Shifting to the Cloud: An Irresistible Force

Changing attitudes towards Cloud accounting software has progressed from scepticism and caution in the early days to broader acceptance over the past decade. In recent times more and more people are demanding their software solutions be delivered as Cloud services. Many customers will not even contemplate having an application installed on their hardware.  

While the shift towards Cloud gathered momentum in recent years, it has reached new peaks in 2020, with many businesses compelled to operate a remote workforce. We have seen this acceleration even more so in the Accounting and Financial Management side of the company.  

Many organisations have held strong concerns about their accounting data being stored off-site. Due to this perception of risk, accounting and finance teams have been late adopters in cloud services and software-as-a-service(SaaS) products. What was once seen as a risk is now often viewed as a necessity. Stakeholders want access to systems and data in real-time wherever they are.

Accounting software such as Xero disrupted the market for small businesses and rapidly gained a foothold with people looking for a flexible, accessible, and easily maintained system. Many other small business solutions followed it’s path. It was challenging for larger businesses with most ERP solutions being on-premise in tightly controlled environments.  

There are now several quality options available for businesses looking for higher level Cloud applications. Sage Intacct has emerged as one of the standouts. It is now widely recognised as the best-in-class Cloud accounting solution for the mid-market. It is also ranked No1 in midmarket for Customer Satisfaction by analysts in the US. Most importantly, Sage Intacct was built for the Cloud from the start. It has always been a pure web service. Many other higher-end solutions now have Web screens; however, most are set up primarily for on-premise server environments. Cloud functionality is effectively an afterthought.

Another significant advantage of a pure Cloud environment is the ease of integration between applications. App integration leads to a more reliable and accurate flow of information within the business. Integrated apps can create quicker and faster processes that cover a variety of industries and particular roles. 

The shift to Cloud is here, so if you’re considering the move to improve your business, talk to Thrive. We can help guide you down the right path.