Still advantages for locally installed desktop softwares

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While software industry trend is obviously moving to online accessible applications, there are still advantages to locally installed softwares

Contents

Financial Benefits
Security Threats
Works Without An Internet Connection
Less Sudden Obscolescence Risk

About prodalist

Having installed desktop software offers many advantages over having cloud based software.

While cloud based software is growing in popularity, the truth is that In some scenarios you are much better off if you have actual installed software on your desktop computer.

Except in some financial smart tricks, this is true for both businesses as well as for individuals.

While you may have to pay more money up front for a fully installed software, the cost is well worth it when you take into account the benefits it will provide for you. In fact it’s almost always a much better move financially to simply pay for software you can download instead of having to pay a monthly subscription for it.

Not only will paying for software you install on your computer save you money in the long run, it also has a number of other advantages that makes it a better option for you.

Financial Benefits

If you are thinking about using a cloud based subscription service for software that you need because it seems like a better optional financially, take a moment before making a decision to think about the true cost of what you are buying.

When you do a subscription based service for your software needs you typically pay a small amount each month to have access to the software. This small number entices a lot of people to opt for this route. But the problem isn’t the small amount it costs each month, it’s the fact that you will literally be paying that amount for as long as you use the software. On the other hand installed desktop software that you purchase outright won’t continue to cost you money every month. Yest the up front cost is higher, but the long term cost will end up being much lower.

Security Threats

The internet has transformed the world in a myriad of beneficial ways. We now work and communicate in ways that people could not have even conceived of a generation ago. Unfortunately those many opportunities and benefits are accompanied by security risks that should be a major concern for anyone that has a computer. Malicious software can lock you out of your own computer and demand a ransom, it can steal your personal information, and it can cripple your computer as well. While this is problematic for everyone, if the machine in question happens to be a computer that is vital for the operation of a business, then the effects of malicious software will have even more of an impact.

This is where having installed desktop software can be so advantageous. When you don’t have to link up to a third party site -everytime- to get access to your software that’s just one less vulnerability that cyber criminals can exploit.

See man-in-the-middle or similar exploits

Works Without An Internet Connection

Another great reason to buy and install software instead of relying on a cloud service is that you don’t need to have an internet connection in order to access the software that you need.

This can be especially useful in the event that your internet service goes down, or if there is any other reason that you are forced to shut down your WiFi for any reason.

Depending on the software type, working without internet connection will be a great benefit while travelling in remote locations, train or plane, when you don’t have to drive & intend to work meanwhile.

Less Sudden Obscolescence Risk

Installed software does less expose your business to sudden obscolescence.

You have the software that you pay for, as your own project files, in hand.

In contrary, in a cloud based scenario, if your supplier disapears, not only will you not have the software anymore, but you will not get your own project files either. And for legal reason, that remote company will not tell you in advance before it’s too late.

Note on prodalist: furthermore, prodalist stores your initial datas in their original form (images, MS Excels™, tables, texts … ) that you can use with or without prodalist, now and later.

While we do also see some advantages to cloud based applications,

Think twice and resist to trend, particulary when the cloud based application aims only at simplifying the editor’s own work and costs -not yours-, so as brickwalling you within his solutions

About prodalist

Fot the time being, we chose to have prodalist as a traditionnal installed application.

we think that sales guys being able, on the road, to create or update catalogs for their next visit is a great benefit and part of the Agile marketing attitude. This is related to the “update full catalog in minutes” feature, a really confirmed plus.
catalogs by nature may be big -to very big- files, particularly if many pages, if intended for pro printing quality or if many full size background images. While that is usually no problem on a local destop (8 to 16 Go of RAM is so cheap nowadays), uploading all your images (frequently 100s of megs) and downloading the result can be a real pain when processed over the internet

As a main consequence and related to the software-to-install logic, we do regret that Mac™ graphists can not use prodalist so easily (requires Parrallels™ or equivalent virtual machine software)