Introduction:
I get this question all the time. What exactly is cloud computing sometimes called (software as a service or SAAS) and how does it apply to my campground and or rv park?
So I have put together a short list of the advantages of the cloud system and explaining exactly what it is. We have been in the cloud business for 7 years now and pretty well have it down to an art. We use the top of the line Amazon E3 Elastic Cloud Service. We started at a co-location server in Mississauga Ontario that guaranteed us %99.9999 up time. During our first year with the system went down 3 times. Once for a full day. We have the bruises to show for it. We quickly switched to the Amazon system.
What is the cloud?
Well it is big white thing in the sky. A weather phenomena. Just kidding. Cloud computing refers to your computer running at a different location (not at your campground ) and accessed through the internet. Only it is not your computer. It is owned by someone else. You just rent space and computing power on someone esle’s server computer. In our case it is Amazon.So your programs and data run on this computer away from your campground and/or RV park. As campgrounds are mostly based in rural locations where there are not a lot of computer hardware services it makes the cloud perfect for our industry.
Reason #1 – Your Local hard drive will crash
It is not if your locally hosted computer/hard drive will crash, it is when. Do you back up your server now? Do you back it up off site in case of a fire? In the case of cloud computing (or at least the Amazon service we use) we have full off site backup services built in. You don’t think the Amazon Cloud Computers don’t go down? They do. However they have built processes to switch your data to another server without you even knowing. You can’t argue with that level of service.
Reason #2 – Total Cost of Ownership is Less
Your computers no longer need to be networked together. No hubs, no local backup hardware, no networking software and most of all no local hardware guy to come make a house call and charge you. All you need is the be connected to the internet. We will make sure your local printers are hooked up and working.
Reason #3 – Accessible from any computer mobile device with an Internet connection.
You go south for the winter? You take reservations from your house in the evening of on weekends? Still want to take reservations in the off season? The cloud is the perfect solution. No more messy transferring data to a laptop computer from your local network at park level to take with you. Simple. We handle all the backups and do all the upgrades automatically when they become available.
Reason #4 – No large capital expenditure.
Cloud computing (SAAS) services are typically pay as you go, so there’s no need for capital expenditure at all. And because cloud computing is much faster to implement, campgrounds/rvparks have minimal project start-up costs and predictable ongoing operating expenses. The ROI (Return on Investment) is quicker and greater.
Conclusion:
Those are just 4 reasons. There are many more. Now it’s time to say goodbye to your locally hosted network and move to the cloud. Who better to do it for you than the people who are industry focused, with 7 years experience with cloud based computing and the best software package in the industry.
