When is a cloud not a cloud?

Published on
Mar 11, 2024
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Read time
5 min
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Articles

Cloud technology is a powerful tool and gives businesses a vast amount of flexibility and versatility in their infrastructure for all aspects of business ranging from cybersecurity to sales. However, there are a lot of “cloud” providers who don’t really use cloud infrastructure. They use the same old systems that were built for on-premises solutions wrapped in an API that feeds into a cloud. The system itself and the infrastructure that backs it are very much the technology of old wrapped in a pretty bow.

Despite being in the “cloud” it still requires costly maintenance and a patchwork of solutions whenever a new problem arises it is not built to solve. These costs are passed onto you to the customer, all without the flexibility of modern technology as their “cloud” is unable to adapt without additional patchwork integrations. This is especially true when it comes to the sales tax automation space, the technology is built on either old systems or an old system glommed onto a cloud solution.

There must be a better way, right? There is, CereTax is a true cloud solution for sales tax automation that is built within the cloud. There is no server space you pay for, integrations are seamless, and it’s built to scale. Think of it like this, CereTax scales like an automatic transmission, no need to use a clutch to change gears as it speeds up and slows down as needed when processing transactions. Previous iterations of tax technology require you to switch gears and then every few miles you realize you also blew out a tire. If you’re a high-volume enterprise, it’s more akin to paying for a rental car instead of just getting the car yourself. Each time you push those high volumes like every time you rent a car you pay up, with CereTax the solution or the “car” in this analogy is yours to drive as fast you can without paying for a rental (i.e. dedicated instance).

The lack of server maintenance and constant iterations means you’re not paying for hidden costs and you’re getting a streamlined technology like you use for most other modern software systems. The large 200lb HD TV’s cost $2,000 over a decade ago but nowadays you can get a far lighter and clearer TV for a quarter the price, CereTax adapted that same mindset to the sales tax automation arena. It allowed us to improve the quality of the solution AND decrease the costs to the end user. So next time you are talking to your sales tax vendor ask them, ask them if their tax software is truly a cloud software or is it a cloud attached to an antiquated system disguised as a cloud.

If you want a sales tax automation platform that doesn’t lag behind your business’ other true cloud software systems and create unnecessary risks whether for downtime or security, then you need CereTax.