This is part of a blog series for practical tips on how to be more productive, cultivate creativity and growth within your company, and nurture a vibrant culture among your teams.
The world of computing is evolving with a great pace. Cloud computing has grown tremendously in the recent years with more and more companies opting from client/server to the cloud. Using Cloud-based Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) has it’s advantages and we’ve explored what the main benefits are.
1. Accessible from virtually anywhere
The Traditional on-premise hosting allows users in most cases only in house access through server hosted at work. However with Cloud-based PPM, users are able to work at home, abroad, or almost anywhere they are able to access the Internet. That can be a convenient for employees working out of office or for go-getters who want to catch up on their work from home.
2. Little to no maintenance
With Cloud-based PPM the software is licensed, deployed, maintained, and updated on the hosting company’s own hardware. So there’s no need to worry about maintenance on the software because it will be most likely be minimal. By using cloud-based PPM companies have the ability to reduce IT infrastructure investment. That means lowering labor costs by automating many repetitive management tasks. Therefore IT employees can focus on other tasks that provide higher value for the company like supporting user requests instead of spending precious time which otherwise would go into maintaining an in house system.
3. Limits financial commitments
Using PPM delivered as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) has it’s advantages. With Cloud-based offerings customers don’t need to invest in servers or IT staff time in order to gain the technology wanted. Most of the companies that offer SaaS-based PPM charge annually or a monthly fee for access. So there’s no need to make a major investment in IT infrastructure or taking a huge risk on investing in a PPM process automation.
4. Easier implementation
Implementation of cloud-based PPM can prove to be much easier than the traditional on-premise hosting. Lets say a company is interested in purchasing a software which is available via cloud. Than the company can most likely buy a months subscription (or test it for free) for a few of it’s employees to test the software. Little or no setup is required when using cloud-based PPM which makes the implementation process much more easier. If the employees don’t like the product then they don’t renew their subscription and try out another product that is able to meet their needs. Compared to on-premise hosting you have to invest in IT technology and often spend vast amounts of money. Cloud-based PPM reduces the risk of implementing a software which isn’t able to meet your company’s needs and ends up costing you a fortune.
5. Reduces cost of power
Electricity cost can play a big part in a company’s expenditures. By using cloud-based PPM companies can outsource the power intensive equipment which would be otherwise needed to support on-premise hosted solution. This allows companies to save on energy costs and invest resources on other more important core activities.
