Last Updated on July 26, 2023

Jan 26, 2016

While making a decision on whether to implement a cloud-based construction software solution for your construction business, the choice mainly resides with the size and type of business you operate. Although this can be an important indicator in terms of whether cloud construction software is the right solution for your business, there are specific factors that one can look at to make a more complete decision. This blog will take a look at the five key factors to analyze when making your decision, which are cost, scalability, accessibility, implementation, and security.

COST

With cloud-based, or Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, costs are dramatically decreased due to the fact that no server needs to be purchased and therefore, IT maintenance costs are reduced as well. By having all upgrades and additional training and support handled at no additional cost, continual IT staffing requirements can also be eliminated. Also, because you are paying for what you will be using only, there is less wasted money on unnecessary hardware or software.

SCALABILITY

By having all information relating to your construction business stored in the cloud, the ability to increase or decrease storage space can be done instantly according to your business requirements. This capability is quite valuable as your business grows, allowing for a quick and easy increase in server space without having to lean on internal IT staff to make these upgrades.

ACCESSIBILITY

This factor is one of the most valuable, as information is available anytime and anywhere, with virtually no downtime. What this means for your business is that information can be accessed and shared from any mobile device such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, thus creating a more dynamic and collaborative work environment. With data available wherever you may need it, quicker and more informed decisions can be made in real-time.

IMPLEMENTATION
With cloud-based software solutions, the implementation process is typically completed in a limited amount of training hours, which means your business can be up and running quicker with less downtime. With the initial setup requiring a computer and an internet connection, which most businesses already have, the process can begin quickly and a training schedule can be established.

SECURITY

With certain data hosting solutions, such as Microsoft Azure, data is continuously backed up and belongs only to your company, ensuring the information is always secure. Within your own company, security levels can be assigned to provide or restrict access to specific users. Taking this a step further, permission can be granted to clients as well, allowing them to access their documents through a secure login portal