RoadMap: The Benefits of Web-Based Technology Products
Technology helps us get our work done faster. The problem is that technology is often expensive and it is very time consuming to select, acquire and install. Everyone who has been responsible for automating any business process has stories to tell about the long hours spent selecting the software, negotiating the contract and deploying the software only to find that the software did not provide all of the benefits promised by the software sales person. Or, we find that by the time the software is deployed, the needs of the business have changed and the software we are rolling-out does not meet our most pressing business needs.
Time to deployment must be reduced to solve either of these dilemmas. If we cannot get a technology solution deployed quickly, its value to the business is greatly diminished. Speed matters.
Web-based software products are changing the software paradigm. They are providing applications which allow small businesses and non-profits to compete with larger corporations. The software can be deployed in hours or days rather than the months and (sometimes) years it used to take to deploy traditional software solutions.
Google makes advertising instantly available to anyone, allowing small organizations to benefit from the same knowledge that was once only available to large corporations. You can place your first ad on Google in just an hour or two, rather than spending months working with ad agencies and publications.
eBay allows small businesses to sell quickly and competitively on the web. Your products can be posted for sale on eBay much more quickly than you can contact the local newspaper and design a print ad to run in the Sunday paper.
Apple's new popular iTunes and iPod tools allow small businesses to create audio and visual podcasts that can be deployed inexpensively over the web, rather than using expensive television and radio time. YouTube is another popular outlet for your audio and video webcasts.
eNewsletters are inexpensive alternatives to printed newsletters. Constant Contact and other eNewsletter vendors provide templates and tools to create professional newsletters. They also provide tools to easily manage your mailing list and provide statistics which allow you to determine how effectively your newsletter is reaching your audience. eNewsletters are much less expensive than traditional print newsletters because you usually pay based on the number of addresses on your mailing list. You no longer have printing and mailing costs, and you can send your eNewsletter to your entire mailing list with just a click of a button.
Web hosted applications have made complex software available to small organizations who could never afford these applications under the purchased software model. An organization can find a hosted application to meet almost any business need. The cost of web hosted software is usually tiered so that each organization can purchase just the amount of functionality it needs. Most web hosted software can be up and running within hours or days, and since it runs over the web, no additional computer hardware is needed.
New technology offerings are being added every day, and creative companies and individuals are developing new ways to deploy this new technology. Some tools, like those discussed above, have already proven their value. Others are too new and unproven to use for mission critical business needs. If you have questions about new technology that you are considering, please
contact us. We will be happy to help you make solid technology decisions to benefit your business.
