From Working Papers to the cloud: How CloudBridge simplifies migration for accounting firms

Migrating desktop-based Working Papers to the cloud doesn’t have to be risky or disruptive. CloudBridge is Caseware’s secure migration tool that lets you move engagements to Caseware Cloud at your own pace—without overwriting files, losing data, or interrupting workflows.

Designed for firms that want control, traceability and compliance, CloudBridge helps you test, validate and scale cloud adoption safely.

Why accounting firms are moving to the cloud

Firms are adopting cloud-based engagement management to reduce overhead, enable remote work and improve collaboration. According to the Caseware 2024 State of Accounting Firms Trend Report, roughly 60% of accounting professionals now use cloud solutions for practice management and productivity.

Despite this shift, many firms delay migration because it feels complex, irreversible, or risky—especially when dealing with audit and assurance data.

CloudBridge addresses these concerns directly.

What is CloudBridge?

CloudBridge is an on-premise migration tool that securely transfers desktop Working Papers engagements to the Caseware cloud platform. It preserves data structure, audit history and firm control throughout the process.

What CloudBridge migrates

• Trial balance data (up to 30,000 lines per engagement)

• General ledger data and journal entries

• Embedded documents (Excel, PDF, CSV, Word, images)

• Internal consolidations within a single Working Papers file

• Risks and controls

What CloudBridge does not migrate

• CaseView files

• Macros and formulas

• Custom risk models

• Linked external documents

• Tax code groupings

This clear separation ensures clean, compliant cloud files without unintended dependencies.

How CloudBridge works (step by step)

CloudBridge uses a controlled, user-driven workflow:

1. Launch CloudBridge and sign in with your Caseware Cloud credentials

2. Select engagements from your Working Papers folder and match them to cloud entities

3. Review the summary (engagement name, file path, size)

4. Start migration, during which CloudBridge compresses the data, encrypts it and securely uploads it to Caseware Cloud

5. Verify completion with a migration receipt and status confirmation

Each migration is logged, traceable, and reversible.

Full control over timing, testing, and scale

CloudBridge is built for firms that want flexibility—not forced change.

• Migrate at your own pace: Move one engagement or several, over days or weeks

• Re-run migrations safely: Delete the cloud copy and migrate again without affecting the original desktop file

• Test before scaling: Use a single engagement as a sandbox to validate workflows

For clean files, migration can take less than an hour, with no risk of data loss or file corruption.

Migration best practices

To ensure a smooth migration:

• Keep the CloudBridge window open until “Migration complete” appears

• Use wired internet connections and clear folder paths

• Avoid spaces or special characters in file paths

• Schedule migrations outside peak working hours

• Review CloudBridge log files to identify skipped items

• Document pilot results before firm-wide rollout

These steps reduce interruptions and help standardize your migration approach.

Data security, access control and compliance

CloudBridge operates entirely within the Caseware ecosystem:

• Data is encrypted and stored in-region

• Firm-level access controls restrict who can view or edit engagements

• “Limited” user roles allow granular permission settings

• Desktop and cloud files do not sync or overwrite, preserving audit traceability

This architecture supports confidentiality, regulatory compliance and clean audit trails.

Start with a pilot engagement

If you’re considering the cloud, start small:

1. Migrate two to five engagements for validation

2. Use the Migration Checklist to prepare and verify results

3. Run migrations outside business hours to avoid network slowdowns

Once validated, you can confidently scale across your firm.

A controlled path to the cloud

CloudBridge gives you a safe, reversible, and structured way to move from Working Papers to Caseware Cloud—on your schedule, with full control over data and compliance.

Check out our toolkit on migrating from Working Papers to the Caseware cloud platform.

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