Posted on 06.29.11

Ten Resources for Migrating Your Business to the Cloud

by Tim Frick

If you’re wondering how to take advantage of the many cloud-based services out there, we have some ideas.

There’s much ado about cloud computing these days. Apple’s iCloud is just around the corner (okay, well, if by corner you mean ‘this Fall’) and promises dozens of features to help you access and manage content across devices. New SaaS apps are being released on a near daily basis. The topic even made Time magazine so you know it’s an idea whose mainstream time has come. So how do you take advantage of all these emerging resources?

If, like Mightybytes, your business has teams comprised of on and off-site workers the benefits of cloud-based services can be very convenient. Having important data at your team’s fingertips no matter their location helps everyone work more efficiently and streamlines the time it takes to get tasks done. Plus, many services offer either specific smartphone apps or mobile-friendly interfaces that offer access to critical business data on-the-go as well. They often have APIs as well, allowing further data customization to suit unique or specific business needs. For many small businesses, these services are cost-effective, convenient, and come with the peace of mind that your data is safe and easily accessible.

At Mightybytes we have been using several cloud-based services—Emma, Basecamp, Google Docs—for years now. In the past year or so we have migrated additional business functions—accounting, time tracking, proposals—into the cloud as well. Here are some of our favorite cloud-based resources. This is by no means a comprehensive resource—the cloud is, after all, a big place—but it consists of the services we have found most useful.

Harvest

Harvest’s robust project reporting and easy-to-use time tracking features give our teams instant access to critical project data, helping designers, developers, and project managers keep deadlines and budgets on track. Reports can be generated any time with up-to-the-minute data and are presented with visually appealing bar graphs and pie charts. For data manglers and integration with non web-based tools such as Quickbooks, data can also be exported to a variety of standard formats. Invoicing and expense tracking is also included. Plus, the company’s Twitter-based customer service is top notch!

• PROS: Great time-tracking and reporting features, mobile app, awesome tech support via Twitter.
• CONS: Quickbooks export only supports certain features.
• INTEGRATES WITH: Basecamp, Highrise, Quickbooks, and dozens of others.

PassPack

It’s a simple concept—save passwords, serial numbers, and other small snippets of critical data in a secure online vault—yet the convenience of this online service can have a profound business impact when team members are in multiple locations. Before PassPack, we wrestled with a variety of options for saving this data in a central location that was easily accessible but also secure. Most (but not all) of us like the multiple levels of security that PassPack offers with user names, passwords, pass-phrases, and the requirement for clicking on a black box to prove you are actually human. The service also offers one-click log-in and a convenient ‘PassPack It!’ browser button that allows you to quickly add site log-ins to your account without manual entry. There is a desktop version built with Adobe Air as well.

Account sharing is convenient as well. Individual accounts can access all the Mightybytes passwords as long as the master Mightybytes account has shared their data with the individual. This sharing can be rescinded as necessary. Account data can also be imported, exported, backed up, restored, etc.

• PROS: Secure, searchable central location of critical passwords and business data.
• CONS: Can sometimes be tricky to log into due to multiple security levels.
• INTEGRATES WITH: Any website via convenient browser button.

Dropbox

Despite their recent security mishap, Dropbox is an easy-to-use resource for sharing files, documents, media, and other data across multiple computers in multiple locations. Stacy and I managed the entire process of researching, writing, editing, and building an image library for Return on Engagement using Dropbox and team members spread across Michigan, Illinois, North Carolina and Missouri.

We have run into a couple things that have required workarounds in the past:

• Since account storage is priced by amount of server space, sharing large files can max out a recipient’s account, causing a file to not sync on a machine without the proper amount of account storage.
• If the owner of a file deletes said file on his or her machine it is also deleted on all machines with which it was shared, so be mindful of the files you own and on whose computer those reside. Depending on the type of account you have, the deleted file could be found on the Dropbox server.

Though I use Dropbox personally and find it a great solution for sharing large files with clients and video editors we work with, Mightybytes chose not to use it for our server-based client project files for the above reasons.

• PROS: System-level access to shared files with an easy-to-use and understand web interface.
• CONS: File management can sometimes be a bit tricky.
• INTEGRATES WITH: Any Windows or Mac computer plus iPhone/iPad, Android, and Blackberry.

Proposable

There are several cloud-based tools available for managing the proposal creation process. iQuote Express, Quotegine, and Quote Roller are just a few online tools that allow you to take the proposal creation process online. These products offer workflow management with varying sets of features and functions to streamline the process of generating proposals for clients.

We chose Proposable for its slick interface, price point, robust analytics and comments system, integration with Highrise, and ability to brand proposals with custom visual elements. Our favorite new feature (originally suggested to the Proposable team by Bill): once clients have accepted a proposal in Proposable, the corresponding deal in Highrise (auto-created when you deliver the proposal) gets marked as ‘won’. Slick.

Our next most requested feature: line item integration with Harvest. It would be awesome if service categories in Harvest could be fed into Proposable as line items. When a proposal is accepted the project is created in Harvest, complete with line items. And while we’re at it, auto-creation of a project in Basecamp might not be bad either.

We have found the template creation process in Proposable to be a bit buggy. We lost data on several occasions during saves and found formatting inconsistencies with fonts, line items, and other proposal elements. However, their customer service has been both personal and timely. Since Proposable is a new service I’m willing to stick with them a bit longer while they iron the kinks out. The app shows a lot of promise.

• PROS: Slick interface, many customization options.
• CONS: Have experienced several formatting glitches that have resulted in lost data.
• INTEGRATES WITH: Highrise and Salesforce.com.

Wufoo

Adding forms to your website has likely never been easier than it is with Wufoo. The service’s form creation interface is intuitive, feature-rich, and contains all the tools you need to get up and running with custom forms on your site in no time. Tai and I were both suitably impressed with how easy Wufoo was to use, customize, skin, and embed forms into the Mightybytes site.

The service also integrates with numerous online web services, including SalesForce, Freshbooks, Highrise, MailChimp, and others. Several commerce engines, such as PayPal, Google Checkout, and Authorize.net are supported as well, making it a snap to create simple web-based payment forms. It also includes robust analytics data and handy tools for generating reports from form data. For web typography fans, there are now over 150 fonts built into Wufoo and the service offers Typekit integration as well.

• PROS: Super intuitive interface, robust theming and customization, integration with e-commerce platforms, field mapping in Highrise.
• CONS: Haven’t really found any yet!
• INTEGRATES WITH: Highrise, Freshbooks, MailChimp, Paypal, and many others. Also Drupal through a module aptly called Drufoo.

Basecamp

37 Signals’ flagship product Basecamp was released in 2004 and is used by project managers everywhere. Mightybytes uses it to manage the approval and feedback process of project deliverables as well as keep schedules on track. It is robust, mature software that really works.

37 Signals’ customer service is pretty impressive as well. Our team attended a one-on-one training session not long ago (well, it was really more five-on-one since so many of our own team attended) down at the 37Signals HQ and it was extremely helpful. Ann walked us through all the company’s products and then answered any of our specific questions on Basecamp and Highrise, which are the two products of theirs that we use. We all walked away with at least one ‘a-ha!’ moment.

Just two things to note:

• The recent release of a calendar in Basecamp is a very welcome addition (and maybe a bit overdue). This was one of the initial reasons we originally put off migrating to Basecamp several years ago. Glad it’s there now!
• The fact that you can’t migrate data easily from Highrise during the sales process to Basecamp for project management is a critical missing workflow component (and the source of many comments from frustrated users on the 37 Signals blog). You can import won deals from Highrise into Harvest, but not into Basecamp. Crazy oversight (in my humble opinion).

• PROS: Mature software with clean, intuitive interface.
• CONS: Some mission-critical features missing.
• INTEGRATES WITH: Dozens of third party tools. View their Extras Page for a complete list.

Highrise

Mightybytes assessed a ton of online CRM solutions as well as those that could be installed on our own servers, such as Sugar CRM. Highrise was the clear winner for its ease-of-use, flexibility, and integration with dozens of third party products. It is that third party integration that provides us with the most value. Our Highrise account integrates with Harvest, Proposable, Wufoo, OneSaaS, and Gmail. We have been eyeing a few others as well.

Its dropbox function provides an easy conduit to get email content into your Highrise account. Simply bcc or forward your email to your account’s unique dropbox address and it will be imported. Tasks can be managed this way as well. You can also add tags via email as well.

• PROS: Easy to use and integrate with other SaaS apps.
• CONS: Um, no direct Basecamp integration. Boo!
• INTEGRATES WITH: Dozens of third party tools. View the Highrise Extras page for a complete list.

Emma

While there are many email service providers on the market, we have long been fans of Emma’s subscription-based online service because of its friendly interface and great customer service. We are big enough fans, in fact, that we decided to become a reseller of the service just last month.

The crew at Emma is hard at work overhauling their API to meet REST-based standards, so with any luck the number of third party tools that allow small businesses to integrate their business data with that which resides in Emma’s database will likely increase greatly in coming months. It would be great to see integration with Highrise, Wufoo, and any number of other web services.

By the way, Emma was just included in Inc. Magazine’s Winning Workplaces list. Congratulations, Emma!

• PROS: Great interface, excellent customer service, robust analytics.
• CONS: Third party integration could use some work.
• INTEGRATES WITH: Expression Engine CMS contact forms through a third party extension.

Cloud Syncs

Feature and data parity between these services becomes more necessary the more of these tools that you use. Ensuring a smooth admin workflow and integration of data when ushering customers from one step in your process to the next is essential to maintaining good customer relationships. The second any of these tools fails to import data properly or don’t support a specific web app you lose precious time, money, and perhaps most importantly, customer perception that you are an efficient operation.

Several companies offer services to help sync data between all these cloud-based applications. These tools take advantage of individual services’ APIs to ensure customer, project and business data are synced across your workflow from product to product.

Cloud HQ

Cloud HQ offers online synchronization and backup of files between Google Docs, Basecamp, SugarSync, and Dropbox, giving you the ability to share documents between applications and ensure all are up-to-date and synced with one another. Syncing can take up to two hours but the the Cloud HQ team is working toward real-time sync. File backup happens automatically every seven days once you configure the software.

OneSaas

This cloud integration platform is designed to get all the popular SaaS products to play nice in the sandbox together. It supports a wide array of integrations, including Freshbooks, Harvest, LinkedIn, Highrise, Salesforce, eBay, Business Catalyst, MailChimp, Eventbrite, Basecamp, and others. New integrations can be requested right on the site and the company also does custom integrations.

Though the idea show promise, the OneSaaS interface is pretty cryptic and could definitely use some UX and IA help. If they don’t clarify some of the app’s key functions and streamline user task flows in a way that is intuitive and makes sense this will definitely hurt their market share. It won’t be long before someone comes along with a slick interface and drinks their milkshake. Hmmmm…note to self.

Wrapping Up

As I mentioned at the top of this rather lengthy tome, this is by no means a full list of cloud-based services. There are a ton of options out there and the sheer number of choices can be overwhelming. These are the ones that Mightybytes has tried, tested, and found most useful to our own business. Hopefully some of the above info will be useful to you as well.

If you have made it this far, thank you. I know this was a lot to digest. I would love to hear about your own experience with cloud-based integrations. Have you pushed any of your key business functions into the cloud? How did it go? Pros? Cons? Things that worked (or didn’t)? Let me know!