Why it can pay to use cloud computing and SaaS
Cloud computing and its subset, software-as-a-Service (SaaS), are two related solutions to consider when evaluating technology and supply chain management system options to run your businesses.
Why would you want to invest in cloud computing or SaaS? The inherent advantages of the cloud: easy deployment, remote user access, mobility, onboarding, collaboration, centralized and real-time data, security, scalability, and more. In short, SaaS gives your SMB access to a high-performance, fit-to-size solution without having to invest in expensive hardware.
To begin, switching to a cloud-based infrastructure or migrating to SaaS lets your SMB deploy software quickly and be up and running in days instead of months. And because the software is maintained, implemented, and updated by your SaaS vendor, you are simply renting it, so you only pay for what you consume. No outlay for expensive equipment, in-house servers, or internal IT personnel required.
Regarding security, cloud storage and software offer advanced encryption, access control, and layered authentication modules. And you can deploy a private cloud model if you choose. Cloud computing also provides quick lost data recovery, and data is not only available 24/7, but it’s also automatically backed up. While cloud computing is customizable it also gives you complete control over sensitive data.
Perhaps most timely, since cloud access is virtually available, your employees can connect to company data, software, and storage servers and complete their tasks remotely. In fact, after COVID-19 supply chain disruptions hit and millions of workers transitioned to remote work, SMBs already using cloud computing solutions had an immediate advantage: their employees could log in remotely and efficiently perform sales, marketing, bookkeeping, project management, and other tasks. And by using analytics, these SMBs gained insights into shifting customer, partner, supplier, and employee requirements and could more readily adapt to the new conditions.
It’s a given that SMBs need to use SaaS-based software to save operational costs and better compete with more prominent companies. Ready access to relevant data about what’s going on in different areas of the business is vital to gauge performance, uncover new opportunities, identify potential problems, make better decisions, and quickly react to changing demands and a dynamic marketplace.
BrillDog is a supply chain management system (SCMS) built in the cloud that allows SMBs to reduce operational costs, scale quickly as the business grows, and eliminate the need to run separate applications on multiple computers. For more information on BrillDog, visit http://www.brilldog.com.
