Hosted Applications give your business the flexibility to both work anywhere and reduce IT spend

Business software is all about information sharing. Whether working on a document, book keeping, resource planning, or detailing customer relationships.

The established way of sharing information has been the use of file servers kept on the company’s site and software installed on users’ PCs. However, businesses are changing, with much more emphasis on remote or home working. Users tend to want to use different devices than the office PC, and want the ability to work while travelling. Advancements in computer technology has made this an easy reality.

What is hosting an app?

App hosting means companies can run business software on a service providers hardware rather than their own “on-premise” infrastructure. The app is accessed over the internet either through a small client application or via a web browser. The cloud nature of app hosting means they could be hosted anywhere.

Hosted Applications mimic the traditional office setup. Information can be shared using exactly the same applications. But, instead of being installed on a PC, the “Hosted Software” is installed on a cloud based server along with data and documents. Any Windows applications can be hosted. Everyday programs such as Microsoft Office or Sage accounts, as well as less common or even bespoke software.

To the person using a hosted application (sometimes called Remote Apps) they appear just as if they are installed on their computer. However, as they are installed on the cloud server instead any device can be used, including Macs, iPads, and Android tablets

A convenient, re-assuring way to pay

The other way business is changing is the preference for subscription based billing. Paying just for what you need when you need it. Hosted Applications from Your Office Anywhere are a shining example of this. Gone is the need to outlay vast amounts of capital on expensive hardware and software. Hosted Applications are paid for out of OPEX on a monthly basis starting at only £34.00 per user per month.

At Your Office Anywhere there are no contracts to tie you in; giving you the freedom to increase or decrease numbers as business dictates. The subscription also covers all the support, maintenance, backups, anti-virus, patches and updates. Hosted Applications require no IT skills on the part of the customer.

Using Hosted Applications for bespoke software

If you need to use a bespoke application or you are a software developer looking for a cost effective way for your customers to run your program then Hosted Applications are the answer. Sometimes the cost of buying new hardware for a particular application makes it a non-starter, especially if there’s a requirement for things like SQL Server. The subscription based model of Hosted Software spreads the cost and makes investing in new software much more affordable