We all live in a digital world where technology gets obsolete really fast. It’s all about the cloud now, and the idea that all your data is safe and secure off-site, with 24/7 access, seals the deal for a lot of business owners transitioning from hosting their own servers to keeping everything in the cloud. Cloud technology has made its way into the world of point of sale systems, and many small businesses are choosing the mobility and simplicity of a cloud based POS system over a traditional Windows based POS system for the following reasons: Because it’s cloud based, you can easily integrate accounting software, gift cards, loyalty programs, rewards and other add-ons seamlessly. No other POS system is as friendly as a cloud based system. Integration has never been easier. If you want the newest technology to help run your business, you can’t go wrong with cloud computing. It has a smaller footprint, it runs in the cloud, your data is securely stored off-site, software updates are simple affairs and you can access your reports 24/7. Since all your data is stored in the cloud, you don’t have to worry about running out of storage space, theft, accidents and calamities ever again. All data is stored in multiple off-site servers that have 24/7 security and several layers of redundancy. Credit card providers such as Visa, Mastercard and Amex have also stated that they will shoulder all the costs incurred by a lost or stolen credit card, but only for merchants that use the latest in point of sale technology. So if you’re still stuck with an old cash register or even an old legacy system, the time to switch is now.

Cloud based POS systems come as SaaS (software as a service) models, with low monthly costs. Since the system is cloud based, software updates are automatically pushed and the system can update itself. You also won’t be locked in for a year and you can cancel at any time. Being online is the bread and butter of any cloud based point of sale system. But with the very best systems, you can work even while the internet’s down. Offline capabilities enable you to carry on and allow the system to sync data when you’re running back online.

When a Traditional Windows POS system gets hit with a virus or if the system crashes and gets corrupted, you can expect some downtime as the IT staff from the POS vendor fixes the problem. Everything will need to be checked to determine if it’s a hardware or a software issue, and with most issues involving a virus or data corruption, the whole set-up needs to be reinstalled. This is costly and very time consuming. Mobility allows you to manage your business from anywhere in the world with 24/7 access to all system reports.