These are relentless economic times. Not only for individuals, but also for businesses. By moving to the cloud, you will save enormous costs while continuing to make your business competitive for a long time to come. Read on to see why businesses are becoming so much more profitable in the cloud.

“There is a completely different dynamic in the retail trade that requires completely different systems. We could never bet so hard on e-commerce without a solid system at the bottom. Jørgen Olav Amundsen, Amundsen Sports.

Read more: Which ERP system is best for you?

Web-based ERP system is worth the investment!

Changing the system and structure in these times can seem risky. Many businesses are experiencing austerity, and several have a full halt on the investment front. But if your business is still working on the ground, a cloud-based solution is worth the investment even in these times. It's time to think long term, and the cloud will save you the amount of time and cost that an earth-based solution takes. Profitable businesses are turning to the cloud because it only has ongoing costs based on consumption. What's more, the cloud has continuous updates and gives you the insight you need to rig your business for growth.

Read more: The valuable insights you gain from ERP data

“The more time we free up, the more time we have to think about business. Jens Petter Reinertsen, Managing Director of Skarpe IT.

How to improve business profitability in the cloud?

What exactly is the reason why a cloud-based system saves you both time and cost so that you are more profitable?

Yes: With a cloud-based system, you pay nothing more than one monthly subscription fee that is based on the exact spend in the solution. That is, you only pay for what the employees use the solution for. Software, development, bug fixing, upgrade, operation, backup, security, technical support, training and documentation are included in a full package at a fixed priceIt all comes from one and the same supplier.

Any updates you need are also carried out by your provider so that your company always has the latest version. You will rarely experience downtime during maintenance as upgrades to cloud-based software usually happen daily and quickly weed out any bugs. That means you don't lose valuable core time in your system.

— Plus in the book for an open API! It was easy to pair the app with Visma Net. The only thing we do is take a look at the orders. Nothing manually. We rather spend our time on our customers -- because the system allows it. I know other wholesalers have similar solutions, but not everyone gets their orders straight in as sales orders. Socrates Kalderidis, Food Partner

Watch webinar: Financial management with Visma Net

ERP system's unique data insights make your business more profitable

In the cloud, your data is always up to date. It gives you unique insights that, in addition, give you a huge advantage over competitors who do not have equivalent access.

When your business is competitive, you also become more profitable. By working data-driven, you work in a concrete direction towards concrete goals rather than seeing and discussing. The numbers give you the answers you need to keep your business growing in the right direction. Should trends in the market change, you will quickly catch up with this as well.

As a business manager or CFO, you should not think of systems solely as an operating utility. It is also an invaluable information resource. For example, when you can check KPIs anytime, anywhere, you can constantly adjust and make changes to your strategy and goals. Here's how to always stay on the right course. All employees also have access to relevant information, which means that you will always work towards common goals.

“Our customers expect their financial statements to be up to date all the time. We must therefore understand the integrations in Visma.net and understand how they work. You no longer have to be strong professionally, you have to be strong on the technical side as well. Thomas Håvedal, Certified Public Accountant in Cloud Controller.

Profitable businesses never rest

The fact that you speed up your business by replacing routine tasks with automated systems does not mean that human labor is taken out of the math.

Rather, it means that the time you save will be used to provide personalized service and advice to your clients. We're talking a classic win—win situation! ‍

It will run on rails from A to Z. It's about us being able to spend our resources on the right things. It doesn't mean people have to go, but that we'll get a much better job done and we can spend time on what we're good at. Håkon Hanssen, General Manager of ByggTeam Hadsel AS.

Read more: That's why open API is so important for your business.

Investing requires change

Let's put it like it is: Changing from an earth-based to a cloud-based system is an investment that will require some effort from you and your company.

If you're going to take advantage of all the possibilities of a modern cloud system, you need more than small adjustments to your business routines. When investing in a new digital everyday life, it will require both the will and the ability to transform.

That being said -- all the effort will be more than worth it.