Cloud software for crafters – the better solution?

The skilled trades are a rather down-to-earth industry in which innovations are slower to take hold than in other sectors. Nevertheless, digitization is also making its way there and making it easier to deal with day-to-day business. Find out now why you should consider cloud software in particular if you are planning to modernize your own IT.

Cloud software? What’s that supposed to be?

Let’s first clarify what this is all about, software from cloud providers is not that different in terms of functionality from programs you install on your own computers. The big difference to “normal” software is therefore not in the function of these applications, but in their nature, cloud programs are not on your computer, but on the provider’s devices. You then simply call up the software via your browser. In practice, this means that you would, for example, go to www.abcd.com (this site does not exist and serves only as an example) to access a program for managing your regular customers.

In other words, you outsource all the programs you use on a daily basis to the Internet. You no longer need your own software – such as Microsoft Word or Excel, perhaps – but rely on what another provider has to offer. In technical jargon, this is also known as SaaS (Software as a Service). Instead of an expensive, one-time purchase of programs, you would rent software instead. This has many advantages, but also some disadvantages – and we’ll go into these in more detail in the next section.

Advantages of software in the cloud

SaaS as a concept combines several advantages, which include the following:

• Since you don’t have to install any software, but rather it is installed on the provider’s devices and is only accessed by you, any new device in your business is ready to use immediately. This eliminates the need for lengthy installation processes for you as a craftsman.
• You don’t have to spend time and energy updating your programs. Since you rent the software, the provider takes care of security updates or even new functions, for example. This takes a lot of work off your shoulders over time.
• You can’t lose important data, since it is stored in the cloud. Your own devices can always break or maybe you catch a virus that destroys data. Software as a service, on the other hand, keeps your data safe.
• The cost is easier to manage because you are renting the software and not buying it. The sometimes very high purchase price for programs for craftsmen is thus eliminated. Instead, you pay a manageable monthly amount that you can plan with.
• You can also work when you are not in the office: While on the road, simply call up the program in your browser and start working. Whether you are at home, in the office, or even at a client’s, it doesn’t matter at all.

The market is also very broad. There are programs that are specifically tailored to craftsmen and their needs – for example, for planning tasks in the painting trade, structural or civil engineering, garden planning, electrical engineering, and much more – as well as tools for more bureaucratic concerns. In other words, customer management, invoicing, inventory lists, and so on. Digitization and the associated cloud also make it easier for a craftsman to focus on day-to-day business.

The speed of work is usually not a problem

SaaS means that the software is provided for you in the cloud – that is, on external devices that you access through your browser. This means that information always has to be transferred back and forth. Of course, this takes a few fractions of a second, so the speed of operation usually can’t quite keep up with software that you store directly on your device.

However, these are mainly theoretical disadvantages, because in practice you should not experience any significant limitations. Even highly specialized IT operations, where there is really modern infrastructure, more than manage well with cloud software. Therefore, it should always be sufficient for the comparatively lower requirements of craft businesses.

Sounds good – but can I cope with it?

Of course, you’ll have to make adjustments when you integrate new software into your daily workflow. The way to create an invoice for a customer, for example, will change. That being said, cloud software is not more complicated than “normal” applications.

In fact, the opposite is often true, since the software of this type is often very precisely tailored to the customer’s needs, many work processes go more quickly after a certain period of familiarization. Instead of a very extensive program like Excel, which brings with it an immense scope of programs, relying instead on a small, intuitively usable tool for your invoices.

Therefore, after a period of acclimation, you should be able to cope well with the changes brought about by the switch to SaaS. If you can currently operate a computer and typical programs, you’ll have no problem doing so with cloud software.

Disadvantages of the cloud: unfounded or not?

We do not want to conceal the fact that Software as a Service is not the Holy Grail either, and of course, difficulties can arise.

For example, you are permanently dependent on a stable Internet connection. If your Internet connection fails for any reason, you won’t be able to use most of the services in the cloud because you won’t be able to reach your software at all. Whether this is really a serious problem remains to be seen. If you normally don’t experience any outages in your offices, of course, the switch to SaaS won’t change that.

More serious, however, and also repeatedly discussed in public, is the question of data, since you rent software and use it on other companies’ servers and also store your data there, you are of course giving away your own information. This may be quite sensitive customer data, but it may also include financial information or invoices, for example. As a rule, neither craftsmen nor any other companies want to see this information in other hands.

Here, we advise you to consider for yourself which data you can outsource and which you cannot. Of course, you can store your invoices in the cloud – but no one is forcing you to do so. So you can easily leave really sensitive data in your company on your own devices and outsource only those tasks to cloud software that is less sensitive. That way, you can ensure data security where it matters, while still enjoying the many benefits of Software as a Service already mentioned – and you wouldn’t be the first business to go two-track in this way.

What happens if something doesn’t work?

When you rent software, you have the advantage that you get support right along with it. The providers of the software are, of course, your point of contact – and since you pay monthly for this service, you can usually count on fast, helpful service. It may well be that this is an improvement for you, probably, when you have problems with your software at the moment, you consult a search engine to perhaps solve your problem. This takes time and often does not lead to success. If, on the other hand, you as a craftsman rely on a specific company to provide your software, you always know who your contact person is.

Conclusion – craftsmen also benefit from the cloud

Renting software brings numerous advantages – for example in the areas of usability, financing, accessibility, and management. You can fully concentrate on your actual work, while simply outsourcing elaborate software to a trustworthy service provider. In practice, cloud software in this way leads to less IT effort and increased productivity. It’s worth trying out in any case!