Tossing its Web-based hat into the accounting ring, Klix Online offers small businesses a solid accounting program. Using the Web as an office network, Klix provides businesses with 24/7 functionality from any Internet-connected PC and lets multiple users share data between departments and employees – no matter where they’re located geographically. Also, the IT department doesn’t have to deal with desktop programs and their persnickety networking needs.
 Klix Online offers an intuitive screen with the requisite flowcharts that depict accounting processes and serve options, as seen here and in Figure 2. (Click for larger image). |
Klix Online adequately covers accounting basics and offers the features that small businesses use most. It provides security to manage access rights, and on the sales side, comes with capabilities to create a Web store and an interface with point-of-sale terminals. The system oversees inventory and payroll and features adequate reporting.
The company says that its system supports businesses with up to 100 users. After reviewing it, there appears to be nothing to dispute this claim.
Managing the System
Any system that shares data is only as good as its ability to define and manage access rights. After all, you don’t want someone in the warehouse viewing personnel records or using banking features when he or she shouldn’t.
The program lets you define new users in terms of their function, which, in turn, defines their access rights. For this, the application provides a generous number of predefined roles that include accountant, accounts payable, accounts receivable, banking, inventory, payroll manager, purchasing, sales, retail user and more.
You can modify roles to accommodate access to different areas, but this becomes a bit unwieldy when dealing with two employees with similar jobs but with different access needs ‑‑ a common occurrence in small businesses. Overall, the security features lack the detail of user-based access rights found in QuickBooks and Peachtree.
Adding a new user is a simple process that only takes minutes. An administrator first configures an account for a new person. The system then sends the designated person an e-mail that contains login instructions. After clicking a link, the designee is set to go.
Making Sales
Klix can build a Web-based retail store that accepts PayPal payments and comes complete with back-end accounting support. Thus, the system downloads sales data from your Klix Web store and integrates the data into your accounting system. If you already have a non-Klix Web store, you can download transactions through a manual import process.
Support for point-of-sale (POS) devices lets you centralize transactions across multiple terminals located in different stores. POS devices can execute transfers and periodically upload transactions via the Internet. Klix has its own proprietary POS system that works with cash drawers, bar code scanners and credit card readers. Both the POS and Web store features are available at extra cost.
Taking Inventory
Beyond managing inventory, the program tracks the assembly of products, which is handy for companies that package or manufacture goods. The program includes the standard reports that you would expect: profit and loss, invoices, customer and vendor balance, transaction detail and more. Integration with Microsoft Office lets you create forms in Microsoft Word and import data from other accounting applications in Excel format.
According to the company, Klix Online delivers a 99.81 percent reliability rate and protects your data through the use of firewall-protected servers and 128-bit SSL encryption technology. The company relies on uninterruptable power supplies and backup generators to maintain operation during outages, and it has smoke and flood detection and fire suppression systems to protect against physical damage.
