Locator

Contact

Locator

Vet Centers

Regional Benefits Offices

Regional Loan Centers

Cemetery Locations

VA Technical Reference Model v 24.11

QuickBooks Desktop Premier

General Information

Technologies must be operated and maintained in accordance with Federal and Department security and privacy policies and guidelines. More information on the proper use of the TRM can be found on the TRM Proper Use Tab/Section.

Website:	Go to site
Description:	QuickBooks Desktop Premier is an accounting software that records and processes transactions within functional modules such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll. This technology is available in four Desktop editions: Premier, Premier Plus, Premier Plus + Payroll and Enterprise editions. All four of these Desktop editions are included in this assessment. This entry does not cover the QuickBooks On-Line edition. The TRM decisions in this entry only apply to technologies and versions owned, operated, managed, patched, and version-controlled by VA. This includes technologies deployed as software installations on VMs within VA-controlled cloud environments (e.g. VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC)). Cloud services provided by the VAEC, which are listed in the VAEC Service Catalog, and those controlled and managed by an external Cloud Service Provider (i.e. SaaS) are not in the purview of the TRM. For more information on the use of cloud services and cloud-based products within VA, including VA private clouds, please see the Enterprise Cloud Solutions Office (ECSO) Portal at: https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/OITECSO
Technology/Standard Usage Requirements:	Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.
Section 508 Information:	This technology has been assessed by the Section 508 Office and found non-conformant. The Implementer of this technology has the responsibility to ensure the version deployed is 508-compliant. Section 508 compliance may be reviewed by the Section 508 Office and appropriate remedial action required if necessary. For additional information or assistance regarding Section 508, please contact the Section 508 Office at Section508@va.gov. Please see reference tab for more information concerning product versions.
Decision:	View Decisions

Decision Source:	TRM Mgmt Group
Decision Process:	One-VA TRM v20.10
Decision Date:	10/12/2020 at 12:33:00 UTC
Introduced By:	TRM Request
Vendor Name:	Intuit

Vendor Release Information

The Vendor Release table provides the known releases for the TRM Technology, obtained from the vendor (or from the release source).

You must be logged into the RSAA website prior to clicking the Attestation URLs or the URLs won't open.

Version	Release Date	Vendor End of Life Date	Vendor Desupport Date
2012	10/01/2011
2013	10/01/2012
2014	10/01/2013
2015	10/01/2014
2016	09/09/2015
2017	09/01/2016
2018	09/30/2017
2019	09/01/2018
2020	09/16/2019
2021	09/21/2020

Current Decision Matrix (10/07/2020)

Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.

The VA Decision Matrix displays the current and future VAIT position regarding different releases of a TRM entry. These decisions are based upon the best information available as of the most current date. The consumer of this information has the responsibility to consult the organizations responsible for the desktop, testing, and/or production environments to ensure that the target version of the technology will be supported.

Legend:

White	Authorized: The technology/standard has been authorized for use.
Yellow	Authorized w/ Constraints: The technology/standard can be used within the specified constraints located below the decision matrix in the footnote[1] and on the General tab.
Gray	Authorized w/ Constraints (POA&M): This technology or standard can be used only if a POA&M review is conducted and signed by the Authorizing Official Designated Representative (AODR) as designated by the Authorizing Official (AO) or designee and based upon a recommendation from the POA&M Compliance Enforcement, has been granted to the project team or organization that wishes to use the technology.
Orange	Authorized w/ Constraints (DIVEST): VA has decided to divest itself on the use of the technology/standard. As a result, all projects currently utilizing the technology/standard must plan to eliminate their use of the technology/standard. Additional information on when the entry is projected to become unauthorized may be found on the Decision tab for the specific entry.
Black	Unauthorized: The technology/standard is not (currently) permitted to be used under any circumstances.
Blue	Authorized w/ Constraints (PLANNING/EVALUATION): The period of time this technology is currently being evaluated, reviewed, and tested in controlled environments. Use of this technology is strictly controlled and not available for use within the general population. If a customer would like to use this technology, please work with your local or Regional OI&T office and contact the appropriate evaluation office displayed in the notes below the decision matrix. The Local or Regional OI&T office should submit an inquiry to the TRM if they require further assistance or if the evaluating office is not listed in the notes below.

Release/Version Information:

VA decisions for specific versions may include a ‘.x’ wildcard, which denotes a decision that pertains to a range of multiple versions.

For example, a technology authorized with a decision for 7.x would cover any version of 7.(Anything) - 7.(Anything). However, a 7.4.x decision would cover any version of 7.4.(Anything), but would not cover any version of 7.5.x or 7.6.x on the TRM.

VA decisions for specific versions may include ‘+’ symbols; which denotes that the decision for the version specified also includes versions greater than what is specified but is not to exceed or affect previous decimal places.

For example, a technology authorized with a decision for 12.6.4+ would cover any version that is greater than 12.6.4, but would not exceed the .6 decimal ie: 12.6.401 is ok, 12.6.5 is ok, 12.6.9 is ok, however 12.7.0 or 13.0 is not.

Any major.minor version that is not listed in the VA Decision Matrix is considered Authorized w/ Constraints (POA&M).

<Past

CY2017

CY2018

CY2019

Future>

Release

2012

Unapproved

2013

Unapproved

2014

Unapproved

2015

DIVEST
[1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Unapproved

2016

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8]

DIVEST
[1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

DIVEST
[1, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]

DIVEST
[7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15]

Unapproved

2017

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]

DIVEST
[7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15]

Unapproved

2018

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Approved w/Constraints
[1, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]

Approved w/Constraints
[7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15]

DIVEST
[7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15]

Unapproved

2019

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15]

Approved w/Constraints
[7, 9, 12, 15, 16]

DIVEST
[7, 9, 12, 15, 16]

2020

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[7, 9, 12, 15, 16]

2021

Unapproved

Decision Constraints


[1]	Technology must remain patched and operated in accordance with Federal and Department security policies and guidelines in order to mitigate known and future security vulnerabilities.

[2]	Per the May 5th, 2015 memorandum from the VA Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) FIPS 140-2 Validate Full Disk Encryption (FOE) for Data at Rest in Database Management Systems (DBMS) and in accordance with Federal requirements and VA policy, database management must use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of VA information at rest at the application level. If FIPS 140-2 encryption at the application level is not technically possible, FIPS 140-2 compliant full disk encryption (FOE) must be implemented on the hard drive where the DBMS resides. Appropriate access enforcement and physical security control must also be implemented. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards. It is the responsibility of the system owner to work with the local CIO (or designee) and Information Security Officer (ISO) to ensure that a compliant DBMS technology is selected and that if needed, mitigating controls are in place and documented in a System Security Plan (SSP).

[3]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[4]	As of April 23, 2015, per the Deputy CIO of Architecture, Strategy and Design (ASD), all technologies in use by the VA require an assessment by the VA Section 508 office. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 is a federal law that sets the guidelines for technology accessibility. A VA Section 508 assessment of this technology has not been completed at the time of publication. Therefore, as of April 23, 2015 only users of this technology who have deployed the technology to the production environment, or have project design and implementation plans authorized, may continue to operate this technology. In the case of a project that has implemented, or been authorized for a specific site or number of users, and that project needs to expand operations to other sites or to an increased user base, it may do so as long as the project stays on the existing version of the technology that was authorized or implemented as of April 22, 2015. Use of this technology in all other cases is prohibited.

[5]	Due to potential information security risks, cloud based versions of this product are not permitted without a waiver signed by the Deputy CIO of ASD based upon a recommendation from the Architecture and Engineering Review Board (AERB). In addition, cloud based features of this software may not be used without an Enterprise Security Change Control Board (ESCCB) approval to ensure that confidential organization and/or PII/PHI data are not compromised (ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517 and VA Directive 6513). Use of public cloud storage requires documented Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) compliance and a Memorandum of Understanding / Interconnection Security Agreement (MOU/ISA) between the vendor and VA prior to ESCCB review.

[6]	Product must be purchased or uninstalled prior to expiration date if trialware is utilized. Freeware constraint applies to trialware version.

[7]	Users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Office (ISO) or local OIT representative for permission to download and use this software. Downloaded software must always be scanned for viruses prior to installation to prevent adware or malware. Freeware may only be downloaded directly from the primary site that the creator of the software has advertised for public download and user or development community engagement. Users should note, any attempt by the installation process to install any additional, unrelated software is not authorized and the user should take the proper steps to decline those installations.

[8]	In cases where the technology is used for external connections, a full Enterprise Security Change Control Board (ESCCB) review is required in accordance VA Directive 6004 , VA Directive 6517, and VA Directive 6513. The local ISO can advise on the ESCCB review process.

[9]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[10]	Per the May 5th, 2015 memorandum from the VA Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) FIPS 140-2 Validate Full Disk Encryption (FOE) for Data at Rest in Database Management Systems (DBMS) and in accordance with Federal requirements and VA policy, database management must use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of VA information at rest at the application level. If FIPS 140-2 encryption at the application level is not technically possible, FIPS 140-2 compliant full disk encryption (FOE) must be implemented on the hard drive where the DBMS resides. Appropriate access enforcement and physical security control must also be implemented. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards. It is the responsibility of the system owner to work with the local CIO (or designee) and Information Security Officer (ISO) to ensure that a compliant DBMS technology is selected and that if needed, mitigating controls are in place and documented in a System Security Plan (SSP).

[11]	If QuickBooks is deployed for multi-user access on the VA network, system owners should work with the vendor to determine if the product can be integrated with Active Directory (AD) to enforce role-based access control to restrict access privileges to OS and applications based on user duties. If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period.

[12]	Due to potential information security risks, cloud based technologies may not be used without the approval of the Enterprise Cloud Solution Office (ECSO). This body is in part responsible for ensuring organizational information, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and VA sensitive data are not compromised. (Ref: VA Directive 6004, VA Directive 6517, VA Directive 6513 and VA Directive 6102).

[13]	In cases where the technology is used for external connections, a full Enterprise Security Change Control Board (ESCCB) review is required in accordance VA Directive 6004 , VA Directive 6517, and VA Directive 6513. The local ISO can advise on the ESCCB review process.

[14]	Users must abide by the constraints specified in the Initial Product Review. If QuickBooks is deployed for multi-user access on the VA network, system owners must work with the vendor to determine if the product can be integrated with Active Directory (AD) to enforce role-based access control to restrict access privileges to Operating System (OS) and applications based on user duties. Financial and budgetary information are considered VA sensitive information per VA Handbook 6500. Therefore, it must be properly protected using FIPS140-2 encryption. System owners must work with the vendor to determine ifit is feasible to run the software in FIPS mode and leverage the underlying OSfor encryption. Otherwise, system owners must consider looking for analternative solution. If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period.

[15]	Due to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) identified security vulnerabilities, extra vigilance should be applied to ensure the versions remain properly patched to mitigate known and future vulnerabilities. The local ISO can provide assistance in reviewing the NIST vulnerabilities.

[16]	If free trialware is utilized, the software must be purchased or removed at the end of the trial period. Per the Initial Product Review, users must abide by the following constraints: If QuickBooks is deployed for multi-user access on the VA network, system owners must work with the vendor to determine if the product can be integrated with Active Directory (AD) to enforce role-based access control to restrict access privileges to Operating System (OS) and applications based on user duties Financial and budgetary information are considered VA sensitive information per VA Handbook 6500. Therefore, it must be properly protected using FIPS140-2 encryption. System owners must work with the vendor to determine ifit is feasible to run the software in FIPS mode and leverage the underlying OSfor encryption. Otherwise, system owners must consider looking for analternative solution.

Note:

At the time of writing, version 2021 (released 09/21/2020) is the most current version released.

Name	Description
No components have been identified for this entry.


Collaboration and Electronic Workplace Productivity Software	Accounting and Finance

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This technology allows for accounting support for projects doing Research and Development (R&D) work under the R&D Major Initiative.
This is a mature technology.
This is a well-documented technology.
This technology may be useful for specific staff whose responsibilities include accounting tasks.

Adoption Risks

This technology may collect, store or transmit Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or Protected Health information (PHI) and proper security standards must be followed in these cases.
This software has a free trial period, which carries the potential for the disruption of service delivery and inaccurate financial planning.
There are known common vulnerability exposures (CVEs) or VA Network and Security Operations Center (NSOC) bulletins associated with this technology.
QuickBooks Premier’s use within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is to record and process financial and budgetary transactions. Supporting documentation does not indicate the product is Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 certified or has the ability to run in in FIPS mode to encrypt sensitive data when the software is configured for standalone or multi-user environment.
QuickBooks Premier does not support role-based security to allow for separation of duties that prevents unauthorized access to sensitive data. For example, users with system administration privileges should not have direct access to financial data.
There are other authorized solutions that provide similar functionality available on the TRM. The use of several similar solutions may increase organization requirements for support and maintenance.

Architectural Benefits

This technology is portable as it runs on multiple TRM-authorized platforms.

Architectural Risks

This technology includes cloud-based functionality which has potential information security risks.

- The information contained on this page is accurate as of the Decision Date (10/12/2020 at 12:33:00 UTC).

Inside VA

Budget and Performance

Inside the Media Room

National Observances

Special Events

VA Technical Reference Model v 24.11

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (10/07/2020)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories

View the VA Categorization Framework

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Optional Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

Architectural Risks

CONNECT

VA HOME

QUICK LIST

RESOURCES

ADMINISTRATION

VA Technical Reference Model v 24.11

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (10/07/2020)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Optional Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

Architectural Risks

EMAIL UPDATES

VA Categories

View the VA Categorization Framework