Cloud-based technology has been on everyone’s mind lately. What is the cloud?  What are the benefits to rental stores? What are the disadvantages?

As savvy rental operators, you understand that rental is profitable. You purchase something for a certain dollar amount, earn the investment back after a number of rentals, and the rest goes straight to the bottom line.  Well, cloud software, also known as Software-as-a-Service, is essentially rental! For a monthly fee, you can use the software you’re licensed for.  But do you ever own it? No.

So what are the benefits of cloud-based rental software?  Just like purchasing equipment, purchasing software can often be expensive. The large capital investment is spread out over the life of the system to make it friendlier for cash flow.  Updates are automatic, which is both a blessing and a curse! Who among us has said to a friend “why’d they go and change that app? I liked it just the way it was!”  However, the newest releases address bugs and add features.  Expensive servers and IT personnel go away since it’s someone else’s job to maintain a server with your data on it.

What are the drawbacks of cloud-based rental software? A zippy internet connection is a must! If your store can’t connect reliably to the software, you can’t do business.  If you stop paying for your subscription, the software vanishes, along with your data.  And as rental operators know, you’ll pay far more renting software than if you own it outright!

Is there a combination that offers the benefits and eliminates the drawbacks? We’re so glad you asked!  Alert on the Cloud is not Software-as-a-Service, it’s essentially Hardware-as-a-Service. You purchase the Alert rental management software and own it forever. (Ask us about financing specials to achieve a low monthly payment!)  We load on a server located in our sophisticated, professionally managed, data center, and you connect to it. You’ve just eliminated the need for an IT person and a server, and the Alert software is still yours to own.

For more information on Alert, contact us at sales@alertms.com.