Cloud computing<\/a> is essentially all about the move away from buying a software suite that you install on your computer towards accessing the software you need over the Internet and on a web browser, wherever you are.<\/p>\nAs a cloud user, your accounting data and applications are both reached through your browser \u2013 it makes business productivity as simple as using Facebook.<\/p>\n
This trend \u2013 the shift towards computing in the cloud and software as a service \u2013 is revolutionising the way that SMEs and bigger businesses alike use and pay for their software.<\/p>\n
So what\u2019s behind the rise of the cloud as a deployment option for accounting software and other business solutions?<\/p>\n
Maturing technology<\/h3>\n
Maturing technology is one major factor behind the growing adoption of the cloud.<\/p>\n
Though the idea of \u2018hosted\u2019 applications is nothing new, it\u2019s only now that the bandwidth is fast, cheap and reliable enough to deliver a stable, affordable and responsive user experience for applications that are hosted in a service provider\u2019s data center and accessed across the internet.<\/p>\n
Not only has the fixed-line internet improved, but Wi-Fi and cellular connections have become pervasive.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, today\u2019s web browsers are also more suitable for accessing rich content online, allowing users to work on complex online applications and enjoy a smooth experience \u2013 all without needing to download any special software.<\/p>\n
Devices such as smartphones and tablets are also playing a role in cloud adoption by giving people convenient and easy ways to access cloud services.<\/p>\n
And with cloud technology having been widely adopted by consumers, the business world is following in its footsteps.<\/p>\n
As a digital native generation comes into the workforce, it expects to use business IT resources online and on-demand in the same way as they use services such as Gmail and Dropbox. Today, even business tools such as accounting applications are expected to be mobile, easy to use, and wrapped in an attractive interface.<\/p>\n
Faster, cheaper, better<\/h3>\n
Having established that the technology to support the cloud is mature, why should a small business consider buying online accounting or payroll software rather than sticking with buying software licenses and running them on its own computers?<\/p>\n
Simply put, cloud solutions enable SMEs to simplify their IT environments, save money, and achieve the flexibility to get more done, faster.<\/p>\n
Though cost-savings \u2013 and the flexibility to pay for the software per user, per month \u2013 are often mentioned as key benefits of the cloud, there is far more to it than reducing costs.<\/p>\n
Implementing cloud-based solutions also help the business to become more agile, to enable employees to work anywhere they have an Internet connection, and to access better quality systems than they could afford to pay for upfront.<\/p>\n
Keeping pace with a changing world<\/h3>\n
For those that are more comfortable with desktop accounting software, \u2018connected services\u2019 provide a bridge from the old world of desktop software to the new world of mobile and cloud computing.<\/p>\n
These services can allow SMEs to automate more of the drudge work involved in business accounting, for example, making it simple to make online payments to suppliers straight out of the software\u2019s interface.<\/p>\n
Another worthwhile feature is an automatic bank feeds function that automates the process of importing bank statements into the accounting system.<\/p>\n
By Steven Cohen, Head of Sage One International <\/em>(Africa, Australia, Middle East, Asia and Brazil)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is a shift in the market as businesses start to transition away from running software on their own standalone PCs or servers towards accessing it online as a cloud service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":48272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10459],"tags":[345,26,11015,1580],"class_list":["post-109365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news","tag-cloud","tag-headline","tag-sage-one","tag-softline-pastel-accounting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109365"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109369,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109365\/revisions\/109369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}