Fully-hosted solutions, cloud computing, web-based software – these terms all sound complicated, cumbersome, and confusing. But in reality, utilizing cloud-based solutions can simplify your entire school nutrition program.
Ever upload a picture or stream a movie online? If so, you’ve used cloud computing! The terms cloud computing, fully-hosted, and web-based all describe the same technology. Simply put, cloud computing allows you to store and access data via the internet. Instead of data residing on your computer, you access it through the web. The word “Cloud” is just a metaphor for the internet.
Cloud-based technologies offer a variety of benefits that can simplify your entire nutrition program:
Global Accessibility, 24/7
Imagine being at a school site, at home, or at the office with the ability to access your program right when you need it. That’s what a cloud-based solution allows you to do - access your Point of Sale and Menu Planning data anytime, anywhere, from nearly any internet connected device:
Is your nutrition technology giving you and your staff a headache? System installations, server maintenance, software updates, and data backups take up valuable time and resources. Since nutrition solutions, like Mosaic Cloud, are web-based, these routine tasks are completed for you.
Reduced Upfront Costs
New system implementations often result in the need to purchase additional server hardware, making setup costly. With limited hardware investment, cloud-based solutions eliminate this potential upfront cost and lower your ongoing system costs.
Secure & Reliable
The most important aspect of any nutrition software program is the security of your schools data. With cloud-based technology, you won’t need to worry about your data when there's an outage, data breach, or a hardware failure. Since your program data is stored remotely, no matter what happens to your computer, data won't be lost.
Solutions, like Mosaic Cloud, follow the strictest security protocols and standards to ensure your data is completely safe. Data is stored in a secure, state-of-the-art data center with server redundancy and automated system backups. Privacy policies and stringent operating procedures keep your program data safe from prying eyes.
Nutrition programs are quickly expanding outside of the cafeteria walls. With additional services like breakfast carts, grab-and-go stations, and snack bars, having a program that is flexible and mobile is essential. Cloud computing allows you to bring your Point of Sale right to your students by using an internet-connected device, like a tablet. That’s great for your program and convenient for students! Whether your district is large or small, cloud-based solutions can meet the needs of any size district.
Forward Thinking
Your nutrition program functions much like a business. And like any business, utilizing the latest and greatest of technology can propel your operations forward. Cloud-based solutions aren’t a necessity for running a successful and efficient program, but they can streamline your operation and reduce costs.
Does your district utilize cloud-based technology in your nutrition program? Let us know about your experience in the comments below: