Access and SQL Server

I wonder if someone could address a couple of Access/SQL Server questions. First of all I wonder how main stream it is these days to use SQL Server as the back-end to an Access Front-end. I suppose a lot of Access developers are doing it. When you have big data it seems logical. But, as you know, SQL Server can get very complex.

I have used it in the past and what I needed to know in order to make it work well with Access, as I remember it, was relatively small. I would like to use SQL Server when the data needs are great but I would also like to stay away from any more complexity than is absolutely necessary. Stored procs, for example, speed things up and are the standard in the SQL community but as I remember it, they're not really necessary for most if not all of what I do.

If for large data needs I could use SQL Server as the back-end and continue using Access  in the traditional way (for the most part) as the front-end, this would be optimal.  Is it realistic to think I can do so?