Trends and Technologies In The CRM World
Cloud computing is a buzzword that is being tossed around a lot lately, but what is it, and what does it mean to your business? First, let’s take a look at what a cloud has to do with computing. The term goes back to the early days of the Internet when flow charts would use a cloud to represent anything that happened on the Internet. When network and computer system designers were drawing flowcharts for hardware or software design, anything that happened on the Internet was considered outside the scope of the system and from that, the metaphor of using a cloud to represent the Internet became commonplace.
Currently, the term cloud computing is a methodology of computing where virtual, scalable resources are allocated as services over the Internet. The most common uses of the technology is software-as-a-service (SaaS), but platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) are similar ideas that fall under cloud computing as well.
When vendors offer SaaS, the actual software is hosted on outside servers, and you are running its applications through your Web browser. The advantage to this is the ability to work with the applications, save, retrieve, and share files from any Internet-connected computer in the world. And as your business needs grow, the platform and infrastructure can be easily modified. And while this increased capacity comes with a price, it is much more affordable than upgrading your own in-house hardware. Plus, it is completely scalable, meaning you only buy what you need, when you need it.
As this methodology grows and is adopted by more businesses, we are swiftly reaching the promise of the Internet made years ago when all the business user needs is a small ‘Internet appliance,’ the most basic of lightweight laptop computers, or even a mobile device. This, coupled with a wireless Internet connection, and you are plugged in and ready to work anywhere and anytime. The computer you use rarely needs to be upgraded or replaced, because all of the upgrades are managed by the provider. These services are scaled to meet the needs of the business and can be charged on a utility basis, per-use, or a subscription basis, over a period of time. In either case, the company saves the capital expenditures of large desktop computers, servers, and expensive software applications that are quickly becoming obsolete.
Even a company that needs to have its own presence on the Internet no longer needs to buy and host its own Web and e-mail servers or expensive, redundant Internet connections. Infrastructure-as-a-service is a form of cloud computing where virtual, shared, or co-hosted servers are provided on demand. Just like with software-as-a-service, this solution is scalable to the needs of the client, and the business pays just for what it needs. The Webmaster or administrator simply accesses the servers remotely via a Web interface and manages all aspects of the site and E-mail configurations as if the servers were on the premises. Add to these advantages the climate control, power, and managed backups of these infrastructure-as-a-service providers, and their value increases.
Any business that is just starting out, or looking into upgrading its hardware, software, or infrastructure, should strongly consider cloud computing. It provides value, greater accessibility, and options for building custom applications, all adding to the uniqueness of your company’s products and services.
Cloud computing is among the many new innovative uses of technology and the Internet in today’s world. It is not surprising that nearly one-third of surveyed small business owners are unaware of the complexities that cloud computing has to offer. Of 1500 small and mid-sized businesses surveyed, nearly 59 percent had some knowledge of cloud [continue reading]
In a competitive economic community, businesses are constantly searching for innovative ways to be successful. Whereas success can be defined differently, in general, companies want to grow, increase profits, work effectively, and meet goals. Within these efforts to improve, businesses are in search of technology to initiate such processes. IT departments work fervently to stay [continue reading]
Increasing sales, for many companies, equates success. However, figuring out how to do that can often be challenging. Some businesses are looking towards customer relationship management (CRM) systems to help facilitate more leads. The goals of CRM systems are to manage and organize customer data in order to provide supportive customer service, and to find [continue reading]
Have you ever found yourself staring into the sky looking for a solution for how you can improve your business? Would you be surprised to learn that the answer has been right in front (or rather, right above you) the whole time? That’s right, the solution you’ve been searching for has been around the whole [continue reading]
Everyone is happier when the clouds have broken and the sun begins to shine. The same can be said for when business is on the rise. Accurate sales forecasting is a crucial part of creating more business and understanding where, and how, the company is growing. Yet this can often be a challenging task for [continue reading]
The sky isn’t the only thing that holds clouds nowadays. If you’re in a business that revolves around anything related to computers, you’ve probably heard the term cloud computing before. If you haven’t, that’s okay. Cloud computing is a relatively new term that has been sweeping the business and computer industries for some time. Although [continue reading]
As the battles between PC vs. Mac and IE vs. Firefox rage on, there is another battle being waged that is going relatively unnoticed: legacy computing vs. cloud computing. If you’ve never heard these terms before, here is a quick lesson.
Legacy computing involves programs that are installed on a computer’s hard drive or a local [continue reading]
The way that businesses today manage contacts, customers and clients has gone way beyond a Rolodex. To be competitive in today’s fast-paced business environment, companies need to be up-to-date on the most important business practices. As time goes on, more and more businesses are beginning to recognize the benefits to running their contact management systems [continue reading]
If you have ever used Gmail or Hotmail, you have experienced the wonders of cloud computing, although you probably were not aware of it. Cloud computing is, essentially the use of the Internet for the use of desired software as a service. By incorporating cloud computing services, companies have access to scalable and virtualized resources [continue reading]
Cloud computing, at its simplest, is a collection of computing software and services available from a decentralized network of servers. The term “cloud” has long been used as a metaphor for the Internet, and there are many popular services and Web sites which you may already be enjoying, without being aware that they are cloud-based. [continue reading]
There’s only one cloud in the sky on this sunny day, and it’s not bringing any bad weather along with it. It’s “the cloud,” a metaphor in the IT world for what we know as the Internet. The “cloud” refers to Web servers provided by a number of companies that virtually host services that may [continue reading]
Cloud computing is becoming a popular topic among the business community. The “cloud” metaphor presents an image of services that are provided from data centers and pooled servers outside business walls. Cloud computing generally refers to internet-based uses of virtual technologies. Depending on the needs of a business, cloud computing is described using several different [continue reading]
When you first hear mention of cloud computing, a pastoral image of an expansive blue sky dotted with puffy clouds might come to mind. As you might have guessed, however, cloud computing has nothing to do with cirrus, stratus, or cumulonimbus clouds. Instead, it is all connected to computers and how software, servers, and storage [continue reading]
When deciding which software services best fit your company’s needs, the two main choices seem to be cloud computing versus on-premise software. Cloud computing offers subscription-based applications on shared datacenters over the Internet, with the vendor taking care of all of the hosting and maintenance details.
While the pros and cons for each side are viable, [continue reading]
For businesses to succeed in any market environment, they must have solid relationships with customers and clients; they’re the ones who make success possible. But many businesses are falling behind on keeping those relationships strong because of one thing-they don’t have a simple way of keeping track of everything. Businesses, especially ones that rely on [continue reading]
Overture
As the orchestra plays, the curtain rises to reveal a typical office setting. The sky outside is dark and it looks like it is about to rain. The music ends and our cast comes on stage, frazzled and frantic – their computer systems are about to crash because of a bad software installation.
Act 1
The main [continue reading]
When you think of infrastructure, you most likely think of the physical structures needed for an operation to exist. However, as far as cloud computing goes, it can mean something all together different. Cloud computing delivers applications and services in an on-demand basis. No purchasing of software, servers, data center space, and network equipment is [continue reading]
A lot of people are buzzing about “the cloud” and “cloud computing” these days. If you feel as though you’re out of the loop, don’t despair. Although the cloud can be a highly technical and complicated subject, it’s easy to understand the basics – enough to keep you informed and get your company up and [continue reading]
If your business is like most, you have a lot of information to keep track of. From collecting customer contact data to determining what products sell best where to managing cash flow, you need to know what is happening, when it is happening. Like a circus juggling act, you are tossing around all of this [continue reading]
How can cloud computing offer solutions for everyday business tasks? Cloud computing provides web-based services – applications, networks, servers, and data storage – that are fully managed by outside providers. Instead of purchasing different software programs for every conceivable computing function, and then installing them on numerous different machines, a company can simply opt to [continue reading]
As a businessperson who must make crucial decisions on a continual basis, it may be difficult to know which of the new hotly touted “next big things” are truly going to be worth investing in, and which will fizzle out by the time you’ve convinced upper management to make the leap. If you’ve heard some [continue reading]
Sales leads are a critical element of business. When trying to capture sales, generating and monitoring leads is key. Leads are the individuals or businesses who can potentially become sales. Following them from the beginning to the end of their life cycle can help you ensure you learn the most you can from them, and [continue reading]
Customers are an integral part of every business. Having quick and easy access to customer information may give your company an edge over the competition. In a tough business world where everyone has something to offer, customer service may be your best differentiator. Customer service may be difficult, however, if your company doesn’t have the [continue reading]
In simple terms, the cloud is the Internet. Rather than using software that is installed on your computer or saving documents on your hard drive, you work on the Web. In fact, if you have ever used Hotmail or Facebook, you have used cloud computing already. Basically, cloud computing is a simple idea, but the [continue reading]
AllThingsCRM.com is intended to be a comprehensive resource for business professionals who want to learn more about the benefits that customer relationship management (CRM) can provide to a company. It’s our mission to provide the most reliable, up-to-date information about all aspects of the customer relationship management process, including the options available for hosting platforms, automation, software, custom application development, and infrastructures.
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