If you want to save your organization a good amount of money on hardware, software and support, you ought to be looking at the various hosted IT solutions that are available.

A hosted solution is simply a business application – be it a CRM system like Salesforce or Microsoft’s Exchange – that is stored (or hosted) on a server outside of your office and is accessed via the web. This is also called “cloud computing.” While some folks are still a bit skeptical of putting their entire computer network in the “cloud,” that fear is starting to subside with the incredible cost savings and ever-increasing security and reliability of hosted applications.

How Hosted Solutions Save You Money and Solve Many IT-Related Problems

1. Cost Savings. With a hosted solution, you get the instant advantage of having very sophisticated software running on top-of-the-line, fully supported hardware without having to pay for it out of pocket. Since the resources are shared, you only pay a small fraction of the overall costs. Plus, upgrades and on-going maintenance are included, saving you even more.
2. You’re Not Stuck With Any One Solution. Another advantage of a hosted solution is that there is no long-term commitment. If you don’t like a particular CRM or application, you can (usually) cancel the contract and move on to something else. Compare that against building your own in-house solution which costs a LOT more money and is much harder to walk away from because of the investment.
3. Your Costs Go Up Or Down Based On Users. Since most hosted solution fees are based on the number of users who have access, you can quickly scale up or down.
4. Less Hassle. Since your provider is providing these services like a utility, THEY are responsible for all the upgrades, maintenance, security, etc.
5. Faster Implementation. Building your own infrastructure is not only expensive, but also time consuming. With hosted applications, you simply turn the service “on,” making it much easier (and faster) to get started.
6. Easy Access From Anywhere. If you or your employees travel a lot or work from remote or home offices, going to a hosted solution makes even more sense because users can work from anyplace they happen to be connected to the Internet.

What About the Downsides?

Some folks are still a bit too squeamish to put their entire network and data into a hosted solution, usually because of concerns over security or the fear of not being able to access their data if the Internet goes down. While these are valid concerns, they can easily be addressed by choosing a reputable company with a long-standing history of good service and by getting a backup Internet connection (something we recommend to all clients).

If you really want to know if your business can benefit from hosted solutions, give us a call at 954-920-9604. Even if you’re not ready to go 100% to the cloud, you can often get certain pieces of your network hosted to save money and provide easier access to those who travel.