Chromebook for Accountants: Taking it To the Cloud!

Does Google Chrome OS and the Chromebook work for accountants? It depends.

Since so many tax and accounting applications that I depend upon are Windows applications, I never saw myself as the Chromebook type.  Lately, I've been reconsidering.

What changed? About a year ago, I moved all of my critical Windows applications and client data to a virtual server hosted by Cloud9Realtime.Com.

With all of my applications and data on the cloud, it really doesn't matter whether I access the server with a Windows computer, a Mac, or even a Chromebook.  To access my Cloud9 server from the Chromebook, I use CloudRDP from Ericom.  This is an HTML5 based RDP client that works great from Google Chrome or Chromium browser in any operating system. You can configure the app to use full screen or to fit in the browser window.  You can even toggle between the two views, if you need to get information from email or another browser window.

One of the advantages of using the Chromebook to access my server is instant access.  The Chromebook boots in about 8 seconds directly into the Chrome browser.  A second advantage is security.  Critical client data is not stored on my notebook if I have a senior moment and leave it somewhere or if it gets stolen.  Plus, all my stuff is there when I log into a replacement Chromebook or even a Chrome browser on another computer.

Challenges include printing and using dual displays.  CloudRDP includes a print driver that causes anything I print to show up as a separate browser window in the browser.  From there I can  either print using Google Cloud Print Services or save the document as a PDF.  From within my server environment, I can print directly to Nitro PDF driver and save the output to my client directory or attach to an email.  Dual displays are also a challenge because the Chromebook doesn't support extended desktop displays, only mirroring.

My experiment with a Chromebook has been short-lived but instructive.  Chromebooks are small and portable with instant on and good battery life, perfect for when you are on the go.  I can do many of the same things with my iPad using an RDP app, but the iPad doesn't support a mouse. Poking at icons on my screen inside the Windows server environment on the iPad can be frustrating for all but the briefest interactions whereas I can work for hours on the Chromebook.

CloudRDP works in your Chrome browser on any platform so you can check it out before you commit to going ChromeOS.  You can also install Chromium (the open source foundation for Google's Chrome OS) on a USB stick and run it on many common notebooks or netbooks to try before you buy.

My Cloud9RealTime virtual server is the key to my mobile strategy and makes any computer or tablet capable of doing "real work."  Don't listen to the haters.  Consider whether Google Chromebooks may have a place in your firm's mobile IT strategy.

11" MacBook Air: It Ain't Heavy, It's My Notebook

Since the announcement, I've been trying to convince myself that I didn't *need* another computer.  I had a perfectly good MacBook (soon to replace my daughter's aging MacBook at college), plus my 24" iMac at the office.

Still, the 11.6" MacBook Air was what I've been wanting from Apple for years.  My favorite Apple notebook of all time was the 12" PowerBook.  This new 11.6" MacBook Air is the reincarnation of that classic Mac form factor, but so much better.
My new baby has the 1.4 Ghz processor and the 128GB flash drive.  I debated getting the build-to-order upgrade to 4GB RAM but decided to buy at the retail store after visiting two local Apple Stores for extended hands-on sessions with the object of my desire.

The new 13" version will be the preferred model for many, but I yearned for something smaller. I tried netbooks (3 of them) and none of them were the right device.  The Atom processor just didn't have enough "umph" for my needs.  Plus, 1024 x 600 screen resolution was like looking at my computer through a porthole.  Speaking of screens, I was worried that the 11.6" screen would be too small for my over-40 eyes.  My wife was skeptical about this too.  "You're too old for such a small screen", she thought.  But, she came with me to the Apple Store on one of my visits and she immediately got it.  "The screen is so bright. The text is so sharp!" she immediately remarked.  If you are wondering, the screen is easy to read and displays more information than my 13" MacBook does.  At 1366x768, it's a really nice screen.

I'm moving from a 250GB hard drive, so I couldn't just migrate my existing files to the new MacBook Air. I prefer to start fresh anyway, taking stock of what I actually used on the old Mac, and not migrating apps and documents that are no longer relevant.  Plus, I decided to move my iTunes library to an external drive attached to my Airport Extreme Base Station so it can be shared by other computers on my home network.  That saved me about 40GB of stuff.  Out of the box, the 128GB drive has about 109GB free.

It used to be that when I bought a new Mac, I needed to buy VMWare or Parallels and install some version of Windows.  I depend on several Windows applications in my CPA practice. You know, stuff like QuickBooks and Sage FAS 100 Fixed Assets, BNA Tax Planner, and my tax return software.  What I've learned during the past year, is that I really only need one Windows installation on my office iMac.

All I really need on my notebook is an Internet connection, a browser, and I can remote access my Windows installation from wherever I am.  I accomplish this using either Log Me In or Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection.  I've discovered that I really like Microsoft's RDC so much better than Log Me In.

I discovered this solution by accident after I finally learned how to configure a VPN for my office network. VPN is "da bomb".  I love being able to click on the little icon on my menu bar to establish an instant connection to the VPN.  Then, I can mount my network file server in Finder just like a local hard drive.  Files are easily dragged and dropped between the local Mac and the remote server.  Plus, with the VPN running, I can use Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection to control Windows remotely.  I like the way Windows looks and responds better with RDC than with Log Me In or Back to My Mac (which is too flaky to rely on in my experience).

Another decision that I've made (at least for now) is to load only iWork on my new Mac.  Pages and Keynote work great for my needs. I prefer using Keynote over Powerpoint for  my slide presentations when I teach continuing education classes.  Numbers isn't the best when you have to share the resulting spreadsheet with clients running Excel, but it works fine otherwise.   I  have two alternatives if Numbers doesn't work for me. One is Google Docs, the other is my remote access to my iMac.

This new MacBook Air is going to be my portal into the cloud.  Both my personal cloud (as described above) and the real cloud with SAAS applications becoming more popular.  I can't wait for the Apple Mac App Store to become a reality.

My final thought on the MacBook Air is don't be a spec sheet critic, who reads the specs and concludes the MacBook Air can't be a good computer.  You really need to head over to an Apple Store or Best Buy or Microcenter and go hands-on with this device. It's truly amazing how fast the flash storage makes the entire computing experience.

If you have any question, please leave a comment.  I'll be checking in on my MacBook Air.