Cloud services are flexible, easy to use and based on a transparent cost model. Hosting solutions are especially popular for communication and project work. And we are seeing the same trend – more and more DocuWare customers are opting for ECM cloud solutions. So what are the true benefits of hosting an ECM – and are there any downsides? See for yourself with this cloud check-up:
Security
Where are documents more secure – in the cloud or in your own company? DocuWare Cloud definitively offers the highest level of security. Multi-step encryption and three-fold redundant data storage ensure that documents are securely stored in a data center. (All details regarding our comprehensive security concept can be found in the DocuWare Cloud White Paper.)
For companies to offer the same professional security with their internal IT infrastructure, they need to commit significant effort, resources and IT knowledge. Cloud customers, however, never have to worry about safeguarding against system failure, storage solutions, or upgrading their operating systems themselves.
Costs
A fixed, calculatable price as well as cheaper licensing fees are clear advantages of a hosting model. There are never sudden additional investments or costs – like a server going down – or ongoing costs for system upkeep or long-term storage. If your IT colleagues don’t have to deal with basic operations, maintenance and hardware problems, they can instead focus on coming up with innovative ways to optimize workflows – which is far more important for gaining a competitive edge for the future.
Flexibility
Here’s the basic concept behind DocuWare Cloud: pay for storage space and users only as needed and yet get the complete functionality of the entire ECM suite including all module features. This allow companies to react to business changes without additional costs and implement the ECM in an agile way, adapting it to the needs of individual departments or work groups.
Features like form design or mobile workflows on a smartphone might not appear important straight off the bat, but then prove themselves immensely useful - especially if they are already integrated in the cloud service. Because DocuWare Cloud is automatically updated, users can immediately take advantage of the latest features and ECM trends.
Performance
How quickly are documents stored in the cloud, how fast can they be displayed? Virtual systems from the cloud tend to be a tiny bit slower than physical systems that are in the next room. In addition, stability and Internet connection bandwidth play a role. But it’s not clear whether users can really sense this in the grand scheme of things. A lot depends on the document volume involved. It also depends somewhat on reaction speeds that a user might be accustomed to. A company which might exclusively work through a local network could sense a slight performance shift more than say a company which might be connected between multiple offices and have all or part of its IT architecture off-site.
In our experience, the slightly slower performance when hosting is only a stumbling block for making the step into the cloud in a few exceptional cases. Our tip: see for yourself, test the performance of DocuWare Cloud 30 days free of charge with a DocuWare Cloud Trial.
Summary
DocuWare Cloud is the ECM concept for the future:
• Start-up with minimal IT
• Worry-free security
• Add features and users as needed
• Great savings
Somewhat slower performance is not a powerful argument against all these benefits. Especially because multi-location and networked workflows are playing an increasingly important role for many companies. ECM from the cloud offers optimal conditions for efficient processes and flexible, collaborative work.
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