In recent years cloud computing has come to the forefront of the technological world, offering seemingly endless benefits and incentives for businesses of all sizes to jump on board. But, is it really as good as they say?
One of the major selling points of cloud computing is the supposed Cost-Efficiency, this however is only part true. For larger, sprawling companies the price definitely is cheaper but when you look at it through the eyes of an average small to medium sized company it’s easy to see the costs outweigh the benefits.
Another key feature that’s promoted is the Backup and Storage space, essentially all data and information, private and public is stored remotely somewhere outside of your business. Considering that in recent years private, and state funded organisations have been hammering away on the security barriers of many large companies such as Sony and adobe it might feel somewhat disheartening to see how feeble some of the industries largest companies can be infiltrated so easily. Now, what if said hackers want to target a cloud hosting company that they find out is storing some confidential information from any number of smaller organisations?
A worrying example that hackers can tap into pacemakers, computers in cars, your phone and your store’s system? For a cyber criminal it’s relatively straight forward for them to siphon off the sales you make in store, when a process for X amount of money syncs up to the cloud and back down again the money’s gone into their accounts, not yours.
The latter is also ignoring the potential for human or technical problems, such as a glitch or dysfunctional piece of software, line of code or account management. Perhaps even an engineer for these cloud based industries makes a small slip-up which costs your company to lose their user details, website information or even compromise bank details?
So, you will need to ask yourself, can I afford to take all the steps necessary to negate the risks involved with cloud computing storing all my information? If something does go wrong am I in a position that I can easily recover from? Large companies as previously stated can and do experience the benefits of using this system however it is yet to prove itself superior to the traditional approach for software solutions, particularly in your small to medium sized business.
OPUS Retail Solutions keeps all crucial information on site, the only time your system would ever be remotely accessed outside of your walls will be by us, on our securely set up service. No crucial information is leaked at any point thus keeping all your information securely locked away in your back office. To see an example simply visit the OPUS EPoS Software Suite
About Opus Retail Solutions
Opus Retail Solutions specialise in providing Retail, Wholesale, & Integrated e-Commerce Solutions through its Software suite Opus Retail Manager. The entire EPOS operation is managed from Opus’s Headquarters in Belfast, Northern Ireland, along with regional development and support offices in the UK. Opus has been developing software for over 30 years and was one of the first Windows based EPOS systems in 1997. Opus Retail Manager is hardware independent and we offer hardware depending on client requirements, policy or budget.
The key to Opus’s success lies with its ongoing investment in Research and Development and Training to keep our Software products and services and staff world class. Services range from specifying client requirements to providing custom modifications, system implementation, training with a special emphasis on after-sales support so our customers can get the most from their system. The Company invests c £100k pa in R&D to ensure it’s software remains world-class.
The entire Opus operation is managed from Opus’s Headquarters in Belfast, Northern Ireland, along with regional development and support offices in the UK and Russia. Opus has partners all over the world and currently ships the software in five languages. Please contact us if you would like to discuss a partnership.
Although our Retail Manager Software and services procedures have evolved over the years from DOS through Windows enabling us to stay ahead of the curve, our core objective is still to provide innovative, best in breed, easy to use and robust EPoS solutions, no matter what the industry, the size or the individual need.
