An Introduction
Simply put, cloud computing is having your computer and data based on the internet. In the past, people ran applications and programs from software which they downloaded on a physical computer or server in their office or their building. Cloud computing allows people access the same applications but through the internet. Global SaaS software revenues are forecasted to reach $106B in 2016, increasing 21% over projected 2015 spending levels. A Goldman Sachs study published this month projects that spending on cloud computing infrastructure and platforms will grow at a 30% CAGR from 2013 through 2018 compared with 5% growth for the overall enterprise IT. It is a solution whose time has come. It is growing in popularity, especially amongst SMEs.
Why are so many businesses moving to the cloud computing platform? Well, it’s because cloud computing has proved to increase efficiency; improve your cash flow and offers many more benefits, the most important of which I listed below:
1. Flexible
Have you bought a computer or server and then had your maintenance guy come to you and say that they memory is not enough after a few months and you have to pay more for a new hard drive? The second your architect or engineering firm needs more bandwidth, a cloud-based service instantly meets the demand. It has a vast capacity on the service’s remote servers. This flexibility is crucial as 65% of respondents to an InformationWeek survey said “the ability to quickly meet business demands” was an important reason to move to cloud computing.
2. Remote Access:
As long as you and your team have internet access, you and they can work from anywhere. Say, suddenly there is an emergency and a key resource of yours has to go out of the state, he can still access and manage the project he is working on and deliver as per required without affecting the project. An architect or engineer is a knowledge worker and this flexibility positively affects knowledge workers' work-life balance and productivity. A study found that 42% of working adults in the U.S. would give up a part of their salary if they could telecommute, while telecommute may not work for your firm, knowing that your team can access information anywhere in the world, it helps to know you are on top of things.
3. Automatic software updates
When you are on a cloud computing platform like Avant Manager, you don’t have to worry about software updates and have downtime while the computer is updating the software. In addition there is not server maintenance that is required as the cloud computing suppliers do it.
4. Security:
On your own computer or in your server, hackers can enter into your system very easily. Or if a member of your team leaves his computer or laptop open and someone accesses it, or you lose a laptop at an airport, your confidential data is exposed to theft. Using a tool like Avant Manager on a cloud based system helps prevent that as all the data is on a cloud and you need to login to access it. Even if a laptop is lost, the data there is minimal and you can immediately change passwords to your cloud software.
Today, for an architect firm or an engineering firm, going the cloud way makes the most sense. Keeping this in mind, we at Avant Manager have designed the best software for managing architecture and engineering firms on a cloud platform to handle all your tasks and improve your productivity. Would you like a free, no-obligation demonstration? Contact us here.