This past week, I received an email that should have been re-assuring, but in fact, completely frightened and angered me.
The subject line was: Intuit Sync Manager Eliminated as of March 1, 2016. The email went on to say: If you or your clients have third party applications you are syncing with your QuickBooks desktop file(s), you can visit the following page to see a list of apps that may be affected. http://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/support/Articles/INF29136
I quickly rushed to review the article to see what integrated apps would fall short of preparation and how many clients are going to call me, screaming because their apps are no longer synchronizing with QuickBooks? That is when I realized: I felt completely unprepared for the “sudden emergency” that is coming my way, in less than two weeks.
Sure, it is inevitable. Intuit has been sounding their alarms and now they are drawing their bridges on the Desktop Versions to aggressively migrate their users. But let’s face it, we (the proadvisor and developer community) have been left on the front lines to lead our local small business owners thru this transition.
Like the Titanic and captain of my ship, I must save as many lives as I can, because whether you know it or not, your ships (with your communities of small business owners) have been hit by an iceberg and your taking on water too. Maybe you are better prepared than me, maybe you were expecting to get off eventually, just not in the middle of the night, in the North Atlantic (or in the middle of Tax Season) – but, it is coming, your phone is going to blow-up too and Intuit has even told us the exact date of: 3-1-2016.
Yeah, I have read the short-list of affected apps (in the Intuit Support Article (above)). But, I am still full of questions and trepidation. And yes, even panic. What do I do now? I do not have a plan in place to assist my clients and it is only going to escalate from here.
Now, operating from an emergency mode: I am considering the choices for survival:
a. Migrate EVERYONE to QuickBooks Online – ASAP (save as many lives as I can)
b. Find a new platform for them – ASAP (Become a Xero, Sage, PeachTree, Rep)
c. Embrace viable integrated solutions
d. Change Careers
Which way to the life boats?
Just saying….