- Security: Every day we hear about a cloud- based system being hacked. No-one seems to be safe. The IRS was hacked; the entire government personnel system was hacked; Target Drug, TJ Maxx, Blue Cross and Blue Shield were all hacked. These organizations spend billions of dollars to protect their records. They all learned the hard way. Put it on the web and you risk losing it. Your average cloud-based provider can’t afford the kind of security these big organizations had. How secure do you think your data really is in the cloud?
- Ownership of the data: When you put your business into the hands of a cloud provider, all of your data is in their possession. You can access it, as long as you continue to pay. Miss a payment and you are out of business along with your customer history until it gets resolved.
- Switching systems: We hear it all the time. People have bought into a cloud-based office or mobile software app and are now unhappy, and want to change. Unfortunately, most can’t get their data out. Effectively they are locked into their monthly fee, unless they are willing to go cold turkey without their history.
- Your business depends on the internet. When it is down, so is your service business.
- Mobile security: Most cloud-based applications use a mobile solution that gives your techs access to your data. Password protection helps, but passwords tend to get passed around the office. It isn’t uncommon for technicians to raid the bosses’ customers and start their own business.
