Why the platform is part of the decision
When bookkeeping, VAT filing and payroll all run through one online platform, the choice of platform constrains the choice of provider and the reverse. Businesses that select a provider first and a platform second often discover that their preferred provider does not support the platform they wanted, or supports it at a resourcing cost.
Licences and data ownership
Establish who holds the software subscription, the client or the provider. Where the provider holds it, ask what happens on termination, whether the subscription can be transferred, and whether the client retains direct access to the ledger and to archived documents. Where the client holds it, ask whether the provider charges a separate fee for working in a platform it does not resell.
Migration and setting up
Migration cost is frequently underestimated. Ask what data is transferred, how opening balances are established, who reconciles the cut-over period and how long the process takes in practice. A migration that is not planned around a period end usually produces a period that neither the old nor the new provider owns.
Statutory compatibility
A platform must satisfy local requirements: certified invoicing, real-time reporting, statutory account formats and, where relevant, audit trails. Ask the provider to confirm which local obligations the platform covers directly and which are handled outside it.
Remote service and local presence
Cloud accounting makes remote delivery normal, but it does not eliminate the need for a local understanding of rules and practice. Providers differ in whether remote delivery is combined with periodic in-person contact, and whether the staff working on the file are in the same jurisdiction as the client.
Applying this
The cloud question is ultimately about control: who owns the subscription, who can export the data, and what the client would have to do to change provider without losing records.