Story · Construction · Consolidation
Seven versions of QuickBooks, three companies, and a building move at the same time.
A concrete contractor bought two other companies and inherited their accounting along with them. They ended up running six or seven versions of QuickBooks, one of them around twenty years old, with some people remoting into a workstation to reach it and others running it locally.
The situation
Nobody had chosen this. It is what happens when acquisitions close faster than systems get merged, and every month it gets harder to unpick because more data lands in more places.
The technical picture was messy enough. The harder part was that every one of those versions had people who depended on it and a reason they were still on it.
And it was all happening while the business moved from one building to another, absorbing two existing networks that had been separately connected.
What we did
We started with people rather than software. Every user and every vendor, worked through one at a time, to establish what version each actually needed and why, as opposed to what they happened to have.
Then one QuickBooks server, plus a remote server for access, so everyone reaches the same system the same way regardless of where they sit.
Four to five months, run in parallel with the building move and the network consolidation. One holdout is still running her own copy, and the owner asked that she not be pushed, which is a reasonable call and we respect it.
"The technical work was the straightforward half. Coordination was the hardest part, pulling people across the finish line."
How the engineer on this one puts itWhat changed
ResolvedEveryone is on the same version, reached the same way, in a single building, on one network. Month end takes the time it should. New staff learn one system.
The client moved in concert with us rather than having to be dragged, which is the difference between a four-month project and an eighteen-month one.
Order the internet circuit the week the lease is signed. Carriers take six to twelve weeks. Nothing else on a move fails as often.
The relocation checklist Did you knowA backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a plan. Ask for the date of the last tested restore.
What to actually testQuestions people ask about this
Do we have to consolidate accounting after an acquisition?
Usually, and usually sooner than feels comfortable. Every month of parallel systems adds reconciliation work that never goes away on its own.
What about the person who will not move?
Sometimes you leave them, at least for a while. A project that stalls over one holdout helps nobody. We document the exception and revisit it.
Can this happen during a move?
It can, and there is an argument for it. People expect disruption during a move, so the change lands better than it would on a normal Tuesday.
"Matt was super friendly and helpful. He figured out my issues right away and scheduled a follow-up with me."
Client, 2024 surveyMeet Matt- A technician who knows your setup takes every request. Not a dispatcher, not a queue.
- Every closed ticket is surveyed and a partner reads every response.
- 99.5% of surveys come back positive.
- Family-owned since 2005. 21 years in the same corner of Wisconsin, not going anywhere.
"Thanks for the hard work. I was kept informed with regular updates until the concern was resolved."
Jeff, insurance brokerageBought a company and inherited its systems?
We will map what you actually have before anyone proposes a project.
Talk to a partnerTalk to a partner, not a sales script.
Tell us what is going on. A partner will call you back the same business day, look at what you have, and tell you honestly whether we are the right fit. No pricing pressure, no pitch deck.