When you are responsible for IT in a business, you need to ensure your product data is easy to access, simple to maintain and most importantly, accurate across all channels.
This is where product information management, or PIM for short, can help. A high-quality PIM solution can allow you to manage large amounts of complex data across both your online and offline marketing channels.
A solid PIM system makes life easier for your sales and marketing teams. It can also ensure your product data is kept accurate and reduce the chances of customers returning products that aren’t right for them.
Want to find out more about how PIM can benefit your business? Visit our guide
Cloud PIM software vs running your PIM on-site… which is the best option for your business?
If you decide that PIM software is the best option for your business, it’s essential to do plenty of research to find the right platform for your needs.
After all, there are many different product information management systems available, including our own Perfion SaaS PIM solution.
One of the criteria you may have in mind is how you will run your new software. For example, is it something that you want to run in the cloud or something that you would prefer to physically host on your premises?
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Good PIM implementation
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There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Let’s look at the pros and cons of running cloud-based PIM, which is offered as software as a service (SaaS).
The advantages of cloud-based product information management
You may think the cloud is a recent development, but the technology to store documents and run services on the internet has been around for nearly fifty years! From fitness trackers to self-driving vehicles, many items and processes are now reliant on cloud data.
Utilising a SaaS, cloud-based PIM solution for your business could help transform the way you operate. Here are some of the benefits that cloud PIM can bring.
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- You can customise your Cloud PIM software to your specific needs
When you have on-site PIM, you are responsible for configuring it and integrating it with the relevant software. This can be a lot of hard work, especially if you need to hire someone on-site to manage the system.
Cloud-based PIM comes with a selection of different integrations and functionalities, meaning you can adapt it to your specific needs quickly and efficiently.
Want to integrate your PIM with your webshop? No problem! Need to link your enterprise resource planning with your new PIM solution? You’re good to go!
As there is minimal work to do at your end, cloud-based PIM is an excellent option for businesses with a smaller IT infrastructure in place. This gives you complete peace of mind and means you can focus your attention on other IT-related strategies.
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- Cloud PIM software can be a more cost-effective solution
When you opt for on-site PIM, you have to pay for the server to run it on as well as staff to maintain it. A cloud PIM software system can be a much more affordable option, meaning that even small and medium-sized businesses can have access to a high-quality PIM service.
Many SaaS PIM software providers offer different pricing structures depending on what you need. This makes PIM entirely scalable, meaning your product information management system can grow as your business does.
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- Cloud PIM is hugely resilient
When you have all of your servers and networks in one place, there is an increased risk of your on-site PIM breaking down. All it takes is one power cut or phishing attempt, and you could lose all of your hard-earned data.
With cloud PIM software, there are measures in place to protect against data loss and cyberattacks. Data and operations are spread over several machines meaning that your information is more easily recoverable. In addition, many cloud PIM software systems report over 99% uptime, meaning that you can access your information freely and securely.
The disadvantages of cloud-based product information management
While cloud-based PIM solutions have benefits, it may be the case that in-house PIM may be the better option for your business.
With an in-house system, you have more control, not only of how the system looks, feels and behaves, but of the data. If you work in a highly regulated industry like health care or finance, you may prefer to keep your information server-side.
In conclusion – is cloud PIM the right choice for your business?
Cloud technology is growing and evolving all the time. Nearly two out of three businesses migrated their workloads to the cloud in 2020, with the market increasing year on year.
There has never been a better time to invest in cloud-based product information management software. It’s safe, secure and fully scalable to the needs of your IT department.
However, we appreciate that different businesses have different requirements. If you work in an industry where you handle extra-sensitive data or would rather have complete control over the software you use, an on-site solution may be preferable.
Take the time to think about the different options available, the resources you have in place and what you want your new PIM software to achieve for your organisation.
Whichever option you choose, PIM software will save your business a lot of time and ensure brand consistency.
Download the Good PIM implementation guide today
There’s a lot you need to consider when identifying the best PIM software to use at your company.
The Good PIM implementation guide will prepare you for installing your PIM platform of choice, whether you opt for cloud software, an in-house solution or a combination of the two.
This guide answers all the questions you may have about introducing a new PIM to your business, including important questions to ask your provider and how to get that all-important buy-in from your colleagues.
