Posts for "Hosted / OnDemand / SaaS"

We’ve all heard the environmental benefits of "going green," but keeping our planet healthy isn't the only reason for brokerage firms to move to electronic documentation.There are significant benefits not just for your firm, but also for your customers. Did you know firms that use automated electronic processes see lower acquisition costs, increased sales and ongoing cost savings? And don’t take our word for it, a Forrester study proves it. But firms need a way to get signatures on important electronic documents. Digital signatures take care of that problem. Here are just some of the benefits of adopting digital signatures: Increased Revenue Increased Sales through Immediate ... READ MORE

Electronic signatures have gained momentum in businesses looking to reduce transaction costs and the time it takes to close business. But it’s not just about reducing paper costs anymore. Customers are demanding more advanced technologies from businesses in every industry. Once you’re sold on electronic signatures, you probably want to be able to get off the ground right away. Here’s some tips for how to adopt electronic signatures in 2013. Research Electronic Signature Vendors Picking an electronic signature vendor is a very important decision. The e-signature product doesn’t just need to be convenient. It also needs to produce documents that are legally valid ... READ MORE

The IT industry has gone from taking baby steps to giant strides forward in its adoption of cloud computing technology in a very short span of time. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is one of the cloud-based services that has earned widespread acceptance in the enterprise world; however, there are still a few pressing issues that need to be addressed before SaaS solutions can really be marketed as game-changers. Nearly 20 percent of SaaS deployments have failed to live up to their potential due to improper data integration. Business organizations often fail to undertake proper protocols to synergize their existing data with SaaS solutions, ... READ MORE

Like many other businesses, brokerage firms rely heavily on paper. But it doesn't have to be that way. Firms across the country are going paperless or reducing their paper waste, and you can too. The journey to becoming a paperless brokerage firm isn’t easy, but the benefits are completely worth it: More convenient transactions Better protection against fraud Less time spent filing and retrieving documents Less money spent on printing and mailing documents But before you start, you need to have the technologies to make the transition as smooth as possible. Here are the top three tools you’ll need: Digital Signatures Finding a digital signature product is key to getting rid ... READ MORE

Everybody is hearing Cloud Computing on the television now. Operators will store your contacts in the Cloud. Hosting companies will host your website in the Cloud. Others will store your photos in the Cloud. However, how do you make money with the Cloud? The first thing is to forget about infrastructure and virtualization. If you are thinking that in 2013, the world needs more IaaS providers then you haven’t seen what is currently on offer (Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Rackspace, Joyent, Verizon/Terramark, IBM, HP, etc.). So what are alternative strategies: Rocket Internet SaaS Cloning Your best hope is SaaS and PaaS. The best markets are non-English ... READ MORE

Adoption rates for Cloud computing and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions are rising despite some people’s concern over Cloud security. The fact is, security and protection of confidential business data should be a concern whether it resides on an in-house server or a Cloud environment. Moreover, server locations of companies are not necessarily better protected than the Cloud. In fact, reputable Cloud applications are usually far more safe because they have better means to protect, secure, and back up data than any small-to-medium company ever could in-house with an on-premise solution. The advantage of the Cloud is economies of scale. Have you ever ... READ MORE

Cloud ERP systems are getting a lot of attention these days. SaaS ERP vendors – such as Salesforce, Workday, Plex Systems and NetSuite – and other cloud providers are demonstrating revenue growth that most traditional ERP vendors aren’t seeing. In addition, many industry pundits already have their epitaphs prepared for the allegedly inevitable death of traditional ERP software as we know it. The Panorama team helps many clients implement ERP systems each year and we simply don’t see the need to start making funeral arrangements for the enterprise software industry as we know it – at least not yet. While smaller ... READ MORE

Salesforce.com’s stock climbed more than 170 percent in the past three years. And with a valuation reaching $24 billion and annual revenue of $2.8 billion, I’d say they’re doing something right. In this article we’ll explore the software as a service (Saas) business model that Salesforce.com uses and how you can apply aspects of it to help grow your business. But before dive in and explore three areas of the SaaS business model let’s first look at the most popular business models for software companies: Freeware Freeware (Ad Supported) One-Off Pay Up Front (Free Upgrades) One-Off Pay Up Front (Pay for Upgrades) Software as a Service (Recurring ... READ MORE

These days more and more business processes are moving into the cloud as the progress of technology and competition in the industry improve service and drive down costs. But what about software developers themselves? Are there benefits to them moving their work onto the cloud? Sacha Labourey, CEO and founder of CloudBees, says yes. In this interview he tells us how his company provides Java developers with all the tools they need for development as well as delivery. How did CloudBees get started? Was there a specific business need in the software development community that wasn't being addressed at the time? There ... READ MORE

The case for putting finance in the Cloud is strong. Take Intacct’s native, multi-tenant, software-as-a-service (SaaS) accounting package, for instance. It’s an enterprise-class system that provides anytime-anywhere access to financial data, unlimited flexibility, and pre-built integration with leading apps. Its multi-tenant architecture accommodates painless, rapid, and highly beneficial upgrades. Its SaaS model delivers predictable costs (no high, upfront capital expense) and the highest level of security and disaster recovery. Moreover, it automates manual, error-prone processes, eliminates spreadsheets, and allows infinite visibility to enable managers and executives to make better business decisions. If that isn’t enough, consider how an on-premise vs. Cloud ... READ MORE