Today’s working environment has changed dramatically over the last decade, particularly when it comes to structure and demand. With business leadership and working practices becoming more flexible and adaptable, business processes and software must evolve accordingly. CRMs are a perfect example; the flexibility, accessibility and scalability of cloud-based options make them much more cogent solutions than their traditional, on-premise counterparts.
With the right system, cloud-based apps and SaaS options can be used with utmost security. Choosing a SaaS vendor with multiple deployment options, open software with cloud-based data storage and a solid business continuity plan will ensure your data is protected whilst enabling you to carry out your CRM strategy with confidence.
Why cloud-based software?
You may wonder if the cloud-based solution is right for you in the first place. At redk, we firmly believe in the value of cloud-based tools, always recommending SaaS CRMs due to the many ways they benefit different organisations.
Accessibility: These days ‘the office’ can be wherever your employees are. With the increasing popularity of less traditional, more flexible working environments, cloud-based CRM systems allow your company to continue to function no matter where your employees are working.
Cost: Cloud-based systems don’t come with the associated costs of premise-based solutions. For some companies, added costs such as upgrade purchases and maintenance, or initial hardware and proprietary software costs, can make these services inaccessible. The monthly subscription fee charged by cloud-based systems, which can be fixed or related to the number of users, and the absence of upgrade or software management fees, save businesses from those associated costs.
Deployment and upgrades: A common pain point for many organisations involves the need to quickly and efficiently implement new systems across teams. Cloud-based CRM systems are quick and simple to set up, no matter the scale. Designed for out-of-the-box installation, these systems are built to save time on initial deployment. Similarly, upgrades are simply downloaded from the cloud to guarantee continued convenience.
Data integration: Today’s companies are increasingly faced with dynamic data sets from a variety of sources. Whether it’s customer data, social media insights, accounting or project management, an effective CRM system allows your company to optimise data collection processes and ensure data sets unlock relevant insights in a secure manner. What’s more, through dedicated cloud-based integration tools, internal processes will be smooth and consistent, providing employees with a quality UX, and guaranteeing an outstanding customer service experience.
Not all cloud solutions are made equal
When exploring cloud-based solutions, it’s important to select the software that will best suit your CRM strategy. For example, many cloud solutions are proprietary and share infrastructure with multiple tenants in a single-cloud configuration. This means that companies have little control over data storage security. Considering that some data is simply too sensitive for the public cloud, it’s important to consider this aspect before selecting your cloud-based solution.
Private hosting
According to Gartner, around half of CRM software revenue in 2014 was generated from private cloud, managed hosting or on-premise solutions. And with private cloud adoption on the rise, reaching 75% in 2019, companies have made a clear shift towards enhancing security around personal data management.
This shift has become particularly evident following the introduction of GDPR. Despite the increased concern with securing data sets, some very well-known names have fallen foul of the risks related to personal data security.
Marriott International, one of the world’s leading hotel chains, was recently fined £99 million (€110 million) over a 2014 data breach that affected approximately 339 million customers. In 2019, Facebook was fined €1 million following a Cambridge Analytica data misuse scandal that involved 87 million Facebook users.
Financial benefits and greater security
While secure data management is a central concern when choosing your cloud-based CRM solution, there are added financial benefits when opting for privately hosted cloud software. Today’s companies are being faced with countless challenges related to the rapid expansion of their data sets. For instance, global organisations are vulnerable to increased costs and security risks when moving high volumes of customer data across multiple public cloud vendors.
Using private cloud systems allow companies greater control when managing complex, high-volume data sets independent of costly public vendors. By choosing the right CRM, like SugarCRM, companies receive custom-built solutions that cater to the needs of their particular organisation. Additionally, SugarCRM guarantees that the systems implemented include security models that comply with ever-changing data regulations.
At redk, we have over 15 years’ experience in the CRM space. We work with the most reliable, secure, scalable, up-to-date software to ensure your cloud-based CRM solution works both for you and with you to help your organisation reach its goals.
