How to Move QuickBooks Desktop to Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop

As businesses increasingly rely on cloud-based solutions to support remote work and improve operational efficiency, traditional desktop software products like QuickBooks Desktop (QBD) and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise are also evolving.

Other than moving to QuickBooks Online, one of the most powerful ways to modernize your QuickBooks Desktop environment is by moving it to Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD). While there are other cloud hosting options that could host your data and allow you to remote into their systems to access QBD, AVD stands out. AVD skips the middle man and empowers your business to host directly with Microsoft. The big non-Microsoft players in the QBD hosting business rely on used-car style sales tactics such as a temporarily low price at the beginning, constant upsells, unreasonably low storage, backup retention that has to be upgraded (add-on), and potentially third-world tech support. 

We recommend you work with a qualified IT company that has in depth knowledge of your industry, is third party audited at least annually (such as SOC 2 Type II), and has experience managing Microsoft AVD environments. 

This approach offers greater flexibility, scalability, and security while enabling accountants and finance teams to access QuickBooks from virtually anywhere.

In this post, we’ll explore why companies are making this shift, what challenges they may face, the opportunities it unlocks, and how to successfully migrate QBD software to Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop.

Why Move QuickBooks Desktop Software to Azure Virtual Desktop?

The move to Azure Virtual Desktop is often driven by strategic needs such as:

• Remote Accessibility: Companies with a distributed or hybrid workforce need staff to access QBD securely from multiple locations or devices.
• Centralized Management: Hosting QuickBooks in a virtual desktop environment simplifies updates, backups, and user access control.
• Improved Security: Azure provides built-in security features like multi-factor authentication, conditional access, and encryption, helping to better protect sensitive financial data.
• Performance and Scalability: Running QBD on dedicated cloud infrastructure ensures high availability and allows for easy scaling as your company grows.

These benefits make Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop an ideal solution for businesses looking to modernize their accounting operations without sacrificing the functionality.

Challenges of Migrating QuickBooks to the Cloud

While the benefits are clear, migration isn’t without its challenges. Here are a few that businesses need to consider:

• Licensing and compatibility: It is critical to ensure that your version of QuickBooks Desktop (e.g., Pro, Premier, or Enterprise) is licensed to support the number of concurrent staff members expected to access your QBD data.
• Backups: You'll need to either configure Azure's backup solution or install a third party solution to ensure your data is backed up offsite at least once a day. We recommend you also use the built in QuickBooks backup system to generate a QBB file before you perform major changes as a precautionary measure. 
• Added complexity and cost: Staff will need to login to AVD and then launch QuickBooks inside that session. You should be using Microsoft 365 already, and the IT team who set up your AVD should connect the two so your staff login with their normal M365 user and password. AVD does need to be set up and managed by a qualified IT company as well. Costs for AVD and IT management fees should be factored in with your decision.

Planning for these challenges ahead of time can significantly improve the outcome of your migration project.

Opportunities Created by Migrating to Azure Virtual Desktop

Beyond simply "moving to the cloud," transitioning to Azure Virtual Desktop opens up long-term business value:

• Enhanced Collaboration: Team members can work on shared QuickBooks files in real time, even from different locations.
• Disaster Recovery: Azure offers redundancy and backup capabilities that make your financial data safer and more recoverable.
• Compliance and Audit Readiness: Azure’s compliance framework helps businesses align with industry regulations like FTC Safeguard Rule, HIPAA, SOC 2, and GDPR.
• Cost Optimization: Azure’s pay-as-you-go model allows businesses to align infrastructure costs with actual usage.

These opportunities make the transition to Azure more than just a technical upgrade.  Moving to Azure creates a foundation for business agility and resilience.

How to Move QuickBooks Tax Software to Azure Virtual Desktop

Here’s a step-by-step approach to moving your QuickBooks software to Azure Virtual Desktop:

1. Assessment and Planning
   • Evaluate your current QuickBooks Desktop environment (version, number of users, integrations).
   • Determine required Azure resources (VM sizes, storage, licensing, number of concurrent users). If your requirements are high enough, you may need a dedicated virtual server to host the QBD data and services. This will add complexity and cost, as it will require Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) in order to allow the dedicated virtual server to authenticate with M365. 
   • Plan the migration timeline, including testing and training.
2. Provision Azure Infrastructure
   • Have a qualified IT resource set up and secure your Azure Virtual Desktop environment. 
   • This should include setting up a billing profile, applicable session host(s), virtual machines (VMs), backups, user profiles, and network security settings.
3. Install QuickBooks Software
   • Install the applicable QBD version(s) on the Azure-hosted VM. Make sure to install the QuickBooks Database Manager service that allows multi-user access. If you're installing multiple years of QBD, start with the oldest version and finish with the most modern.  
   • Ensure the necessary QuickBooks Database Server Manager and other dependencies are also configured.
4. Migrate Data
   • For the cleanest migration run the built-in QuickBooks backup tool and generate a QBB file. Restore it inside of Azure.
   • Review if there are any supplementary data, such as word/excel/pdf files, that need migrated. We recommend reviewing if SharePoint would be a better location for this data. Please note that you should never store and attempt to access QuickBooks working files (QBW) in SharePoint due to the risk of corruption (Intuit says to never do this). 
   • Validate data integrity post-migration.
5. User Access and Testing
   • Set up user accounts with appropriate permissions in AVD (and inside QuickBooks if needed). Note that you do not want staff to be local administrator inside AVD. QBD is famously poorly coded and many IT professionals believe it requires local administrator permissions just to use normally. The solution is to use a product that allows select administrator elevation at the application level, such as AutoElevate. 
   • Conduct testing to ensure all users can access QuickBooks and that it functions properly.
   • Provide basic user training to show staff how to login to AVD, launch QBD, and how to print.
6. Go Live, Monitor, and Ongoing Management
   • Finalize the transition during a low-traffic period. Perform a final QBB backup and restore if you did a test backup and restore earlier. Make sure to delete the old test restore data so people don't accidently use the wrong QB file (we've seen it!).
   • Make sure QBD and the QuickBooks Database Server are up-to-date.
   • Monitor system performance and user feedback. 
   • Establish a backup schedule that includes verification at least weekly. In addition, the infrastructure should be secured with antivirus software, properly configured firewall rules, and Windows Update automation with verification security updates are applied.

Moving Software to the Cloud: General Thoughts

Moving QuickBooks Desktop Software to Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop is a smart move for companies aiming to modernize their financial systems and support remote work. Companies are opting to move all kinds of operations to the cloud, and bookkeeping software is no exception. Whether you use QuickBooks or an alternate bookkeeping software, it's wise to consult your managed IT partner on whether a cloud migration makes sense for your business. 

While the migration involves technical complexity, careful planning and execution can lead to substantial flexibility, security, and efficiency gains.

Whether you're working with an internal IT team or a managed service provider, aligning your QuickBooks setup with Azure’s cloud capabilities will pay off in better user experiences and future-ready infrastructure. 

Are you looking to ask a qualified team of IT experts about what a cloud migration would look like for your business? Schedule a time here.