When deciding whether to invest in a project management solution, you may have to choose between a hosted solution or Software as a Service, and an installed or on premise solution. Here are the things you might want to consider:
Reasons to go with a SaaS project management software solution:
-Your IT team is too busy with other initiatives and it will take too long to get the project software installed.
-Your company is relatively small and you do not have a dedicated IT team.
-Your IT team only knows Linux and the software you selected is .NET based.
-Your capital budget was just slashed and you do not have the funds for an upfront license.
-You want to get started tomorrow!
Reasons to go with an installed project management system:
-Your company's corporate policy will not allow you to use a hosted provider.
-Your company is averse to monthly fees and prefers to pay a little more upfront.
-You have a strong IT team with confirmed back up procedures and disaster recovery planes.
If you do decide to go with an installed solution, be sure to consider the strength of your resources first. It is not simply a matter of purchasing systems software and database software. Your IT team should know how to install systems software and databases, as well as know how to perform routine back ups of the database. They should know how to maintain network connectivity and support SMTP connections. If security is important to your project team, then make sure your IT team has considered whether to use an SSL (secure socket layer). Your IT resource should decide whether to put the database and web server on separate servers or put them on the same server.
If you are not confident that your IT resources or team can perform these basic functions, then you should select a hosted solution. Your project software will be available 24/7 with a full team supporting the uptime and back up procedures.
To find out why Project Insight, web-based project management software, is the #1 choice of savvy project managers, take the online product tour.
Cynthia West
Vice President, Project Insight