The cloud is the new facet of business as it has made some radical innovations that can bring significant changes to your business. However, this trend has also brought in some common myths.
The legacy property management system is holding hoteliers back from reaching out to customers in time and also adding to the costs of operations. As the world is going online and travelers are getting more tech savvy, more and more hoteliers are increasingly opening up to exploring a modern day property management system like Cloud based property management system. (Read: Why Trust the Cloud to Manage Your Hospitality Business?)
Cloud computing can be a powerful tool in meeting fast changing business demands as the cloud provides you with benefits like – agility, flexibility and cost savings. Many big organizations have already made the switch to cloud and are reaping the benefits of it. But there are a few who still have apprehensions about the cloud technology.
Here are some of the most common myths about cloud-based services and we attempt to dispel them for you:
Why is cloud computing becoming a furor?
Cloud is not a new technology. Cloud computing has been around for many years and many big companies in the world are using cloud based services. A recent survey shows that “86% of companies are currently using more than one type of cloud services. Cloud is used in many apps and websites, from Facebook to Amazon to Reddit.”
If these multi-national companies are trusting and successfully using cloud then you can be assured of its safety and feasibility. Cloud based PMS uses one centralized system that gives access to multiple functions and hence is always in sync and easy to use unlike legacy property management system.
I feel cloud computing is not that secure!
Cloud computing is more secure that the legacy system as the legacy system has security limitations like the hotel system and important information about the guests can be accessed by multiple staff members, making the data prone to internal theft.
On the other hand, with SSL, Firewalls and Audit Trails, the cloud based systems come with built-in security at cloud infrastructure level that are offered by the cloud service providers. Every access is controlled and every action is audit locked.
It is always important to carefully select and review your cloud solution provider services before considering the product.
What about my data in cloud?
In cloud, real-time data backups are done in multiple servers and in multiple facilities and geographies. Even if one facility gets damaged, back-up servers will keep the data protected till the last second unlike legacy system where if the local system crashes, there is no way to retrieve your data.
Is cloud computing expensive?
Cloud computing is not expensive. You just pay for the monthly subscription. Cloud brings a drastic decrease on IT budget. The cost of infrastructure, upgrades and maintenance of software is borne by the cloud service providers and included in the monthly subscription fee.
With cloud, you don’t need wires, storage devices, virtual computers, servers, support and technological infrastructure. So you can considerably save a fortune on IT infrastructure. In other terms, it’s cheaper to use cloud based systems than investing in new software.
Cloud computing makes multi-property management complex!
Apart from the cost advantage that can get passed onto multiple properties in a multi-property group, cloud based systems bring in a lot of efficiencies between the member property and the central corporate office by keeping them always in sync in real-time on one centralized cloud platform.
On the other hand, with legacy property management systems, it gets expensive and difficult to sync the member property with the central corporate office in multi-property groups as the system is not on a single, centralized platform.
Cloud based PMS is definitely a game changer for your business as it has an easy to use interface, complex-free functionality, security for data and performs on basic internet connection.
Everyone is switching to cloud, have you made the switch yet? For more information, read our white paper on Legacy versus Cloud Based Property Management Systems.