What can I say, when you are right, you are right.
As part of preparing a new course on QuickBooks Online Data Utility Apps for Scaling New Heights 2017 I had to report that the only previous user controlled backup solution (what was then 'SafetyNet by Jobber) for QBO had been taken 'off the market'.
Almost simultaneously, just hours before presenting the course I found a product that was about to be released called ChronoBooks. A brief visit with the product's developer, Nate Tippie, told me all I needed to know... "ChronoBooks was the perfect solution for all Users to backup, restore and even copy their QuickBooks Online data" and to be in full control of those processes. When I presented that news in my class at Scaling New Heights there was an uproar of overwhelming support for the new product. That was a little over 2-1/2 years ago.
ChronoBooks
About a month later, after having spent several hours with Nate (over the phone) and his product (on line), I wrote my First Look at ChronoBooks. That article appeared within Insightful Accountant not long after Nate migrated ChronoBooks from Beta to full status. He also began to outline his 'Partner Program' for ProAdvisors, accountants, bookkeepers and consultants about that same time.
As you know, I have written multiple articles on the need for a User controlled backup of QuickBooks Online Data. In one feature I spoke of various 'worst case scenarios' involving user QBO data that had absolutely nothing to do with Intuit's security over the data, it had to do with unauthorized access or unauthorized destruction of the data via normal access. In those instances Intuit's internal backup mechanisms wouldn't have been of any assistance since they are performed for purposes of catastrophic data failure such as server issues, hacker situations or other compromise at the data center level.
Until recently it hasn't seemed that Intuit has really had any interest in User controlled backup of QBO data other than offering API connectivity to App Developers (like ChronoBooks) who wished to develop and sell such software on their own. But then QuickBooks Online Advanced entered the market, and one of the features that was announced for future implementation was user controlled backup... WOW!
Rather than develop a backup solution on their own, Intuit chose, as they have many times in the past, to acquire an existing solution with which they had familiarity and confidence. That solution was ChronoBooks which had a 5-Star rating from Users in the QuickBooks App Center.
In the very near future QuickBooks Online Advanced will incorporate ChronoBooks at no additional cost to QBO-Adv users. The addition of ChronoBooks will enhance the QBO Advanced feature set with the ability to restore past changes of QuickBooks Online Advanced data at the user's discretion.
I exchanged emails with Nate late the other night after the announcement was made and he told me that ChronoBooks was excited to be part of Intuit and that he was looking forward to working even closer with them in continuing to enhance the features available to users.
I'm confident that Intuit has made a great acquisition and that ChronoBooks will greatly enhance QuickBooks Online Advanced, as well as continue to offer other QBO subscribers user-controlled backup, restore and copy capabilities 'par excellence'!