I’ve written a lot in this space about social technologies and how they can benefit your organization. But as we’re all interacting “in the cloud” (i.e. online), are you neglecting the backbone of your organization: your database?

Of course, no organization would function smoothly without an organized, up-to-date database. It helps target your marketing and can improve customer service and member relations. Don’t let your database languish in the pre-Web era – there’s nothing wrong with keeping information in the cloud. There are many, many association management software companies and although initial costs may seem high, using a third party vendor can save you a ton of time and money down the road.

An old issue of Associations Now had a great article about cloud computing. I thought the inset about five “critical considerations” had great advice. It’s crucial to get information in writing from your vendor about disaster recovery, security and risk management. Additionally, if you’re going to be using your system for payment processing, be sure it is PCI Compliant so you don’t end up with fees from credit card companies.

There are tons of benefits to using an online software system that is tailored for associations. Just a few include:

1. If some staffers telecommute or travel a lot, they’ll be able to access your database from anywhere
2. The vendor will take care of updating the system for you, rather than your organization having to manage updates
3. Research, development, design are included with a Software-as-a-Service vendor because they serve so many different organizations. The vendor will be able to give you the lowest possible quote thanks to economies of scale.
4. Scale up or scale down easily. Many vendors offer different features in their products that can be turned on or off at any time.
5. Associations will require fewer IT staffers.

Although it’s important to keep back-up copies of your data in case of an emergency, our culture is rapidly moving toward a system of keeping all our information in the cloud. Why should your data be any different?

(Image via Flickr.)

Happy Friday! It’s finally starting to fee like spring here in Atlanta; now if only those annoying rainstorms would quit. I’m so ready for spring: more daylight, outdoor eating, baseball, the NFL Draft, flowers … it’s pretty perfect. Speaking of more daylight, don’t forget to spring your clocks forward this Saturday night before hitting the sack. Losing an hour is the only downside of the beginning of Daylight Savings Time — I’m really looking forward to longer days.

With many people attending the Great Ideas Conference, there was some great stuff in the association blogosphere this week, but not every post highlighted the conference.

1. Wes Trochlil shared some tips for organizations converting their data to a new database. There are some great reminders here, such as to stop keeping track of data you don’t need or use, keep your legacy database for future reference and only convert the data you need. Wes’ database tips always spot-on.

2. One of the newer-to-me blogs I’ve discovered recently is Ellen Behrens’. She writes the aLearning blog, and her post this week on exit interviews for members was fantastic. Members who don’t renew often have powerful information that would be beneficial to the organization, so definitely take a look at this post.

3. I read a ton of blogs, and they’re not all association-focused. This post, though, from the Six Pixels of Separation blog, discusses mobile technologies: “The Lines Continue to Blur (at Breakneck Speeds).” This one’s a great reminder about how much the use of mobile technology is increasing — and that it’s not just kids who are using it. Are you ready?

4. Lynn Morton wrote some awesome posts about Great Ideas this week, but here’s her takeaway post. From the more casual (use Emergen-C if you’re sick!) to the more serious (the spirit is there, the content is not), Lynn shared her thoughts from ASAE’s conference and encourages others to push the envelope a bit more.

5. Maddie Grant also had a great collection of takeaway and links post-Great Ideas. Her main takeaway was the concept of “autonomy,” which was discussed during Dan Pink’s closing general session. Control leads to compliance; autonomy leads to engagement.

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Don’t forget to set your clocks forward!

Image credit

I’ve written a lot in this space about social technologies and how they can benefit your organization. But as we’re all interacting “in the cloud” (i.e. online), are you neglecting the backbone of your organization: your database?

Of course, no organization would function smoothly without an organized, up-to-date database. It helps target your marketing and can improve customer service and member relations. Don’t let your database languish in the pre-Web era – there’s nothing wrong with keeping information in the cloud. There are many, many association management software companies and although initial costs may seem high, using a third party vendor can save you a ton of time and money down the road.

The December issue of Associations Now had a great article about cloud computing. I thought the inset about five “critical considerations” had great advice. It’s crucial to get information in writing from your vendor about disaster recovery, security and risk management. Additionally, if you’re going to be using your system for payment processing, be sure it is PCI Compliant so you don’t end up with fees from credit card companies.

There are tons of benefits to using an online software system that is tailored for associations. Just a few include:

1. If some staffers telecommute or travel a lot, they’ll be able to access your database from anywhere
2. The vendor will take care of updating the system for you, rather than your organization having to manage updates
3. Research, development, design are included with a Software-as-a-Service vendor because they serve so many different organizations. The vendor will be able to give you the lowest possible quote thanks to economies of scale.
4. Scale up or scale down easily. Many vendors offer different features in their products that can be turned on or off at any time.
5. Associations will require fewer IT staffers.

Although it’s important to keep back-up copies of your data in case of an emergency, our culture is rapidly moving toward a system of keeping all our information in the cloud. (Google’s future operating system is a step in this direction.) Why should your data be any different?

(Image via Flickr.)