IT Solutions, Marketing, Payment Processing
How Cloud-Based Technology Can Help Your Restaurant
You understanding of cloud-based technology might be, well, a little cloudy. And that’s understandable. If you’re not a techie, you might not grasp the nitty-gritty of cloud-based technology. It’s not as tough to comprehend this technology as you might think, though.
For a restaurant, a cloud-based point-of-sale system can be an important component of day-to-day operations. Yet you may not realize just how valuable a cloud-based POS could be to your business.
What Is Cloud-Based POS?
A cloud-based POS stores data on remote computer servers. By contrast, a legacy POS stores data on local computer servers. For a restaurant, one key benefit of a cloud-based POS is that it enables mobile phones and tablets to be used for POS transactions.
Why Should You Move From Server-Based to Cloud-Based Technology?
Switching from a server-based to a cloud-based POS provides several advantages. Here are eight of them.
- To get started, you don’t need to install any software. The vendor takes care of that on their end.
- Vendors of cloud-based technology handle required software updates, meaning you can spend more time preparing food and serving customers.
- Data backups are automatic.
- As long as you have internet access, you can access cloud-based data from anywhere (not just your restaurant).
- As your business grows, a cloud-based POS can easily grow with you. Because of the equipment that must be installed, expanding a legacy POS is much more time- and labor-intensive.
- Your data won’t vanish. That’s because it’s safely stored in the “cloud.” The same can’t be said for a legacy POS. If a legacy computer crashes, your data could be wiped out.
- Tech expertise isn’t required on your part. Your technology vendor should be able to resolve any problems that pop up with a cloud-based POS.
- Cloud-based POS makes it faster and easier for customers to pay their tabs.
Myths About Cloud-Based Technology
Cloud-based technology can make it easier to run your restaurant’s POS. But you may have heard some misinformation about closed-based technology that gives you doubts. Here, we bust some of the myths about cloud-based technology.
- Moving data to a cloud-based system is complicated. Actually, a reliable vendor can easily and quickly migrate data from a legacy system to a cloud-based system.
- Cloud storage is not secure. That’s wrong. Cloud-based systems offer robust security. In fact, offsite cloud-based servers typically are a lot more secure than legacy technology at your restaurant ever could be.
- Cloud data can be seen by everyone. In fact, your restaurant’s cloud-based data likely is private. If that’s the case, everything involved with your cloud-based POS, including the vendor’s hardware, is dedicated solely to your restaurant.
- Cloud computing is more expensive than legacy computing. In many cases, a cloud-based POS can cost less than a legacy POS.
- Cloud-based technology is a fad. This technology has been around for years, and it’s not going anywhere. In a 2020 survey released by the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, 84% of small business owners reported that cloud computing services were essential to their business operations.
Cloud computing can not only help small businesses “navigate the current climate,” but it also “can position them for success in a digital-first future,” according to Salesforce, a cloud-based sales platform. “And this potential future looks to be radically empowering for small businesses that think big — if they’re prepared to seize it.”