How to Move Off of Third Party Hosted QuickBooks Desktop to Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop

Traditional desktop software products for CPAs are evolving and it’s time to jump on board.

If your business is using a proprietary QuickBooks desktop hosting solution from companies like Rightworks, Summit Hosting, or Apps4Rent, this blog is for you.

Why would you FROM A PROPRITARY CLOUD HOST TO AZURE?

Why is Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop the premiere solution? 

What do you need to know to make the transition? 

This blog will uncover why it’s time your business explored Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop and how a qualified managed IT service provider like PK Tech can make it happen (safely and efficiently).

Why is now the time to cut the middleman out?

In short, it’s all about modernization.

One of the most powerful ways to modernize your desktop bookkeeping environment is by moving it to Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD). Whether you’re currently using Rightworks, Summit Hosting, Apps4Rent, or another similar solution, AVD will help you elevate your current stature. 

AVD skips the middle man and empowers your business to host directly with Microsoft. The big non-Microsoft players 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. 

This all comes with an important caveat: we always 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. 

Why Move Your Existing Bookkeeping Software to Azure Virtual Desktop?

Azure Virtual Desktop offers clear benefits over proprietary QuickBooks desktop hosting solutions like Rightworks or Summit Hosting, making it an ideal solution for businesses looking to modernize their accounting operations without sacrificing the functionality. 

Benefits of Azure Virtual Desktop for CPAs: 

• Remote Accessibility: Companies with a distributed or hybrid workforce need staff to access QBD securely from multiple locations or devices.
• Centralized Management: Hosting proprietary QuickBooks desktop solutions 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 a dedicated cloud infrastructure ensures high availability and allows for easy scaling as your company grows.

Challenges of Migrating Bookkeeping Software 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 the current version of your bookkeeping software is licensed to support the number of concurrent staff members expected to access your 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. If your current solution offers a backup system that generates a backup file, we recommend you use it and perform this before any major changes are made as a precautionary measure. 
• Added complexity and cost: Staff will need to login to AVD and then launch your existing software 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 logs in with their normal M365 user id 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 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 Tax Software to Azure Virtual Desktop

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

1. Assessment and Planning

• Evaluate your current desktop bookkeeping software 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 your previous software’s 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.
• Perform a backup of your company file and transfer it to your computer so it can be restored inside of AVD later.

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 Your Old Software

• Install the applicable QBD version(s) on the Azure-hosted VM. Make sure to install your existing system’s 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 Database Server Manager and other dependencies are also configured.

4. Data Migration

• For the cleanest migration run your existing solution's built-in backup tool and generate a 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 working files 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. 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 needed files and that it functions properly.
• Provide basic user training to show staff how to login to AVD, launch QBD, and how to print.

6. Going Live, Monitoring, 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 your existing software and 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 your existing bookkeeping 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 Rightworks, 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 bookkeeping 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. 

FAQ

General FAQ's for CPAs looking to migrate to Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop.

Why would you want to move QuickBooks Desktop to Azure Virtual Desktop? 

Moving QuickBooks Desktop to Azure Virtual Desktop allows your team to access QuickBooks securely from anywhere — whether they are in the office, remote, or traveling. It centralizes your data in the cloud rather than on a local server, reducing the risk of hardware failure, data loss, or office disruptions. It also provides improved performance, built-in security features, easier IT management, and powerful remote-work flexibility. For accounting teams that need consistent, reliable access to QuickBooks, Azure Virtual Desktop delivers a much smoother and more controlled environment.

How much does Azure Virtual Desktop cost? 

Azure Virtual Desktop pricing varies depending on the number of users, performance needs (such as CPU, RAM, and storage), and whether you already have Microsoft 365 or Windows licenses. Costs generally fall into two main categories:

1. Azure Infrastructure Costs (compute, storage, backups, network)
2. Licensing Costs (Windows / Microsoft 365 licensing)

For small firms, monthly costs often range from $30–$60 per user, depending on usage patterns. For larger teams or heavier workloads, pricing may range $60–$120+ per user. Most managed IT providers can produce a cost estimate in less than a day based on your needs.

What types of businesses are a best fit for Azure Virtual Desktop? 

Azure Virtual Desktop is ideal for businesses that:

• Have distributed or remote employees
• Need secure access to applications and data from anywhere
• Use software that traditionally runs on local servers, such as QuickBooks Desktop, Sage, or industry-specific apps
• Require strict compliance controls (CPA firms, legal offices, healthcare, finance, etc.)
• Want to eliminate on-premise servers and shift to a more reliable cloud environment

Many CPA firms, bookkeeping teams, small-to-mid-sized professional services firms, and organizations with multiple office locations benefit from this setup.

How long does it take to transfer to Azure Virtual Desktop? 

Most migrations take 1–2 weeks depending on:

• The size of your QuickBooks company files
• The number of users and user configurations
• The complexity of your current network or server setup
• Whether additional applications need to be moved alongside QuickBooks

Smaller firms (5–15 users) are often fully migrated in 5–10 business days, while larger environments may require more planning and phased rollout to minimize downtime.