. You can choose from a term-based subscription model or a perpetual license that does not expire, while there’s no limit to the number of users.
Share Data Across the Organization: Acumatica supports full relational database export, while QuickBooks does not. Share project accounting, order management, inventory, field service and other data. All organizational data are available to users anywhere, and you can import data from Microsoft SQL or Oracle.
Scalability: QuickBooks doesn’t offer much room for growth. In fact, QuickBooks Enterprise supports only up to 30 users. An ERP like Acumatica scales as your company grows. Plus, it can not only handle multiple currencies but also multiple companies, allowing the software to support branch operations around the world.

A Cloud ERP Tailor-Made Your Business

An ERP system provides the functionality for complete, real-time visibility across an organization. Acumatica takes things a step further by providing unique packages for the type of business you are running. It is available in a General Business Edition, Distribution Edition, Manufacturing Edition, Construction Accounting Software, Commerce Edition and Field Service Edition.

With Acumatica, you can add capabilities as your business grows. Flexible licensing means you pay for the computing power used and only for what you need, when those specific resources are required by your company. You can continue adding users without increasing costs or requiring additional licenses. To learn more about the platform and its advantages over basic accounting software like QuickBooks, contact us for a free demo.