Your Business & The Cloud

Getting your head in the cloud (continued)

As broadband penetration across the UK ramps up to universal coverage by 2012, as per Lord Stephen Carter’s Digital Britain whitepaper, the option to switch to cloud applications is becoming ever realistic. BT Business aims to provide everything from handsets to applications to help smaller firms work, share and manage common operational processes where ever they are including Ribbit for Salesforce which is designed to improve sales team productivity, eSignature and CRM systems salesforce.com, Netsuite and SugarCRM.

One of the major concerns for small business owners uploading information onto internet-based solutions, is data security. Brands such as SalesForce.com and NetSuite may already have traction amongst certain sectors of business, but they’re still growing their reputations. Coming together under the BT Business Applications brand however, cloud solutions have the vindication and backing of one of the most trusted telecommunications companies in the world. BT’s own eSignature technology also allows businesses to verify and sign documents digitally, streamlining the process and increasing efficiency, but without compromising on security.

At its core, the BT Business Applications offer a strong customer relationship management (CRM) presence, with SalesForce.com – one of the first $1bn cloud-exclusive business solutions – offering its CRM package, and SugarCRM, which offers a free 30-day trial for businesses. Sitting besides SalesForce.com as the second heavyweight of the BT Business Applications is NetSuite, which offers a unified business management solution that includes accounting, CRM, customer service, and sales force functionality.

Xero is the latest cloud application partnering with BT Business. Having recently launched its services in the UK (Xero is a New Zealand firm), the applications is accessible from any internet or mobile connection, and is aimed at helping businesses access, update, review and control their finances in the economic downturn anywhere, from any device. The simple, software-as-a-service (SaaS) package will provide customers with 24/7 secure online access to bank transactions, invoices, reports, VAT returns and management reporting.

For business owners tentative about getting their heads in the cloud, the BT Business Applications strategy certainly offers the reassurance that SaaS is fast becoming an alternative to traditional software solutions. It also forms part of a wider platform of unified communications BT Business is developing across the UK, taking in business mobility, a ‘work anywhere’ ethos, and online meeting capabilities, all of which aim to help reduce business costs.