Desktop versus Online software

For small operators one of the biggest issues is how to manage the paper work for the business.

Whether it be any of the following:

• Emails
• Brochures
• Accounts
• Bookings
• Rates
• or any other data

These all have different software which can assist in keeping track of all these.

Now the problem is what is the best software?

Will there is software from Microsoft and accounting software like MYOB but the big problem is they are tied to your desktop.

• What happens when you are away and you need to access these.
  
• How can you only share the documents you want and keep others secure

What are the alternaltives?

• What not try Open source software such as Open Office - this is an excellent product and is very simple to use. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Microsoft Office but do you really need them?
  
• What about Google Docs? A great way to share your documents and access them securely. Better still why not check out Google Apps The free version allows you to share data within your group, have an online calendar, access gmail and more all from a secure login. The paid version even offers back up deleted emails for 90 days by the adminstrator.
  
• For accounting why not check out Saasu - Software as a Service - keep all your accounts securely online. Manage overdue accounts and if you ever have a tax audit then all records are readily accessible.

The real advantages of using online options are:

• Accessible anywhere in the world
  
• Simpler to share access with other users
• Often better backup and more secure e.g. Saasu back up their servers and also store a back up in another location - but always check the back up policy of online services
• No upgrading of software required - it automatically happens

The main disadvantages are:

• If you don't have internet access then you can't access the service.
• A slow internet connection will make the software feel clunky and awkward to use.

What you can do though is decide for example to use gmail and also download your email to your pc, you might run google docs but download documents on a regular basis or work locally on your PC with open office then load the documents into google docs for future use.

As you can see there is no right or wrong answer just what works for you.

One thing to remember is check out reviews of software. Remember price doesn't tell you anything about how good the software is - it only tells you how much money the software provider wants for the product.

Why not use the comments section and tell us of your favourite software