By: Ed Ulmer
The future of business is intertwined with the future of the cloud. Unlike most of our competition in the rental industry, Barefoot is actively engaged in growing with the cloud. To be a cloud solution there is much more to it than hosting data on an online server. It means modularization with other companies and giving clients not only choices of who to work with, but the ability to expand to fit their needs quickly and efficiently. Here are a few key things to look for in making sure your partner is truly cloud based.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
The first key to being cloud friendly is by providing an API and XML feed that multiple technologies can integrate together to provide best of breed solutions. While modern technologies are constantly striving to be more compatible, it wasn’t long ago when a word document could not be opened on a Mac. The cloud is moving in a similar pattern where memory on a computer is no longer a necessity. Many companies out there are attempting to limit your flexibility and offering it as an all in one package. However, is a mediocre all in one package really better than a system that truly meets every last need? If it is then the right system for you was designed years ago.
HOW BAREFOOT DOES IT
Barefoot is the only rental software system that is an active member of the Open Travel Alliance. The committee is made of those that believe in this dream like Sabre (GDS), Pegasus (switch) and HomeAway(the portal) to build the code that will link all of this industry together efficiently in the future.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Second, more than just actions, the company philosophy is important. Limiting compatibility is an aging mindset, restraining people to one option. It is important to find a company with a direction conducive to your overall goals. Make sure your system is flexible and has many opportunities to grow. If they do not, then make sure they have the ability to link and be flexible.
HOW BAREFOOT DOES IT
Barefoot has worked with our clients to provide the largest choice of partners in the industry, including the rental industry portals VRBO through HomeAway, Trip Advisor through Flip Key and many more. We give you more choices than any other system with 3 credit card options, 5 travel insurance companies and a multitude of web development companies, with more coming
In addition, we are one of the few software solutions that work with many other partners that add benefit to our users including Navis, Inntopia, and Status Tracker. We are the only system to have a two way link and, while we have the most advanced CRM system in the industry, we are not stubborn to think that if a client wants to sync to a system, like Libra, that we would not make that possible.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Third, being cloud friendly does not mean you need to be on line and hosted by someone else. If you want to self-host, make that option available. Being on the cloud means you must be free to connect anywhere and if your software is limiting something as important as your hosting options, what else are you being restrained by?
Clouds change and move based off of their environment. Barefoot realizes that the rental industry is changing and has always embraced the “cloud way”. We are a browser based system and we host for most of our clients, it is truly our interest in working with our clients to give them their efficiency as their environment changes.
