There is a lot of buzz about cloud computing technologies where vendors, such as SMB Suite, provide access to your business applications through a subscription model rather than deploying application technology locally at your place of business (or on-premise) requiring you to purchase individual licenses upfront, pay for hardware, on-going consulting fees and dedicated IT staffing.  Is there really an advantage to getting your enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer resource management (CRM), eCommerce, or Microsoft Office Suite applications through the cloud? Below are 10 reasons to consider the cloud rather than an on-premise deployment and management investment.

1. No need to worry about upfront costs. Investing in licensing, IT resources or infrastructure enhancements can be costly for any organization. And for small and mid-size organizations that have smaller budgets to work with, Cloud technologies can provide additional options that will help positively impact the bottom line.  With Cloud technologies, you leverage the software-as-a-service (SAAS) subscription model and benefit from a convenient and predictable monthly fee that eliminates setup fees, licensing costs, consulting services and other fees.
2. No need to worry about upgrades, patches or staffing resources. When you deploy and manage your own Application servers locally at your place of business (on-premise), you have to plan for routinely scheduled maintenance that will help ensure optimal performance. Add to that the cost associated with maintaining the solution such as upgrades, patches, etc., and you may want to consider cloud solutions.  Using a cloud platform allows  business owners to concentrate on running their business more efficiently rather than managing their technology environment for optimum performance, scalability, and security.
3. No need to worry about security. If data security continues to be an area of concern and you don’t have regularly scheduled backups or the resources in-house to facilitate, then you may want to further investigate cloud technologies.  With a solution in the Cloud, your business data is always secure, safe, and available 24/7 anytime, anywhere. Best of all, you can move your focus from technology management to business management, and concentrate efforts on the KPIs that will have the greatest impact on your business.
4. No need to hire or train IT personnel. One of the largest investments an organization will make are the costs associated with internal resources and training.  This is especially true for a business that considers the advantages of hiring talented experts or invests in advanced training in order to minimize risk and error.  Cloud solutions provide business owners a better way to manage their technology because they no longer have to worry about integration and deployment, performance or security. Realize the full power of the cloud by relying on the innovation that cloud delivers!
5. No need to worry about long deployment times. One of the biggest advantages Cloud computing technologies provide from their on-premise counterpart is the ability to deploy quicker. This is especially advantageous to small and mid-size business owners that need a fast time to value in order to achieve lower total-cost-of-ownership.  Cloud implementations, such as SMB Suite, can be up and running in a matter of hours vs. weeks, and are generally easier to integrate as the infrastructure is already in place and business owners no longer have to manage or plan for resources.
6. No need to worry about scalability. When an organization has outgrown its solution and they start to spend time trying to make the solution fit a need, or they’ve reached scalability capacity, not only does the business owner need to consider the infrastructure expense or capital investment but also the costs associated with maintenance.  Cloud technologies provide greater flexibility than on-premise systems as  businesses only pay for what they use, can easily scale to meet additional need, and never have to make added investments to the infrastructure. This is especially true for B2B eCommerce storefronts that need to scale during seasonal peaks.
7. No need to worry about unknown service fees. While managing your infrastructure internally and owning your own software licenses may be ideal for some organizations, it does impact an organization’s bottom line and the expenses associated with maintenance, IT resources and service fees.  With cloud technologies, you leverage the subscription model and a convenient, fixed monthly fee structure that overrides expenses related to maintenance, cost of licensing, and consulting or service fees. SMB Suite provides a fee structure that is predictable throughout the relationship and is as simple as adding a user.
8. No need to worry about data accessibility. For most organizations, their business data is their most important asset. And the fear of NOT having access to it, even when in a secure data center, may cause misconceptions with regard to cloud solutions and the benefits.  Cloud solutions provide improved security, compliance, and manageability with effective planning. And they allow every member of the organization instant internet mobility and access to their business data 24/7, no matter the location.
9. No need to worry about time to value. No matter the size, organizations small and large, implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions to address business need and to improve bottom-line results.  And the business need is nearly always tied to a technology metric, time to value or cost of ownership.  Studies have shown that Cloud solutions deliver lower total-cost-of-ownership (TCO), time to value and quicker ROI than on-premise solutions if the technology maps directly to the business need.
10. No need to worry about managing your technology. For many organizations, managing their technology often requires a team of experts.  For a small and medium business owner, it may become too much especially if it takes them away from managing the health of their business.  More and more forward thinking companies are choosing cloud technologies because it puts their focus back on running their business instead of managing their technology and allows the organization to become more proactive.

Bottom Line

If you like the idea of cloud computing technologies or want to learn more about a solution that integrates Microsoft Dynamics ERP, CRM, web based eCommerce and Microsoft Office  in one convenient suite, visit our Total Solution Pricing Calculator. Call today for your FREE 30-day trial (888-525-6398) or start a custom quote.

by SMB Suite

April 7, 2011 by SMBSuite

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Tags: cloud computing technologies
Posted in About Microsoft Dynamics GP, ERP Software Information, Hosted/On Demand/SAAS/Cloud | 3 Comments »

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