Why Use Web Based Software
There is a trend in enterprise software to be Web Based. This trend is often referred to as Software as a Service (SaaS) or, more recently as "Cloud Computing". Companies like Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and others have embraced this method of software delivery for a number of reasons:
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No software needs to be loaded and maintained on the local computer. This means that if there is a failure on a local machine, no data is lost and you can simply go to a different computer and resume your work.
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The stored information is managed by professionals in a database framework that is isolated from the user. Data is regularly backed up and is not vulnerable to local power outages, disk 'crashes', computer theft or malicious damage.
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Upgrades or modifications to the system are able to be installed easily. The actual computer program resides in only one place - on the web server. When updates occur, they are installed on the web server - usually at night - and any new features or capabilities are available immediately to everyone who uses the system.
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Systems can easily be shared by many users in many places. You are not tied down to a local network and you do not have to have a network administrator to maintain the local servers.