While setting up the IT infrastructure for your business, the debate of cloud vs on-premise always haunts you. When we compare the two, we weigh our options considering the ease of long-term usage and deployment. These factors are as important as the features of the software.
IT sales quotation software is easily one of the most important tools that help in managing proposals. It is instrumental at the final stage of deal-closure. With technological advancements, users now get the option to choose between cloud or on-premise sales quoting software.
This guide will provide you with a good perspective on the cloud vs on-premise sales quoting software debate.
Cloud vs On-Premise Sales Quoting Software
Setting Up Costs
For any new business, budget is always a big concern. If you are a new small business then it would be more sensible to invest in cloud sales quoting software. Having cloud proposal software for SMBs is always more affordable than deploying an on-premise proposal management tool.
On top of that, you have to factor in the costs of deploying consistent and modern hardware to accommodate the latest version of on-premise sales quoting software. Not to mention the increased costs, electricity bills, etc.
Deployment
The onboarding experience with on-premise software is a mammoth task. The IT admin has to install the software on each employee’s device with the related security measures.
Deployment of cloud-based software is easier as it does not have to be installed individually on each employee’s device. Cloud-based proposal management software saves time for both IT admins and your business as they can be deployed seamlessly.
Usability
You have to analyze which employees are going to use the sales quotation software. Well, it is mostly going to be the sales team and they are always on the move. To create a winning proposal, your sales team should always have all the resources at their dispense.
In this field, web-based software is any day better than on-premise software because your sales team can always use your online proposal software on any device with a web browser. This empowers the sales teams to create proposals and business plans on the go.
Management
It is simple to manage a cloud-based quoting tool. The SaaS provider takes care of a major chunk of software management like the security updates, patches at the server level, etc. On the other hand, on-premise software requires individual attention for management.
Security
In terms of security, you get more control with an on-premise sales quoting tool as you get the choice to select the security protocols.
On the other hand, SaaS providers choose the security protocols for cloud-based software and that is why they might be more vulnerable to attacks. Having said that, the security of cloud-based software is more than good these days. SaaS providers implement the latest security protocols like encryption and multi-factor login authentication for data safety.
Things to Keep in Mind Before Choosing Cloud
Having cloud-based software might seem the obvious choice for your business but just like anything else, cloud-based software has its limitations as well and you must know about them.
Data Visibility and Security
The visibility and control over the data you send over to the SaaS provider are low with cloud-based software. Check with your SaaS providers if they are not transparent about how they store your data on their servers and whether they sell it to third parties or not. Ensure how your crucial customer data is handled.
Downtime
Cloud-based software relies on the internet and all of the data is stored on the SaaS provider’s servers. Even servers need to be upgraded and when the updates are introduced, the software faces downtime and that could stop your business process.
Upgradation Time
The updates on cloud-based software are seamless as you do not have to do anything about it. But they are not in your control as the SaaS pushes the updates at their convenience and that is just being reliable on another person for your software.
Why is Cloud-Based Sales Quoting Software the Way Forward?
- Hassle-free deployment: Cloud-based sales quoting software are uncomplicated to install and easy to integrate with existing software.
- Usability for sales teams: If your sales teams are always on the move, having cloud-based software is a no-brainer as it provides quick access on any device even in remote locations.
- Lower up-front infrastructure cost: If you are a new business, you can bring down your up-front infrastructure costs because cloud-based software is very low on set-up costs.
- Easy scalability: The goal for every business is to grow. With cloud-based software, you can scale up easily. The entire upgrade of the software is taken care of by the SaaS provider making it easy for you to scale the business.
- Smooth collaboration: Sales teams can now collaborate smoothly with other departments through cloud-based quoting tools. When the sales reps are on the move, real-time information is available to all the team members on their respective devices.
Let’s Wind Up
The use of cloud-based sales quoting software solutions is a win-win situation for small and medium-sized businesses.
If you are looking for scalable, stable, and economic cloud-based quoting software, the key is to choose a reliable platform like VARStreet.VARStreet offers a secure cloud-based quoting software, Instaquote. It is simple to use but handles complex quotations, manages approval workflows, and creates sales quotes for both online and offline businesses.
