Posted by George Delp
Which will get you to the "end zone" faster?Cloud accounting solutions are becoming quite popular these days. The success of companies like Intacct, Acumatica and NetSuite have shown that cloud accounting is here to stay. But what about the traditional middle market ERP powerhouses, like Microsoft Dynamics, Epicor, Sage, etc.? Where do they stand? What about QuickBooks? |
Your software options:
First off, let’s determine potential game plans and compare the various deployment options while looking at the attributes associated with each one. We will also introduce a third option that blends elements from the first two. (1..2…3… break)
1. On Premise Deployment
3. Hosted
| 2. Software as a Service (SaaS)
|
The pure cloud accounting players, like Intacct, Acumatica and NetSuite, only offer the Software as a Service option. The “traditional powerhouses” that have been around a lot longer tend to offer On-premise and Hosted options.
As an example, here are the deployment options for both Intacct and Microsoft Dynamics GP:
As an example, here are the deployment options for both Intacct and Microsoft Dynamics GP:
Intacct
| Microsoft Dynamics GP
|
In the past when you purchased on-premise software you typically paid a large amount up front with a low annual maintenance fee. In order to better compete with the inherent nature of spread out payments associated with pure SaaS offerings, subscription pricing is being introduced that allows SaaS like payments for your on-premise software.
How do you access the software?
All of the SaaS vendors offer pure web interfaces for their products. This makes deployment easy as all you need is a web browser. Hosted deployments have traditionally used tools like Citrix or Remote Desktop type technologies to provide access. As such, productivity tools such as email and Microsoft Office are bundled in order to provide one seamless environment in which to operate.
That being said, many of the traditional on-premise players are rolling out pure web interfaces for their products. Microsoft Dynamics GP for example now allows you to access virtually all of the system functionality through a pure browser based client. Pretty cool, right?
That being said, many of the traditional on-premise players are rolling out pure web interfaces for their products. Microsoft Dynamics GP for example now allows you to access virtually all of the system functionality through a pure browser based client. Pretty cool, right?
Which option is right for you?
The answer to this question is different for every organization. Here are some common profiles with which you might identify.
On premise
| On premise + hosted
| SaaS
|
Where can you find more information?
As you can see, there are many options to choose from and the choice these days is not as simple as cloud vs. running software on your own hardware. Think of it as the offensive line of your favorite football team. Every teams is different, but having an effective one is critical for the whole “team” to function and move forward.
If you would like to learn more I encourage you to attend one of our “Accounting Showdown” webinars where we'll further discuss these topics, as well as provide live demos of some of the leading cloud and on-premise based accounting solutions.
If you would like to learn more I encourage you to attend one of our “Accounting Showdown” webinars where we'll further discuss these topics, as well as provide live demos of some of the leading cloud and on-premise based accounting solutions.