Cloud applications support flexible working

The Corona crisis presented major challenges to companies that had previously been restrictive in their approach to home office arrangements. Working in a home office had to be organized in a very short time: from procuring and setting up appropriate computers for employees to creating the technical infrastructure, for example VPN access, and clarifying issues relating to data protection, occupational health and safety and labor law.

In the case of applications that are operated on the basis of a classic client/server architecture, practical work outside the corporate network depends, among other things, on the functioning and performance of the VPN (Virtual Private Network).

Here - quite apart from the Internet access itself - bandwidth restrictions and connection problems can occur. If an unusually large number of employees suddenly start working on the VPN, things slow down. Anyone who worked at home during the Corona crisis will know a thing or two about this.

Cloud applications have the edge here due to their architecture. As a rule, all they need is a computer with an operating system, Internet access and a browser to access the application. Not even the classic client is needed here.

Strictly speaking, this even makes it possible to work from a private computer - data security issues aside. This enables maximum flexibility in responding to situations in which rapid action is required to deal with unforeseen challenges in decentralized work - as was the case, for example, in the Corona crisis.

A good example is the entry of invoices in accounts payable. Here, incoming invoices are recorded, assigned to accounts, compared with purchase orders and goods receipts, and a technical and financial release is obtained. In many companies, separate SAP-related applications are used for this purpose, which exchange master data with SAP in the background and facilitate the invoice entry and approval process through recognition mechanisms and artificial intelligence.

Accounting is not a department that is usually used to working in a home office. Therefore, if there is a need to perform invoice entry there, a cloud application has the undeniable advantage of being able to work with it from any computer, without the need for individual installations or a special infrastructure.

The same applies to invoice approval. Even though mobile apps are often used to approve invoices - which means you are already in the cloud - not every employee has the option of using an app. Here, too, invoice approval is quick and easy from a PC or notebook.

Once single sign-on has been set up, it is not even necessary to log into the application separately - even in the cloud. This ensures that suppliers are paid on time and cash discount deadlines are met, especially in turbulent times.

Maintaining business operations, business continuity, is of immense importance in almost all business processes of a company. This was clearly demonstrated once again by the Corona crisis in particular. Old structures were broken up and new processes implemented.

In the name of business continuity, cloud computing has been widely accepted. Whether financial processes or even sales processes, keyword order entry, HR or controlling - cloud-based applications can not only ensure that work can continue almost without interruption in times of pandemic.

They also facilitate the work of locally distributed teams and support modern forms of work. As a result, such applications form an essential building block in future digitization offensives around the topic of Work 4.0, which means a competitive advantage, more revenue and satisfied employees.