Not everyone’s happy when software moves to the cloud

Art and design software maker Adobe announced recently it was moving its big product, Creative Suite to an all-cloud, subscription-based offering. Different pricing for different plans give users options, complete with the ability to get any and all software updates instantly.

A question mark and exclamation point.

Photo Credit: Horia Varlan via Compfight cc

However, as reported on Mashable.com earlier this year, not every user is happy with the newly named Adobe Creative Cloud. “Adobe is going all-in with its latest version of its software. This means that no future versions of the core products available in Adobe CC will be available through a perpetual license,” write Mashable reporter Christina Warren.

What does all of this have to do with contract management solutions? Unlike many of its competitors, Contract Assistant is not a cloud-based software as a services (SaaS) option. When you buy Contract Assistant, your organization owns the software, gets excellent support, as well as an easy upgrade path.

The client/server model may be bucking the trend, but consider the comments from Adobe users (as found in Mashable’s article) and you’ll see not all Adobe customers are happy about the SaaS model.

One commenter from the UK noted, “First not all areas have super fast broadband especially here in the UK or when travelling” and having to rely on an Internet connection “is a big security risk especially for confidential projects or stuff with NDA’s.”

Now, consider a situation like this: You’re traveling, and the only reliable connection at a conference is through a Wi-Fi, supplied by the venue. How secure is that connection?

Another commenter noted: “Internet connection can be an issue sometimes, and if we rely on cloud too much, what’s the point of having our Terabyte hard drives.”

Another wrote: “It’s all fun and games until your Internet connection goes down. Even in a metro area like New York, we experience frequent service interruptions.”

Proprietary purchasing (as you get with all versions of Contract Assistant) also ensures that your records remain under your company’s ownership at all times. And although it’s hard to imagine a worldwide juggernaut like Adobe going out of business, leaving SaaS users high and dry, can you say the same of all the vendors in the contract management solution market?

It’s something to consider seriously when you value keeping ultra sensitive information like contracts in house, safe and always accessible.

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