Cloud-Based POS or Legacy System: Why not both?

Over the past few years, the ‘cloud’ has become a more and more common buzzword. It seems like every technology company in just about every industry touts the cloud as a major advantage for individuals and businesses. However, there are a few drawbacks to running your restaurant or bar on a cloud-only POS system. That’s why we designed VersiPOS as a hybrid system, which delivers the best of both cloud-based and legacy POS worlds. Here are some ways our hybrid system helps you run your business.

It’s much faster.

One of the most significant benefits of having a locally hosted POS is the speed at which the system can operate. It’s hard to remember how slowly web pages loaded back in the days of dial-up and DSL internet. Now, we expect instantaneous results when we tap a button. The same is true in a fast-paced restaurant. 

Every time you add an item to an order, take a payment, clock-in or out, or do practically anything else within your POS, the station you're using has to relay that request to the server and wait for a response back. This all happens within a fraction of a second, but the time it takes for data to transmit to a locally hosted server is noticeably quicker than when the POS station has to communicate to a cloud server somewhere else in the world. We're talking about milliseconds here, but during peak times that small delay can have a huge negative impact. Many long-time users of VersiPOS know their system so well they’re like the Usain Bolts of entering POS functions. If they were using a cloud-based POS, it simply wouldn’t be able to keep up. 

Professionally installed to fit your restaurant.

It’s true that many cloud-based systems are plug-and-play, meaning the setup is a DIY situation. But just because the setup is easy doesn’t mean you’re able to use all the features or ensure you’re compliant with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. By working directly with VersiTech or one of our awesome reseller partners, you don’t have to worry about any of that. Our experts manage all the technical aspects and tailor the system to your unique business to get you up and running, fully compliant, and using all the great VersiPOS features.

More menu capabilities.

Because DIY cloud-based POS systems lack the technical support, they have to make their menu templates as basic as possible. It may seem easier at first, but the limitations can be frustrating. Our system is completely free form, allowing for the creation of menu buttons in any size or color. Plus, you can place them anywhere on the screen. VersiPOS is designed to handle even the most complex item modifiers, so you can build a more accurate menu that’s easier for your staff to use.

Greater peace of mind.

Cloud systems may seem like a more modern approach but remember that they’re dependent on a strong WiFi signal to sync all your data. So, let’s say your internet goes down for an extended period of time. If you’re still taking credit card payments while your POS is operating in ‘offline’ mode, you can lose all that unsynced data forever if anything were to happen to your system during that time. With a server-based system like VersiPOS, all your data is hosted locally (with RAID backups) making it less likely to lose any data. When it’s connected to the internet, it automatically syncs all your data to our cloud servers to keep a remote backup in addition to the locally hosted copies.

You still get anywhere access.

In our increasingly connected world, one of the key features of cloud systems is the ability to access your POS reporting from anywhere. Until now, server-based systems have struggled to do this. We’ve bridged that gap with our hybrid system. VersiPOS syncs your data and reports to VersiCloud, which can then be accessed wherever you have an internet connection. This way, you can stay connected and up to date with how your business is performing.

As you can see, there are pros and cons to cloud-based and server-only systems. We took all of the pros of both and incorporated them into our VersiPOS and VersiCloud system. It can keep up with the fast pace of a busy restaurant; you get professional set-up tailored to your business; your menu is more detailed and accurate; it’s ultra-secure; and best of all, you can access your data in more places. 

If you’d like to know more about how easy it is to switch to our hybrid platform, give us a shout. We’d love to learn more about your business and give you a free demo of VersiPOS. Contact us here.