Why are software buyers looking at cloud-based solutions? Here are five reasons.
1) Price & Scalability
The minimal cost-commitment of monthly subscriptions allows virtually anyone to sign-up. Cloud subscriptions can easily increase as the business grows or decrease as your business grows or shrinks. It’s easy to see how a subscription-based model would be more logical for SMBs as opposed to trying to find capital to cover the initial investment of an on-premise solution.
2) Software & Hardware Upgrades
When a business chooses a cloud application, they are using the latest and greatest of that business management software. This is a big deal for small to medium sized businesses, as they no longer need to invest time and money to discover new software upgrades.
Businesses know that costs can rise exponentially as an increase in technological capacity is needed. They want to spend as little as possible on their network while continuing to provide good service for their clients.
Another important element for businesses that choose cloud applications is the reduced overhead of infrastructure costs like expensive servers and networking components. New businesses will be more inclined to go cloud and forgo the server purchase altogether. Existing businesses are sure to take server upgrade costs into account when they evaluate moving to a new software solution.
3) I.T. Costs
To keep an on-premise server running you need experienced people to maintain the infrastructure. A dedicated IT staff is often needed to prevent costly downtime. Rather than wasting resources solving IT issues, the business can focus its efforts on the core purpose of their business.
4) Flexibility
Cloud applications are accessed through the internet and this means that any device with a browser can use them. Having a solution that can be accessed from a number of devices saves businesses logistical headaches by allowing field staff, telecommuting employees, and those traveling for business to access the cloud from the road. More and more businesses demand the freedom to choose which device they access their data from and when. While mobile access is possible with most on-premise solutions it typically involves additional hardware and costs.
5) Easy Data Recovery
As easy as a backup of data is to do, it doesn’t always get done. Even when it does, natural disasters and unforeseen circumstances can wipe out all of a business’s history in minutes. Backup data is undeniably critical and when emergencies do happen, and in those cases getting that backup running as quickly as possible becomes a top priority. With cloud solutions businesses put their worries aside because the cloud provider is responsible for the backup. Some businesses may be reluctant to entrust the safety of their data to cloud solution providers, but it’s in the cloud provider’s best interest to invest in the best hardware and software to keep information protected. As the shift happens from early adopters using cloud solutions to mainstream enterprises, this hesitance to trust the cloud data centers will be greatly reduced.
