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Originally Posted On: https://www.topmostblog.com/guide-choosing-software-partner-for-businesses/

 

Just 20 years ago, no one would believe you if you said the majority of businesses worked over the Internet. And yet here in 2023, approximately 94% of all enterprises run on cloud services.

However, that doesn’t mean that we’re out of the woods yet. The world of the Internet has made things far more convenient–and at the same time more risky and complex. For every business, choosing a software partner will be a critical decision for even base-level productivity solutions.

Not sure where to start? We are here to show you the ropes. Join us as we discuss what things to look for in any potential software partner.

Focus on Choosing a Software Partner With Regular Software Updates

Updates are annoying. They seem to come at the most inopportune times, forcing us to stop our work. In some cases, they can take many long minutes to complete.
This has led many–both in their personal and business lives–to ignore updates. We delay them as much as we possibly can. But it’s important to understand that this is a very poor security practice.

Why Updates Are So Important

Updates don’t just provide new, fancy features. Their primary purpose is to keep your devices safe and secure. Updates most often contain bug fixes and patches for security exploits.

Hackers love devices that are out of date. These devices have known software holes that they can leverage for their own benefit. In fact, many hackers will probe the Internet for out-of-date devices.

Security updates are the only way to patch these vulnerabilities. It’s for this reason that updates are so persistent. They often contain critical updates that you need to install ASAP.

Choose Options for Software Partners With Frequent Updates

Your business is particularly vulnerable to hackers. Hackers seek out businesses over individuals, since they have the biggest promise of financial payout. Many businesses these days suffer ransomware attacks that force them to pay millions.

So, only work with software partners that update their cloud management software on a regular basis. For example, BuildOps field service management. Any business that does not do monthly updates, at minimum, is one you should avoid.

Ease of Use and Convenience

Nothing is more frustrating than using unintuitive software. Everything, from door handles to cellphones, should require no explanation to use them. You should be able to figure them out by experimentation with minimal trouble.

The same goes for software. If your employees have to read a telephone book just to understand how to send an email, you should find another company.

This software should provide convenient features for everyday tasks. You want software that takes care of things for you, without you asking.

Software Features

A big problem in the business world is that there are too many options. This may sound like a good thing. Unfortunately, it’s not all that great when you have a dozen different types of software fragmenting all your tasks.

You have team collaboration messengers, inventory management software, word processors, and so on. This means employees have to shift between multiple applications at once. They have to learn each interface and split their focus.

This can quickly lead to a loss in productivity. So as you hunt down software partners, choose those that offer feature-rich programs. You want software that gives you an all-in-one experience.

From the same app, you should be able to manage most or all of your operations. Everything should integrate perfectly. The same information should be available across the board.

High Industry Trust and Good Reviews

Chances are you will be reading online reviews day and night before you make a purchasing decision. This is good, but make sure to check multiple review sites. Don’t just take the developer at their word.

Look for meta reviews, and reviews that go all the way back. Be wary of false reviews. Many developers have tried to buy out customer ratings, changing bad ones to good.
Consult with others in your industry. There is a good chance the software you’re looking at has a reputation behind it. You want to be sure that they don’t have any skeletons in their closet.

Look for testimonials if you can. Big businesses won’t put their names on the line for software that isn’t up to snuff.

Find a Good Price

Comparing software costs is an excellent way to lead to some unneeded budget anxiety. Software must have its own portion of the budget these days. The software sphere is highly competitive and runs on software-as-a-service models.

This means that everything has a subscription. Even entirely offline software may require a monthly licensing fee to operate. Add all of this up, and you may quickly discover how difficult it is to keep a budget.

For starters, don’t overspend. It’s easy to allow a company to lure you in with comprehensive software packages. You may see all these glitzy features and believe that you need every one of them.

Assess your true needs, and purchase software accordingly. Often, the bare-bones package is enough. You should only upgrade to more premium tiers if you absolutely need those features.

Finally, avoid businesses that lean too heavily into the software as a service model. It’s easy for big companies to lose sight of their goals. They offer exorbitant subscription models for software that doesn’t need it.

Find Your Software Partner Today

Choosing a software partner is easier said than done with so many options on the market. First and foremost, focus on convenient software that has consistent updates. Then find good reviews, plentiful software features, and reasonable pricing models.

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