Everybody’s using the cloud. Forrester Research predicts that more than 50% of global enterprises will depend on at least one public cloud to support their digital transformation efforts. And Synergy Research recently found that quarterly software-as-a-service (SaaS) spending recently hit the $20 billion mark.
Just because the cloud is wildly popular is no reason for you to consider it as the platform of choice for your financial management software. You’ve never been one to follow the crowd, so why start now?
You don’t want to move to the cloud if you:
- Live in your office. If you want to spend days and nights at your desk and never see friends or family, then forget the cloud. The cloud is all about mobility—anytime-anywhere access that makes systems and data available using only a standard, secure Web browser and an Internet connection. Convenience is overrated, anyway.
- Have an endless supply of money and time. If you’re not interested in saving time or money, then the cloud isn’t for you. Cloud apps are notorious for their high ROI and rapid payback. A study by Nucleus Research found that cloud-based financial management and accounting implementations provided 1.7 times more return on investment (ROI) than on-premises ones. That’s because cloud apps don’t require the capital investments or operating expenses of on-premises solutions, and they save time and make your processes more efficient.
- Don’t need to integrate with other applications like Salesforce.com. If you enjoy working with multiple systems that don’t talk to each other—causing extra hours of work and lots of room for errors—you definitely don’t want the cloud. Web services and APIs make integration between cloud software applications easy. Thus, your company is stuck using the best applications for each part of the business without costly custom programming or IT maintenance.
- Want to spend all your time providing reports and KPIs to managers? If you enjoy sifting through dozens of spreadsheets to deliver outdated reports, banish the word cloud from your vocabulary. Real-time visibility is a top benefit of using the cloud, so both finance and non-finance stakeholders have access to key performance indicators that apply to their department. Employees can view dashboards, enter and approve expenses, and create purchase orders—all without help from you.
- Enjoy the thrill of inefficiencies. Cloud software streamlines classic finance process like consolidations and closes. Even worse, it lets you leverage the Internet to link other company functions and processes, as well as your customers and suppliers. For example, you can deliver a 360-degree order-to-cash process that connects finance and sales. You may even have to spend less time mired in spreadsheets—and you wouldn’t want that.
- Have no competition whatsoever and no budget. If you’re not interested in a system that has the flexibility and power to support your growing company without breaking the bank, then the cloud is the wrong solution for you. A cloud-based financial system forces you to use world-class infrastructure. Your vendor amortizes costs over thousands of customers, burdening you with 24×365 operations, continuous backups, disaster recovery, and superior security. You get a far higher level of performance, reliability, and security for a lot less money.
Seriously, folks. We know you want to grow your business as intelligently and as efficiently as possible, and cloud financial management software such as Sage Intacct is vital to your success. Also key to your success is finding the right implementation partner. That’s where we can help. Contact the professionals at ACI Consulting today.
