Cloud Based Automotive Business Workshop Software

Why is it important to have true cloud based software, and what really is cloud software?

In todays modern world, the power of computing is getting smaller and smaller, and more mobile by the day. Everyone carry’s around a powerful computer in their pocket and we have the expectation that we can get the info we want when we want it.

Cloud computing has evolved from this insatiable desire for us to have information at our fingertips and the need for information wherever we are in the world. Now we can be sitting in a boat in the Whitsundays and be hands on with our business. It also means that we can be productive anywhere, anytime. Imagine doing paperwork in the comfort of your lounge room instead of being stuck back at the office until all hours.

So what is a cloud application?

A true cloud application is a software program that is hosted on-line and runs through your internet browser. Some businesses claim to be cloud software, but really they are Windows applications being accessed over the internet. There is an important difference.

A cloud application is known as Software as a Service or SaaS, and is available to the user as a service, usually for a monthly fee, and is most often a self-service offering. This means that you can trail or purchase yourself via a website, and get the system up and running on your own without the need for a technician to install the program. That’s not to say that you may not receive, or indeed need, help, but that you are able to “install” and run the system yourself (self service).

There is no installation process, you can be up and running in an instant.

A true cloud system can also be run on virtually any device. The application should be “responsive”, which means it adjusts the display according to the device your using the application on. For example, you can use it just as effectively on an iPad as you can on a large screen desktop monitor, and the view will adjust accordingly (things will be in different places depending on your device. E.g. on an iPad, the service history might be below the vehicle details, while on a desktop monitor it will be beside the vehicle details).

What does the future hold?

Here at Workshop Software, we’re predicting that desktop software will, in the relative near future, not be used. All software will be online.

Think about how we operate today, most of our work is already moving online. We use accounting packages online (growing at an amazing rate). Most of us have our mail online now (e.g. Gmail), and if you don’t already, you should move to this simple platform. Our communication systems are online, we look up parts online, and big industry players, such as Repco have moved their systems online (e.g. Repco Navigator Pro, for more information on this check out https://workshopsoftware.com/repco-integration/).

We are also “playing” online. Social media, games, and other entertainment offerings are online.

In the not too distant future the argument for being online will be so compelling we will soon forget what it was like to be tied down to a computer at a desk. Even the laptop computer is being phased out, with smaller, simpler, more effective devices that will evolve to be mobile workstations.

It’s an exciting future out there, and you’d better be sure you’re business is aligned with an organisation that has the foresight to see what’s happening in the future, and has the capacity, vision, skill and dedication to change with the times.

If you’d like more info on Workshop Software, Australias only true Automotive SaaS offering, check out https://workshopsoftware.com/