Automatic updates and improvements

As you pay for cloud software as an ongoing service you always have the latest updates and features. There’s no need to upgrade to a new system when the one you have is out of date.

With technology advancing more quickly all the time, this aspect of cloud technology will only become more important, as traditional hardware systems will be out of date in increasingly short timeframes.

Low or no capital expense

While you will need some hardware to use some types of cloud software, an EPOS, for example, this is generally off-the-shelf hardware that costs far less than bespoke hardware-based systems. It is also usually standard hardware that can be used with other software should you decide to switch, or worst case has resale value.

With other types of cloud software, such as an accounting package, there are no hardware needs at all, other than a laptop.

Hardware Reliability

Your cloud-based software will be running on a high spec server in an air-conditioned, dust free, data centre. There will be high levels of physical and software security. There will be an uninterrupted source of power and Internet. Your data will be continually backed up. The resultant levels of reliability for the hardware your software is running on will far exceed anything you could achieve at your premises.

Easy to switch

If at any point you decide your cloud-based software isn’t working for you, you can cancel your subscription and switch to a new system. You don’t have to negotiate with the vendor to take the system back or try to sell it secondhand.

An extra bonus of this is that cloud software providers, knowing you can switch easily, are motivated to ensure the software continues to meet your needs for the long term, rather than just making the initial sale. 

Integration Opportunities

Just as you can access cloud software from anywhere, cloud apps can also access other cloud apps. This means there is a huge range of other applications your software can be integrated with.

This is really powerful as it means you can choose specialist best in breed software for each operational area and link them all together. Your EPOS can send your sales straight to your accounts package for example, or to your staff scheduling system.

As technology filters into more and more aspects of our lives and businesses, being able to link different apps together in this way will only become more important.