Some people think the concept of the cloud might be as difficult to grasp as a wisp of evaporated water floating through the sky. But we love to demystify technology - the more you understand, the more likely you are to embrace tech solutions that can increase the efficiency and profitability of your organization.
The fact is, you are probably already using cloud-based software. Over 1 billion people use Gmail, which is a cloud-based application. Gmail, like any other cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS), stores all of your information on remote servers so you can access it from anywhere. This is more reliable and secure than storing your personal data on vulnerable hardware - a laptop, desktop, or mobile device. Your messages are safely guarded in the cloud.
The value of cloud functionality goes well beyond email. In fact, there are many reasons you should consider moving all of your most vital business processes to cloud-based applications.
Security
A cloud provider has the full-time job of monitoring safety and performance, opposed to a company's internal IT department, which has to split attention between several areas. We have already covered in great detail the threat that any data loss poses to your organization's viability. Security is overlooked at your own risk.
A comprehensive Certification Management System (CMS) can offer advanced security options like two-factor authentication, along with the dedicated team of professionals that are constantly attuned to your site's needs.
Using a CMS managed, maintained and updated by an external provider, like ROC-P, can also help to insulate your credentialing organization from internal threats. Unfortunately, a large percentage of costly data theft is perpetrated internally, by employees. A CMS lets you carefully configure and monitor sensitive information, so that it is only available to the people who need it.
24/7 Availability
We live in a world of convenience. Don't limit your organization's generation of revenue to the hours that your doors are open. Especially if your certifying board caters to incredibly busy professionals, you have to be able to meet them where they are. If they can complete, register, and pay for continuing education credits - as an example - after normal business hours, through an automated system, your ability to generate revenue and the user experience have both been elevated in a snap.
Availability has equal benefits for board and staff workflows. People located in different time zones can work in the online application whenever it is most convenient, no matter what continent or time zone they are located in.
A cloud-based CMS is completely mobile, available across all electronic devices, and designed responsively so the functionality and design adapts to the technology used for access. You need functionality and the support that keeps your organization running 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Mitigate Liability
There's just less to worry about when your data is stored in the cloud. You don't have to worry about installing and maintaining a server. You will need less in-office IT support. You no longer need to worry about worst-case scenarios where a disastrous event negatively impacts your office and everything housed within it. Your certifying board and your data are safe in the cloud.
Data Integrity
A typical situation in certifying organizations is that four different staff members will store four different versions of an Excel spreadsheet or Access database on their individual computers. They all enter data as it comes to them, and then at some point there is a reckoning, as they all struggle to sync their data.
The cloud eliminates wasted time and opportunities for errors inherent in this "system."
When boards, staff, and the people they serve all access a single cloud-based CMS, the data is entered once and is instantly available to all relevant users for further manipulation or real-time reporting.
Future-Proofing
Off-the-shelf software may require a costly system update to install. And what if an update to one of the tools you have cobbled together for business solutions becomes incompatible with another? This concern is completely eliminated when you manage all data through a cloud-based SaaS. Updates are seamlessly incorporated into the online application without interrupting your day-to-day business.
Data Recovery
Storing your data offsite with a cloud-based service provider who executes continual reliable backups prevents an on-site error, malfunction, or attack from wiping out your most valuable asset - your data.
Whether you're interested in protecting your data, increasing your financial stability and generating new revenue, working more collaboratively with your board, staff and people, or require an additional level of support - and you should be VERY INTERESTED in all of those things - ROC-P is the cloud-based CMS that will simplify certification management for your organization. Contact ROC-P today!