Cloud CRM
Cloud CRM
Today, customer relationship management (CRM) software is a
must-have for companies that want to keep in touch with their
clients and Cloud CRM is fast becoming a popular way to setup your
CRM system. The majority of the crm solutions on the market
have both an on-premise option as well as a cloud crm option, an
example of a major crm solution is Microsoft CRM which offers both
on premise and a cloud crm offering. Basically the cloud crm
solution is the same version however it is conveniently hosted
which provides a range of benefits to companies.
Cloud CRM continues to dominate the IT narrative. At the most
basic definition, cloud CRM delivers fast access to computing
resources without investing in and maintaining infrastructure. In
many cases, cloud CRM reduce staff training and simplify the
labyrinth of software licensing.
An example on how datacentres manage the
cloud.
This movement toward cloud CRM is driven by the promise of
benefits for businesses, and also for the environment: For
businesses, cloud CRM promises new economic benefits:
- Better control over budgets,
- Eliminating the need to run and maintain large, costly
datacentres.
The cloud can also power business innovation. Combining improved
access to information with tremendous processing power opens the
door to new business models, new markets, and new categories of
customer experiences. For the environment, cloud computing has the
potential to significantly reduce the energy use and carbon
footprint associated with running business applications. Economic,
operating, and environmental benefits of cloud computing have
shifted the discussion from "whether or not" to "what's the best
solution for my business?"
Cloud CRM Options
Each business has different IT and CRM demands so there are a
number of Cloud options that you can choose from to tailor your crm
system. The 4 main cloud options for CRM include;
- Public cloud solutions
- Private cloud solutions
- Partner cloud solutions together with certified partners of the
CRM solution.
- Hybrid on-premises and online solutions
The majority of Cloud CRM systems are typically held on a Public
Cloud. A public cloud represents computing resources that are
hosted by an external service provider, but shared with other
organizations (multi-tenant). The service provided in a public
cloud is consistent across all customers as the service provider
manages the infrastructure and pools resources to meet any
customer's requirements. CRM data in a public cloud is not
co-mingled in the sense that one customer can see another
customer's data; each company's information is secure and separate.
Public clouds typically charge a subscription, pay-as-you-go usage
fee. An example of a public cloud crm service is Microsoft's
online version.
Cloud CRM Features
The features found in the major cloud CRM systems are very similar
to their on premise versions. As with most CRM systems the main
benefits are in sales, marketing and customer's service. An example
of the main features in Microsoft CRM online version is shown
below
- Sales-full lead to cash visibility, lead and opportunity
tracking, streamlined approvals, and real-time sales
forecasts.
- Marketing-flexible segmentation tools, simplified campaign
management capabilities, intuitive response tracking, and
insightful analytics.
- Customer Service-tools that simplify case management,
streamline escalations, improve knowledge sharing, and enable more
effective account management.
- Extended CRM-a flexible framework that helps organizations
create custom business applications and industry solutions.
Cloud CRM Security
One of the main reasons in the past that companies were unsure of
using a cloud crm system was because their worries about
security. Computing in the cloud raises questions about
security, data protection, privacy, and data ownership. A lot has
been done over the years and it's probably true to say that cloud
crm is probably more secure and robust than using one of your own
company's servers. Many of the major cloud crm providers have
strict security policies that provide a great platform to secure
your customer data. An example of the steps taken by
Microsoft to make sure its cloud crm data is secure is detailed
below.
Microsoft CRM for the Cloud has applied state-of-the-art
technology, culture, and processes to maintain consistent and
reliable access, security, and privacy for every user. Microsoft
Dynamics CRM Cloud has built-in capabilities for compliance with a
wide range of regulations and privacy mandates. These capabilities
are regularly scrutinized, assessed, and audited to ensure the
highest security and privacy standards are maintained. They have
developed our offerings around the following core principles:
- Microsoft tells you where your data is and you are the owner of
your data.
- Microsoft will never use the data housed in the Microsoft cloud
for data mining purposes.
- Microsoft Online Services are certified ISO 27001, SAS 70, and
EU Safe Harbor Framework.3
When transferring data, Microsoft follows applicable laws, and
in the EU, that includes transferring data only in accordance with
EU Safe Harbor provisions. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online
application and website are continuously monitored for reliability
and performance. The Operations group monitors the network for
security vulnerabilities and intrusion using monitoring and
detection systems on an uninterrupted, around-the-clock basis.
Monitoring tools route any issues, warnings, and problems directly
to service engineers.
The service has multiple layers of monitoring in place. The
infrastructure/platform layer is monitored using Microsoft System
center Operations Manager (SCOM). SCOM monitors for events related
to provisioning, service failures, and threshold attainment (such
as memory consumption). Transaction monitoring to simulate critical
customer scenarios is accomplished with a third-party monitoring
solution. This third-party solution monitors for events related to
the CRM portal, trial sign-up, application sign-in, and
availability.
Cloud CRM Backup and Recovery
An important area to consider when using cloud crm is that there
is a process from the provider to ensure backup and recovery. As a
precaution against catastrophic failure of multiple systems many of
the main cloud crm providers provide full data backup to tape is
done on a daily basis.