2019 Review of Abacus Private Cloud

From the 2019 reviews of hosting services for accounting firms.

Abacus Private Cloud from AbacusNext (APC) is a good fit for accounting firms with 10 or more employees that are in the market for a private hosting solution that offers top level security. Once available only to legal firms, AbacusNext has expanded its market considerably in recent years with the acquisition of several applications including Office Tools, Results CRM and Cloudnine Realtime.

APC offers a variety of hosting services which include Desktop as a Service (Daas), a hybrid cloud hosting option, along with other tools and resources which include practice management software, CRM, email hosting, and security services. All are designed to provide accounting and legal firms with a private, secure workplace, while also helping to reduce IT costs.

APC is billed as a Technology as a Service (TaaS) company, which allows it to provide a private, virtual workspace for both accounting and legal firms. Users can access data from anywhere, at any time, using any type of device, with users owning all data. A desktop shortcut to the virtual server can be added to any desktop or device for quick access, with step-by-step instructions provided in the AbacusNext knowledgebase.

APC includes a 99.999% uptime service level agreement, and includes 256-bit AES data encryption as well as SOC1/SOC2/SOC3/SSAE16 Certifications, with added protection against data breaches available as well.  

APC utilizes multiple data centers, with three data centers in the western U.S. (California, Arizona, Nevada), one in Michigan, one in New Jersey, two in Canada, and mirrored data centers in the U.K.

APC is a licensed commercial host for Intuit products, which allows them to handle any IT related issues along with system updates. In addition to QuickBooks Cloud Hosting, APC also offers Microsoft Exchange Cloud Hosting, Office 365, Results CRM, and Office Tools, a recent AbacusNext purchase.  

For CPA firms, APC can also host a variety of accounting and tax applications which include Wolters Kluwer ATX, CCH ProSystem fx applications, Drake Software, Intuit Lacerte and ProSeries, Thomson Reuters applications such as Planner CS, Practice CS, UltraTax CS, and Workpapers CS, as well as Avalara, Bloomberg Tax, Sage 100, and Sage 300. APC can also host other applications upon request.  

All APC subscribers are provided with a dedicated I.P. address along with a dedicated virtual server that is exclusive to their firm. All IT management is handled directly by APC, with firms able to add additional users or products at any time.

APC product support is handled from its San Diego office, with support available 7 days a week, with after-hours support offered at no additional charge. Users can contact support via their toll-free number, or by using the contact form on the website. Email support is also offered as well. A comprehensive knowledgebase is available on the AbacusNext website, and users can access a variety of training videos on the website as well. A customer account portal is also available, where users can submit a service request, check the status of an open ticket, and view invoices or make payments. 

For larger accounting firms that are looking for a secure, private cloud service, Abacus Private Cloud certainly fits the bill. Monthly subscriptions costs are approximately $200 per user, with a price guarantee for up to 60 months. AbacusNext also offers a month-to-month payment option, with no long-term contracts required.

2019 Overall Rating: 5 Stars