Editorial contribution by Gibu Mathew, Vice President and General Manager for Asia Pacific of Zoho Corporation This
is perhaps no more true than in the realm of business software, an industry
that has seen seismic shifts in the last two decades, and is now
witnessing rapid adoption due to the global crisis in the last six months.
Expensive, exceedingly complicated software that once was the purview of the
few is now available to the masses, courtesy of the cloud and attendant
improvements in technology. These strides have resulted in the democratization
of business software, the changing of an once-scarce resource into something
everyone can access and use.
The shift to a more democratic, user-friendly, and affordable breed of business software has come about for a lot of reasons. Here are a few of the biggest ones:
THE
CONSUMERIZATION OF IT
As software has become more and more important to our
day-to-day lives, it has also become friendlier for the end user. Actions that
used to require reams of code and loads of technical know-how can now be
completed with just a drag and a drop. Business software has followed suit, and
increasingly looks, feels, and acts like consumer software. And with intuitive
interfaces and familiar features, no specialized skills or training are
required to get things up and keep them running.
MAINTAINING PRODUCTIVITY ON-THE-GO
The
smartphone has put powerful computing technology in the palm of your hand and
lets your business go everywhere you do. Sophisticated yet easy-to-use software is available
ubiquitously, meaning that employees are no longer chained to desktop systems.
In fact, driving and maintaining information across while you are on-the-go
becomes a more seamless process. Software vendors whom are more customer
centric, are providing mobile version as another mean of access on top of their
services that runs on browser. Through real-time function, employees remain
connected, and ground observation made during field work are readily updated
through the cloud.
THE TECHNOLOGY BUFFET
Part
and parcel of the democratization of software is the rise in consumer choice.
Every day, new solutions are added to app galleries and marketplaces around the
web, giving people multiple ways to tackle any business process. These app
stores also give businesses the opportunity to see what other companies are
doing to tackle similar problems.
There
used to be a handful of software vendors that a business could choose from; now
there are hundreds. Because there are so many options, customers can choose how
they want to manage their processes without having to learn new skills.
THE GREAT EQUALIZER
Business
software used to require a massive capital expenditure. As a consequence, only
large companies with deep pockets could afford the features and capabilities
software systems provided. However, the rise of the cloud and mobile technology
have put an end to the need for installed, on-premise systems, and the costs
(and time) associated with them. You no longer need a room full of servers or
high capEx to run your business; a smartphone will do just fine. The result?
Small businesses finally have access to the tools the “big boys” have had for
years, and can now provide the same world-class experience to their customers.
SOFTWARE THAT YOU CAN
PROVISION
As
software has gotten easier to use, more people are using software. Decisions
about what systems a business would run was left to people with diplomas in
computer engineering. But no more. Today’s business software is more
user-friendly than ever, meaning that even non-specialists can be as empowered
as the pros to make decisions about the systems they’ll employ.
What’s
more, advances in data virtualization enables people to access the
information they need without requiring special tools or knowledge. Data can
now be retrieved and analyzed by non technical individuals without having to
know its structure, location, or format; this means a lot more people can have
access to the details they need, without needing a bunch of training to get
there. You can finally get rid of the IT gatekeepers and take charge of your
business.
We believe that software is making the world better, but you still need the right suite. You need software that is easy enough for a tech novice to use, powerful enough for the expert, and priced reasonably enough so as not to impact anyone’s bottomline. Find a business solutions suite that’s “all-in” on cloud computing, includes a large selection of apps that are designed to handle every business process and run on every device. On top of that, it has to be affordable and, in the current times, prioritize data privacy and security. Most importantly, be confident that the provider you choose has business goals aligned to yours and are happy and willing to help you every step of the way.