The hospitality industry continues to undergo changes as consumers’ needs and expectations develop. One area that many hospitality providers lag in, however, is in their use of modern technology. According to IT support experts in Southern California, many hospitality providers depend on legacy systems and on-site hardware. Two technology trends are making an impact, however: Software as a Service and the Cloud.
Software as a service (SaaS) and the cloud go hand in hand. The cloud model provides a common interface for users as well as a central place for data storage and retrieval. Providing software through the cloud as a service allows hotels to access information easily and to scale their operations as needed.
The Benefits for Hospitality to Migrate to the Cloud/SaaS Model
Moving away from legacy systems can be a challenge for larger hospitality providers. That’s why smaller operations are leading the way in this migration. According to IT support experts in Southern California, their experience shows why the Cloud/SaaS model is the trend to follow.
Cost Savings
Building and maintaining custom in-house systems are expensive. It requires upfront investments in capital and man-hours, plus ongoing maintenance costs. Using off-the-shelf SaaS software, even with customization, is a more cost-effective solution. The hotel pays only for the storage and computing power it uses.
Ease of Maintenance
Maintaining a legacy system requires ongoing work and support. Software patches and updates are a given. However, there is also the need to maintain the hardware and network. With SaaS from a managed IT services provider in Southern California, most of that maintenance goes away. The provider handles software and hardware maintenance.
Fast Implementation
Adding a new user can be an administrative headache in legacy systems. Bringing on an entirely new site, with multiple users, brand-new hardware, and a custom site configuration can be a true nightmare. With an off-the-shelf SaaS solution, a lot of that pain is left behind. Even with site customization, the deployment happens quickly with minimal hardware and network deployment.
Ease of Use
Legacy systems are often tied to a particular computer in a physical location. There is no easy way to access the system from anywhere else. With SaaS and the Cloud, that’s flipped upside down. Everything is kept central with easy access via authorized devices and users.
These benefits demonstrate why hospitality needs to start leaving behind legacy systems and moving to the SaaS/cloud model. Of course, doing it is more difficult than just talking about it. That’s why you need an experienced partner to help you with planning and implementation. Contact us at ecasys Corporation today — we are the IT support experts that Southern California hospitality businesses know they can rely on.
