Question on web subscription for apps

We have been approached to consider mobile apps for sales, inventory, etc.  The data reside on the cloud and the apps itself will reside on the mobile devices and the back office on the cloud.  This is new to us and wanted EE opinion on the Pro and Cons in the subject.  As we see, if we purchase the apps to install in our system, we pay one price and optional yearly support.  If we purchase the web subscriptions, the first year is low pricing but projecting the next 5 years the cost almost triples.

Question:
What would be the Pros & Cons of web subscriptions?
What consideration should we take in account in order to help us evaluate an aligned choice?
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janaAsked:
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Terry WoodsIT GuruCommented:
What's the set up and training cost likely to be? If it's low, it might be a good trial of the product to purchase the web subscription to try it out, and install the apps after the first year if they are working well.

If the business has plenty of cash available, then it sounds like purchasing the apps to install is likely more economical, assuming that you're reasonably sure that the products are worth using for more than a couple of years.

Web subscription pros:
  • Likely to be more flexible, such as allowing staff who have 2 computers to just use one login (& license), and allowing access from home (that *might* be considered a plus!)
  • No need to arrange installation or install updates (assuming no plugins or other software needed)
  • More likely to be OS independent (may run on mac/linux as well as win)

Web subscription cons:
  • Likely not available offline (this could be a big problem in a critical system)
  • Sometimes slower (depending on internet speed)

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janaAuthor Commented:
Thanks for the info!  

Is it normal norms that the first year of the purchase the cost are low but the next 5 years the costs triples?

What do EE think about this 5 year spread of investments or expense on a company?
Scott FellDeveloper & EE ModeratorCommented:
>  the first year is low pricing but projecting the next 5 years the cost almost triples

This is normal. See intro pricing for comcast, direct tv etc.  "Everything for $10 bucks"  * first x months then back to normal $$$$$

You have to overlook the intro price.  It will probably take you that long to get in the groove and if you are not fully utilizing the system by a year, dump it.  I see this happens a lot.

Depending on your location, internet access may or may not be an issue. Even if the access is good, can you be down for 30minutes to a few hours?  You can have multiple ISP's come into your building.  Check into the offline options but generally, the cloud makes things easier, easier to share, you don't have to worry about managing a server or the additional monthly fees that are associated with that.  Most smaller businesses can  deal with a short down time.  

If you are using google apps or office365, there is a way to sync data too.
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