Flexibility, Not Cost, Driving Business to the Cloud

Kerry Hale — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:05:30 +0000

According to Global Gold, it is flexibility rather than cost that is driving people to the Cloud.

Research by the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF), several years ago, suggested that firms would opt for cloud computing in a bid to lower costs, however, they are now waking up to the other benefits of such solutions.

More recently; (of the companies questioned for the study), 53 per cent said that flexibility (being able to access your files and documents anywhere) was their main driver for implementing cloud solutions, compared to 16 per cent which were influenced by cost.

SpiderGroup issued a survey to local businesses this month, which revealed similar results: That 60% of those questioned thought ‘working from anywhere’ to be the most attractive quality of the cloud.

Perhaps this shows that keeping up-to-date with technology is more important than saving money? It certainly seems to represent society today – that people are much more mobile – which is in fact an enormous benefit to businesses.

Can ‘The Cloud’ help me access SAGE?

SpiderGroup Blog — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:59:38 +0000

It is a problem experienced by businesses all over the world. More than one person needs access to SAGE but it’s only installed on one computer in the office…..can ‘The Cloud’ help?

Accounting Software

The small business finance software market is now very mature. Dominated by SAGE line 50 with current estimates indicating a 1/3 dominant market share. Quickbooks and MYOB vie for second place however are often regarded as more ‘useable’ than SAGE line 50.

The Small Business

Within a small business, it is common to find multiple users requiring regular access to SAGE (or other). The MD, FD, office manager or other user needing to process sales and billing information will need to access the application during a working day. Often senior management might want to analyse accounts information at home or away from the office.

How much for a server??

The traditional way of sharing this application (and other company data) would be to install a server in-house. Cost wise a small business of 1-20 users would be looking at anywhere from £5,000 – £10,000 plus an annual maintenance charge. Over three years ,the spend could easily get to a figure of £30,000 +

Businesses still need to share applications such as SAGE but in the current economic climate are looking for other, more affordable ways. This is where server hosting or ‘Cloud Computing’ comes in. Why shell out tens of thousands of pounds up-front when you can effectively lease the same system from an expert IT company?

Servers in the Cloud

Using a ‘hosted’ server (or server in the cloud) means you don’t have to worry about maintenance, upgrades, viruses or that person in every office who says: “I’ll have a go at fixing it…..”. The hosting company will ensure the system is secure, reliable and that all their clients data is backed up. Meaning the end user never need worry about portable hard-drives or changing backup tapes!

The way businesses run and access software is rapidly changing. Broadband is stable, reliable and cheap making ‘Cloud’ computing a real option for many companies. With flexible working, widely available wireless hotspots and mobile devices - being stuck in the office is a thing of the past.