On-premise operations vs cloud-based platforms

On a recent business trip to the Gold Coast, a Wink Reports team member was reminded of just how much time it’s possible to save when using cloud-based software. He does admit, however, to doing some on-premises outlet shopping during this trip. This is what he found.

On the road again

In addition to our Xero add-on,  Wink Reports also do some off-the-cuff software consulting and development. Our hero went out to the Gold Coast to consult on an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software package with a large, local residential building company. While there are some great products available for small to medium-sized builders (like Xero and TidyBuild), enterprise level businesses really need the ERP style packages (warts and all) to satisfy their requirements.

There are some cloud-based ERPs available, such as NetSuite, but given the significant investment an ERP requires, changing products is no small undertaking, even after years of use.

Our Wink man was consulting with the client’s Operations Manager at their satellite storage location, about a 20- to 30-minute drive from the head office. Their internal IT department doesn’t make remote access available from the on-premise IT infrastructure at head office. So, to access a supplier’s contact information after hours in order to notify them of a delivery date change of materials to site, he had to drive back to the head office just to get it.

On the drive back, however, he managed to draft an invoice, have some expense claims approved, and reconciled some bank transactions through the Xero app on his phone! That was 20 to 30 minutes spent billing the client, saving him 20 to 30 minutes in admin time.

And the winner is...

A knockout result: On-premise 0 – Cloud 1. Life’s just easier in the cloud. Business too. Need we say more? If you’re keen to unleash your business potential, take advantage of our 30-day free trial and put Wink Reports to work for your business.

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