The Web as a Platform for Business

Today’s buzz is all about “apps”. Cloud “apps”, iPhone “apps”, “apps” that rate your sex life (wait, what?)

I want to talk a bit about web applications that can help your business without putting a hole in your pocket. Today there are hundreds of web applications out there just waiting for you to sign up. Some of them are great while others are not. Before reading the rest of this, have you seen our previous post explaining the history of cloud apps?

In a nutshell, the “cloud” is a term referring to robust, data-driven applications that are accessible from on the network (usually the public Internet). At the same time, since most of these applications are subscription-based and many customers can utilize it at once, the costs are significantly lower than purchasing and installing an in-house solution. For example, Microsoft Outlook E-Mail and Microsoft Office will cost about $150 per user every 3-4 years, not including setup, maintenance and technical support (add these in and it’s looking more like $125 per year per user, at least). Contrast that with Google Apps, which provides the same service in the cloud for a flat fee of $50 per year per user. QuickBooks is a hefty accounting application that requires some knowledge and security practices to keep data safe -- QuickBooks online allows for mobility and handles all of these things at only about $30 per month.

Of course, that doesn’t always mean that running your business on the web is the best way to go. If your business has more than 10-20 users, it might be better (and cheaper) to use an in-house solution. If your business data is abnormally sensitive or you just want a high level of control over it (see U.S. Government), you might also want to think carefully before setting up on a public network.

Etnacom as a small business tends to use a high number of cloud apps. Not only do we enjoy the mobility that it provides, but we get to “play” with a lot of fun systems that we can potentially recommend to our clients. If you’re interested in a solution in the cloud, come talk to us. We’d be happy to help perform a cost/benefit/risk analysis to see if it’s right for you.