Here at Jupix we’ve talked many times about the benefits of using property management software that’s based in the cloud, but whilst these benefits are doubtlessly important, there are also some other benefits that get hidden away.

These do not necessarily make or break the business case for switching to the cloud, but they are certainly worth considering as you ponder the move.

1. It’s greener
Most of us want to do our bit for the environment and make our businesses greener, and for agents (who are often driving around a lot) this can be really difficult. Using cloud software will help. That large server you have in the office, most likely accounts for a significant proportion of your electricity bill, but is also probably quite inefficient in its energy usage. Moving to the cloud not only reduces your energy consumption – hence greener AND lowering costs – but cloud hosting companies have a huge imperative to be more environmentally friendly. You won’t change the world yourself making this step, but collectively it makes a difference.

2. The opportunity cost of hardware
Growing businesses need capital – we don’t need to tell you that. But hardware (especially large-scale servers and data management systems) require big upfront investment that can often run in to tens of thousands. What is the opportunity cost of that? Or in other words, what else could you spend that money on? Moving to monthly costs instead of purchase costs frees up capital to invest in other areas of your business. Maybe it’s another member of staff, a new car to do visits in or even to open up new premises – whatever you want to spend that money on, it gives you a huge opportunity for your business to grow.

3. Better, faster, more reliable
How old is your in house hardware? Unless you’ve just bought it new, chances are it is at least a three or four years old. By switching to the cloud, you are going to be upgrading to their servers which – because it is the central part of their business – will be much more powerful and reliable than your own.

4. The latest version
At some point traditional software needs upgraded – newer versions are constantly being released and choosing when to update, how to migrate (and back up the old version) and how to pay for it can be a nightmare. When you use property management software that’s based in the cloud this issue goes away. Because it’s a subscription – not a one off purchase – you are buying into being on the newest version, so those arguments about whether it’s worth spending the money to upgrade are a thing of the past.

Whether it’s about cost effectiveness, time efficiencies or flexibility that really drives you towards using the cloud, it’s worth remembering these less obvious benefits, especially if you are not the only one you need to convince.