Benefits of Cloud Business Software

So, you’re thinking of moving to the cloud for your business software.  Do your side by side comparisons and you measure the pros and cons of each as part of your due diligence process.

The benefits of moving your business software to the cloud are well known.   The most recognised benefits – or the explicit benefits – are well known and well defined.  However, hiding behind these explicit benefits will be another, hidden (implicit) benefit.

Let’s examine 5 of the most explicit benefits and their hidden advantages.

Benefit #1 – Rapid Time to Deployment

• Explicit: Cloud software takes weeks rather than months or years to implement.  The explicit benefit is reduced implementation costs and rapid time to value.
• Implicit: Consider the improved level of engagement with the project if the staff are involved over a shorter period of time. Staff engagement is crucial to the success of an ERP implementation.  The project has a greater chance of success if the staff can feel the results of the software sooner and if they feel it hasn’t encroached upon their day jobs too much.

Benefit #2 – Instant Upgrades

• Explicit:  No more waiting for upgrades or paying for re-implementations. With on premise software you become version locked until such times as you pay for the new version and get it reinstalled by your implementation partners.  With cloud business software your updates are instant.
• Implicit: You will always be one step ahead of your competitor who have on premise software. Since you are always working off the latest version of your cloud business software there is literally no down-time between old version and new version.  No need to think any more about it.  No board meetings with tabled discussions about whether to upgrade.  No going out to tender for the re-implementation.  Just new software updates when you next log in.

Benefit #3 – Ease of Use

• Explicit:  Very few people now don’t know how to use cloud business software intuitively.  Because it follows similar patterns to other online activities, like registering your details on a website or making a purchase – it’s all pretty intuitive.
• Implicit:  Ditch the expensive IT consultants. Things which were the domain of your IT expert – such as report writing – can easily be done by key users.  Calls are speedy since they were being pulled from your providers powerful servers in the cloud so time to report write is prompt.  All improving productivity and engagement among your staff.  It’s definitely not dark art stuff.

Benefit #4 – Built in Disaster Recovery 

• Explicit:   No need to think hard about IT infrastructure, business continuity or disaster recovery. It’s all dealt with by your cloud business software provider.
• Implicit:  Small businesses who have devised a disaster recovery or business continuity plan, at all, are probably one step ahead of their competitors. But your cloud business software provider will give even the biggest company a run for their money when it comes to robust contingency.  Cloud business software suppliers make their living out of keeping your data safe and no one has a vested interested in keeping it safe more…. Except, perhaps you.  That makes you both as closely aligned as can be, when it comes to your security interests..  To read a real life story about how one of Cofficient’s customers were not impacted after a fire in their street, click here

[read my top 10 tips for Disaster Recovery here]

Benefit #5 – Remote Working

• Explicit:  We all know that being able to work from home saves on down time, commuting time, improves engagement and so forth
• Implicit:  Remote working is not just working from home. It is field sales people recording activity while they are out on the road.  It is a senior manager calling reports from the airport.  It is a company director reviewing KPIs from their foreign trip.  Down time is reduced to a minimum because people can transact just as easily over a 3G connection or from a fixed place with a wifi, as they could from a desk in an office or a home.

[read about benefits of home working here]

To talk to someone about how you can move your business software to the cloud please get in touch.  Cofficient have been implementing cloud based software for over 14 years.  We know our stuff.

 

Written By Emma Stewart – Sales and Marketing Director at Cofficient

Cofficient are licensed re-sellers of NetSuite and SAP Business ByDesign.  We provide smart cloud business software to smart companies