Today, everyone can choose from a variety of business tools, such as CRM, ERP, BI, various services for digital marketing, account management, etc. However, pricing and payment issues are common to all commercial programs – after all, you cannot make a good business with a trial period or a free minimum. And here you need to understand a few simple concepts that will greatly facilitate your choice and ensure the most effective work with absolutely any software. Let’s learn how to do this in a substantive way.
Where is your system located?
To put that into perspective, we will take Bitrix24, a set of tools for business, in which the creators have gradually planted almost everything necessary for a modern business. Our IT company Avivi has been implementing this product since 2012.
The first thing you need to know about business tools is that you can use them online or in the cloud by subscription or by buying a licensed copy. In the first case, you have to pay according to some formula given the necessary parameters of “number of users” and “duration”. In the second case, you acquire the right to use the intellectual property of the developer company for an unlimited amount of time. Such IT solutions are called “on-premise”. After all, you buy the program only once to use it on your server for thousands of years without additional payments.
The Bitrix24 case is as follows:
- free cloud plan – a shortened version of almost all the functions for an unlimited number of users;
- commercial bitrix24 cloud plans that are different in terms of functions where the payment formula looks like this: “maximum number of users” x “period of time”;
- several self-hosted plans with a different fixed number of users but an infinite period of use.
It should be noted that the on-premise edition requires a personal or rented server. And if you have such a resource, this is a huge advantage that plays into your hands.
Need for Improvements
The second important parameter of software selection is the need to improve the existing functions. If everything is fine in your software but there are a few minor nuances, this can be solved via integrations. If you need functions that are not included in the selected set of tools and that most likely will not be introduced, then you cannot work without custom development.
Using the Bitrix24 case, we can say that any cloud service is difficult to modify since the administrative panel is located in the developer company. Even if you create the necessary solution, it will be challenging to implement it in the cloud and problematic to maintain or upgrade it.
The on-premise version is the ultimate dream for every developer. Since you own the copy, you can use it in any chosen way. This process is called customization and enables you to add completely different functions to the software used and perhaps not even provided by the vendor from the very start. The main thing is to get a partner for the right service since developers mostly do not undertake individual client projects but provide such development to their trusted companies.
Conclusions
If everything that the online subscription business service offers meets all your requirements, you do not need to look for alternative options, such as on-premise edition. Indeed, the local version will always be ready for customization, but its support and maintenance will also be your responsibility. Find a reasonable balance for your business and take advantage of all available innovations of our time.