What does SaaS and the Cloud mean to accounting professionals?

In my last blog I talked about why software companies are moving to the Cloud. In this blog post will talk about what it means to your business. Let's go through the pros and cons of moving to the cloud.

The pros -

1. Lower technology costs - No in house server will save you time and money. Additionally, no tech team to worry about.
2. Updated software - Your software when using SaaS and the Cloud is always up to date. Especially if you're using a hosted application you never have to worry about updating it.
3. Customization - This is coming but the ability to download applications to customize your SaaS software.
4. Safe and Secure Data - The data on the Cloud is much safer than in your office which is at risk for both environmental and break in damage. The servers supporting SaaS and data are also mirrored so that if something were to happen the facility would be back up in seconds.

The cons -

1. Unusable old software - Some of your old software that you enjoyed using is going to be rendered useless by updates. Either that or you'll have to pay to play. Need some tech support for your DOS application, fuggetaboutit.
2. Must have internet - All the cool applications that you download to interact with software? They won't work without a high speed internet connection. Same thing with SaaS and the Cloud in the first place. In other words, if you haven't…switch over from dial-up.
3. You're part of the wave of the future - Not that it's a con, but if you're not into being on the forefront then don't do it. There is something to be said for waiting for technology to be perfected before jumping in.


There you have it! The pros and cons of moving to Cloud Computing. In our next blog post will be discussing the time frame of adaptation of new technologies as it applies to our current conversation. In other words, how long will it be until SaaS technology becomes mainstream.