Why businesses shouldn't keep their feet on the ground

One cloud solution, called OneBiz, is offered to businesses in a typical Software as a Service (SaaS) model. There is a monthly fee and businesses can decide with apps to use or skip as they go about the business day. Especially good for small businesses, whose small budgets can make purchasing a lot of software unfeasible, the portal allows a business to pick and choose which apps they need. As the business grows, more apps can be added on an as-needed basis.

"We were seeing many small businesses with consultancies across the country who needed a universal database for their workers," said Bob Dieterle, senior vice president and general manager with SmartOnline, OneBiz's parent company. "Now they have access to a single location for their business information. There is value for the business owner because you can see the prospecting the sales team, for example, is doing every day. You get a snapshot of who is productive and who isn't."

Dieterle said the sales and human resources apps are the leading apps thus far, as businesses try to get a handle on these two tough sections of their business. There are benefits for the employee, too. Take real estate agents, for example. Their business is based on making connections, calling prospects and other maintenance duties. The OneBiz solution can track and create calendars for the agents so that they are reminded when it's time to call a prospect.

"Even though [my company] is a small company, I can't keep up with all of my sales people every day," said Dieterle. "This platform gives me insight into how the business is performing, how productivity is and what employees are doing on a given day or at a given time."

The interface can be up and running in a matter of minutes. Businesses simply sign up, there is a free trial, and begin inputting their information. The platform grows from there as the business itself grows.

Tags: business software, cloud computing, OneBiz, SaaS, small business, SmartOnline