How to Improve Business Performance with Software Plus Services

Choice is paramount. Especially for your customers. Having two software selling options in today's unsteady economic environment is a huge advantage if you want to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Not only will it expose cost savings but greater operational efficiencies will be revealed. In the technology industry, it's called "software plus services."

Because of the low start-up costs, cloud computing stands out as a compelling choice for businesses; however, it's not for everyone. But a hybrid approach—such as software plus services that combines on-premise software with software as a service (SAAS)—might be a more realistic solution.

Let's take a look at some of the advantages of the software plus services approach:

Advantage No. 1: Flexibility

Online services and online software give your customers the option to explore new ways to handle their business needs. For instance, the Halloween store down the street has much higher sales in September and October than it does in February and March. Instead of purchasing additional servers to handle the load during the busy times (and sit idle during the slow times), the store can purchase additional server capacity for a fixed period of time, for a fraction of the cost of physical servers.

Advantage No. 2: More innovation

Access to the cloud allows companies the opportunity to create a richer and more diverse customer experience. For instance, there are Web applications available that allow organizations to share their data across several devices for a seamless, synchronized experience. Remote workers will also benefit from this arrangement because they will have easier access to information and realize faster results.

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