Companies of all shapes, sizes, and industries require a good, reliable, connected financial and operations software package if they have any hope of growing and gaining a competitive edge. For years, smaller organizations have limped along with disjointed systems or outdated software simply because they had no other options. Traditional ERP solutions like Microsoft Dynamics or Sage 100 are great options for those small to mid-sized companies that subscribe to the on-premises model – servers are on site and programs are maintained by your staff. For those that prefer the flexibility, scalability and lower up front cost options of a subscription model, a cloud solution might work best.
Cloud software, like Acumatica, is a great choice for basic accounting functions or connecting your accounting data to your other operations information. The same functionality is available in this cloud option as you would find in traditional on-premises implementations, but usually at a lower overall cost to the company because you may no longer need a full IT staff or data center, as well as additional hardware required with an on-premises solution. AS an added benefit, an easy monthly or annual payment plan with your cloud business partner allows for effective budgeting of IT expenditures.
There are several other benefits to a cloud option including flexibility, speed, security and easy scalability.
In contrast to the on-premises options, Acumatica can be easily accessed from anywhere with ANY internet enabled device like a laptop, tablet or even a mobile phone. Everyone can stay connected to the business, allowing for easy data sharing across locations or departments as well as enhanced collaboration where needed. Acumatica uses centralized data through a common interface and has business intelligence tools designed to offer flexibility with reporting and dashboards that work best for you.
From a speed standpoint, cloud software is typically faster than its on-premises counterparts. Many of the data centers, including Acumatica’s, are hosted and maintained by the big dogs in the hosting arena, including Amazon Web Services. These data centers are geographically diverse with outstanding procedures in place to ensure your data is backed up and stored in multiple locations so your data stays secure. The sole purpose of using the proven services from AWS and others is to make sure your data is easily accessible at the speed you expect and it is as secure as possible.
Scalability is always the fifty thousand dollar question with smaller companies. If you don’t grow fast enough, you may not keep up. If you grow too fast, you may run in to a money and resource issue. Traditional on-premises solutions can be costly to add user count or additional hardware to keep up with growth whereas with cloud choices, you can accommodate an unlimited number of users without worrying about adding or replacing hardware and software.
As you grow and need more than just a basic accounting program, Acumatica and CS3 Technology can help your business reach the clouds easily and effectively.
