Life for financial workers at start-ups and other small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) is already hectic. They’re overworked, overtired, overstressed and, well, you get the idea.
There simply isn’t enough time, staff or money to get everything done during normal working hours. (An 8-hour workday — what’s that?) It’s also not feasible to clock any additional time in the office. At some point, life outside of work must be lived.
This is why mobile access to the company’s financial accounting software is so critical for SMBs. By tapping into financial data on the go, financial workers have the freedom to leave the office and still take care of work when necessary.
Consider these two scenarios:
- You’re at your 9-year-old’s soccer game and you get an email that an expense report needs to be updated. No problem. Click a few keys on your smartphone and it’s done. You never left the bleachers.
- Say an invoice, check or payroll needs the go-ahead from the CFO. But he just left on his first vacation in months and the check can’t get cut unless he signs off. Again, that’s not a problem. Once the plane lands, the CFO gets notified on his iPad and takes care of the approvals before his luggage reaches the carousel.
What do these two scenarios demonstrate? Having the ability to allow tactical activity-based tasks in a mobile world is critical. You need to be able to do these tasks outside of the office. It’s essential to increasing productivity and giving you the freedom to leave the office.
Yet many companies don’t take the leap into allowing mobile access of their financial information. They’re afraid that the data will get lost, stolen or hacked. They ask, “Do I really want my financial data on smartphones? Am I putting my company at risk just for the sake of a little convenience?”
For those concerned about putting their information on their phone, it’s important to remember that data is just as safe on a mobile device as it is on a desktop computer.
Just because you can do your work on your phone and carry it around doesn’t make it any less secure than a desktop computer. Sure, it’s possible to accidently forget a tablet or smartphone at the park, but remote data wipes are simple and efficient. Besides, if you leave a desktop computer at work, what’s to keep someone from entering your office and turning it on? In reality security is not about where your device is located; it’s about protective passwords, firewalls and appropriate encryption.
Your company can control the data on any device — a smartphone, laptop or tablet — because you’re monitoring them as users access the financial systems. There is no security difference from device to device. Just because it’s easier for you to carry the data around with you doesn’t mean it’s easier for someone to access it. It’s just as secure.
Your life is already busy, but business doesn’t stop for soccer games or beach vacations. Give yourself the freedom to leave the office and still access your financial accounting software on the go. The programs can be just as secure as they are on your desktop and you won’t miss dance recitals, dinner with the family or a little extra sunshine.