Your Small Business Office in the Cloud

Working at Home

GoogleDocs; small business software

If making backups isn’t your strong point then online office applications make good sense because someone else takes care of backing up your data and storing it securely. They also take care of upgrades so you’ll always be working with the most up to date version of the software.

The Downside of Online Office Apps

Of course, the news isn’t all 100 percent wonderful. If you’re on a slow Internet connection then working online will be slow too, and you may find that online applications lack the advanced tools that you’re used to using in offline applications.

The companies that provide online office apps also provide security, storage and backups for your documents. Typically, that security is much better than an SMB could ever provide for itself, and it can be a real advantage.

However, it also means that your documents are on a computer that you don’t control; you’re reliant on others to maintain the service and operate it securely. This lack of direct control over your documents may preclude you from using online applications for sensitive work.

If the online service goes down, you’ll have no choice but to wait until it comes back up again. In addition, if the organization providing the service goes out of business then you’ll need to move your documents elsewhere — for this reason, it pays to choose a reputable company with a successful business history.

Must Read

Get the Free Newsletter!

Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends, and analysis.