Businesses that don’t use technology in their company are at a serious disadvantage. If you feel like you might be behind the 8-ball, here’s what you need to know to get ahead of the curve.
Define Your User Experience
You need to have a special focus on what you want, where you want it, and when you want, as well as how you want it done. You should have to deal with interruptions in the process either. Usually, the best way to accomplish all this is by implementing software as a service.
A software as a service platform offers an intuitive user interface that can be used on multiple devices. The goal is to simplify use without sacrificing usability, intelligence, and consistency across platforms.
Ultimately, you should be trying to drive increased productivity and streamline the tasks you need done through the SaaS platform.
Incorporate Scalability
There’s a reason why companies use cloud service providers like CMITSolutions.com – they provide scalable services for businesses. As your company grows, its needs change. And, those needs need to be fulfilled usually very quickly.
But, when you can’t scale your current solution, you waste time looking for something that will work. It’s important to have technology that can evolve quickly – at least as quickly as your business. Cloud-based platforms are that technology.
With most cloud-based platforms, you can create and destroy servers “at will,” and create the exact type of environment that you need.
When traffic demands increase, your bandwidth scales as well. If the traffic dies down, bandwidth allotment can also be scaled back.
Most companies don’t have a permanent need for resources. As the company grows, there might be a temporary need for increased storage, for example. This need doesn’t always grow in a linear fashion, however. As new technology comes to market, companies may find that their storage needs stay the same or decrease, especially if compression technology decreases the need for storage space.
Content delivery networks also change the requirements for bandwidth over time.
Companies that start out small, but which experience an “explosion” in traffic, often have a need for a lot of bandwidth. Proportionally, this need decreases as the site grows, though, because a CDN can be used to supplement the core infrastructure.
Make It Accessible
Making your apps accessible from anywhere is important. When employees are out of the office, or when you’re out of the office, you need the ability to access your content from where you are right now.
Mobile solutions enable you to manage your business on the go, with configurable desktops which help create easy-to-use actions and workflows that improve your, and your staff’s productivity.
Focus On Security
Security becomes a concern anytime you move outside the traditional business infrastructure. Mobile access, for example, introduces potential security threats. These threats need to be addressed via security solutions that protect your data and your identity. If customers access anything remotely, their information also needs to be secured, especially if that data is of a personal nature.
Some of the best cloud hosts offer servers with the latest generation Xeon processors, and they update their hardware regularly. Many cloud-based hosts also use OpenStack, which is an open-source cloud operating system.
For authentication, there should be SSH keys, which allow you to take advantage of key-based authentication. This is in addition to traditional password-based authentication.
But, beyond the technical specs, there’s the element of trust. How long has your service provider been in business? What are their fail-safe measures? A commitment to quality, and a culture of respect and security-focus, is important. Not all companies have this and, when they do, sometimes they’re just paying lip-service to it.
Companies that are serious about security are usually more expensive than normal hosts, and they employ the latest technology to protect your data. They advertise that fact too precisely because many hosts don’t offer this level of security.
A special focus on regulatory compliance is also necessary when you’re dealing with customer financial data or health and personal data. This usually affects financial and healthcare-oriented companies, but it can affect you if you’re a vendor or work with companies that pass sensitive data to you, or through your organization.
Focus On Customer Service
A vendor-client relationship will make or break the success of an SaaS platform. When you need help, your vendor needs to be able to help you in a quick and efficient manner. Most companies tout their customer service quality, but many don’t live up to the claims. The only way to really know is to engage the customer service department and track performance over time.