How to Run Your Software? In-House vs. Online vs. Outsourced

Posted by TechShortcut under Technology
From http://www.techshortcut.com 5372 days ago

Solution options have virtually doubled thanks to Internet-based applications for virtually every type of traditional/in-house solution. For example, you can run Microsoft Word in-house or use Google Docs online. You can run Quickbooks locally or you can use NetSuite online.

While all the choices can be difficult to navigate, these options allow businesses more flexibility than ever before to meet business needs. But which option should a business choose?

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Comments

Written by ShawnHessinger
5372 days ago

I think one of the chief questions to be answered has to do with cost. In the case of Google and some other web-based apps if services are available free for small companies they allow a cheaper startup cost than buying a lot of software and having to deal with installation. If there is a cost, the choice is between a regular ongoing and possibly increasing expense vs. a one time investment and the need to upgrade at some point in the future. Which of these is a better idea will depend greatly on the kind of business and most likely every situation will be different.

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Written by TechShortcut
5359 days ago

Good comments Shawn. You are right on about the need to fully evaluate the costs and that each situation is different. Estimating the cost over a few years is crucial. I had a client that priced NetSuite and SAP BusinessOne and found that it would likely be cheaper for them to run BusinessOne in-house since they already had a few decent servers and they wanted to support quite a few users. However, the decision would have been different if they needed fewer users or had less infrastructure to work with. The type of application can also make a difference.

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