The rate at which global organizations are adopting cloud technology is impressive. It's been following an upward trajectory since the pandemic, and there has been no looking back. As an IT service segment, the cloud computing market was estimated to be around US$ 490 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach US$590 billion this year.
As a small business owner, you might have thought this to yourself at least once - "What’s in this vast market of the cloud for your business?"
Irrespective of the type of business you run or the scale at which you operate it, there is a connection between using cloud technology you are accustomed to using Sage accounting software. Also, many of your competitors have already switched to Sage application hosting.
Cloud computing, known only to a few technology experts some decades back, is now a part of everyone's life. If you think your business isn't that big now that you will need cloud support, you're thinking in the wrong direction. Plenty of companies have already switched to cloud-hosted Sage with the help of a renowned Sage hosting provider and are enjoying good profits.
If you are looking for the right reasons, followed by the proper steps to select a Sage hosting provider, you've come to the right place. But before we move forward to the steps, let's look at the advantages of Sage hosting over using Sage within a local IT setup.
Advantages of Migrating Sage Application to the Cloud
1. Remote Sage Software Access
Let's begin with the most profound advantage of hosting the Sage application on the cloud: remote accessibility. Unlike installing it on a local computer, cloud hosting allows you to migrate your licensed Sage software to a third-party cloud server. This will enable you to access the software remotely from any device.
2. Additional Security Benefits
Sage hosted on a local computer is less safe and secure than in the case of Sage hosting. It is because reliable Sage hosting providers invest money in deploying top-rated data security measures on their cloud servers to protect your data.
3. Better Team Collaboration
Cloud-based collaboration between team members has taken over the past few years. Although you can still buy and work on Sage desktop software, there is one major benefit of hosting Sage on the cloud: team members can access cloud-hosted accounting data and work on the same file in real-time. This is meant to enhance productivity at work.
4. Easy to Retrieve Data
Since accounting is crucial to your business, you would only imagine losing accounting data files at some costs. The resulting consequences - both financial and reputational- can be damaging. With Sage hosting, you can avoid these possible damages quite easily. In case of data loss due to natural or artificial errors, you can retrieve it through the rolling backups taken by your Sage hosting provider.
Now, let's answer another critical question that might have already popped into your mind -
Why is It Important to Select a Sage Hosting Provider Carefully?
Let's look at what's happening at the core when you choose to migrate your Sage application to the cloud -
After selecting a suitable hosting plan, you migrate both Sage software and data files to a third-party cloud server and then start accessing it remotely as per your business needs.
You rely on an external service provider to hold or host your software and accounting data. A cloud service provider has its server set located in data centers, and an IT team is there to manage these computing resources. Here, the reliability and experience of the hired Sage application hosting provider matter a lot.
5 Things You Must Take Into Account While Selecting a Sage Hosting Provider
1. Hosting Service Quality
Whenever you are looking for a Sage hosting provider, you must know what the hosting solution should provide, including:
- Flexible billing schedule and multiple hosting plans to choose from as per your business needs
- Pay-as-you-go billing model so that you do not have to commit to continuing with the same hosting plan forever
- Ease of scaling the computing resource up or down whenever needed
- Freedom from lock-in period so that you can switch to what's best for your business
- No-cost assistance to migrating your data and Sage software to the cloud server
Also, be aware of any suspicion concerning the service quality. It's better to continue searching for a hosting provider than to hire an incompetent one.
2. Hosting Provider Profile
Another crucial aspect here is to analyze your business needs and check whether the offerings of a specific cloud provider align with what you need. Keep a check on the following aspects while going through the business profile of different cloud hosting providers:
- Look at the service model to see if it fits with your business strategy
- Consider the experience of the Sage application hosting providers in the industry.
- Research their existing clientele - if there's any big brand they serve, they would most likely highlight their achievement around that client
- Ask about their turnaround time to resolve hosting-related queries
A closer look at all these aspects will help you make an informed decision about the cloud provider selection.
3. Contracts & SLAs
An SLA or Service Level Agreement is the legal document that specifies the quality of service a hosting provider must provide. Failing to do so can result in legal complications from the client's side. The best part about these SLAs is that they also encompass the technology advancements the service provider has invested in for their clients.
For example, Ace Cloud Hosting invests in the best-in-class servers and Tier 3 or 4 data centers to ensure that clients like you will benefit from 99.999% SLA-backed uptime. This corresponds to a downtime of just a few minutes per year. If one of the critical concerns you face is related to technical rest, now is the right time to start searching for a Sage hosting provider.
4. Cost Savings
If you choose between a local-hosted Sage application or a cloud-hosted Sage, you must uphold the value of the investment required. In the former case, it is evident that you have to invest in on-premise servers, other hardware, and technical components to set things up. Also, whenever the need arises, you need to invest more in upgrading the IT infrastructure to scale up the operations.
If you look at the fundamentals of Sage hosting, it is clear that you do not have to set a specific amount aside for upfront investments in establishing or maintaining the local setup.
But what would be that exact financial difference specific to your business requirements? How much will you be able to save with cloud migration? Even if there is no price difference, are the benefits of Sage application hosting worth the investment?
You should clearly understand this side of switching to the cloud.
Automatic Software Updates
In the traditional on-premise setup, you are responsible for updating the software to its latest version. In some cases, this can be time-consuming, and you may also need to remember to update it quickly.
Most reliable cloud solution providers cover this aspect by automating the software update cycle at their ends. This way, their clients do not have to worry about the technical side of working on the latest Sage software version. Still, you must check whether or not your service provider takes care of it.
At last, the proper selection of a cloud hosting provider will benefit your business in the time ahead and help you focus on growth rather than worrying about technical glitches.
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