|
Survey Software: Hosted Or Product?© Web Based Survey Software (http://www.web-based-survey-software.org) 2004
Deciding whether to go for the hosted or the product version of the survey software can be a tough call. A look at the advantages and disadvantages of both methods might make it a bit easier.
Hosted
In the hosted version, the vendor hosts the software. All you need is your web browser! You don't have to install & maintain the software, or take regular backups; the vendor takes care of that. If you are not IT savvy and don't have an IT department, this is definitely the way to go.
However, with the hosted version, you have to be online to access your account. And more importantly, your data sits on somebody else's servers. If you are not comfortable with that, then you will have to go with the product version. The other thing is cost. You might end up paying more for all the convenience that you get, and that could be quite a lot for some of the vendors out there.
You need to consider the following things when deciding whether to go
with the hosted version.
- Cost - The most important consideration, as always, is how much does it cost. Typically, vendors charge in one of 3 ways: subscription, per survey, or per response. Whichever method you choose, make sure that it works well for your unique use-case scenario.
- Server infrastructure - Try to find out where the servers are hosted. The better the infrastructure the lesser the chance that your data will come in harm's way.
- Guaranteed up-time - Try to find out if the vendor guarantees any up-time. The closer to 100%, the better. You don't want to get respondents interested in taking your survey only to find that the server is down!
- Server speed - Make sure that the servers are fast enough, at least enough not to frustrate your respondents and make them abandon your survey.
- Customer support - As with any other product, customer support is very important. So always ensure, to the extent you can, that a vendor's customer support is good. If you can find them, user comments are usually the only real indicator of the vendor's customer support.
- Free trial - All companies say that their software is usable. (We still have to find one that says theirs isn't! :-)) But if you can't use it, then it isn't usable. So whenever possible, choose a vendor that has a free trial, so you can test the software yourself before committing any dollars.
Product
In the product version, you host the software. So you have to install & maintain the software, and take regular backups of your data. You better be IT savvy or at least have an IT department that will do it for you. Because irrespective of what the vendor says, you will have problems.
The good thing with the product version is that your data is completely in your control. Also, you won't be slowed down by other companies using the server, as in the case of the hosted version. It might also work out to be cost-effective in most cases.
You need to consider the following things when deciding whether to go with the product version.
- Cost - As for the hosted version, the most important consideration is the cost. Mostly vendors have different versions like Standard, Pro, Enterprise, etc. The more "premium" features you want, the pricier it gets. Usually, product version makes sense only if you do lots of surveys involving lots of respondents. In any case, always make sure that you have compared the cost of the product and hosted versions for your use-case scenario. You don't want to take on the trouble of hosting the product without any significant monetary benefits.
- System requirements - Understanding the system requirements is important because it is part of your upfront cost. If the survey software itself is inexpensive but makes you buy an expensive database, then it isn't really inexpensive.
- Customer support - Just like for the hosted version, customer support is very important. Probably more so for the product version since you might need help for installation, maintenance, and backups.
Summary
To summarize, here is a table that compares the 2 methods.| Method | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Hosted | The vendor hosts the software. All you need is your browser! This is definitely the way to go for people who are not IT savvy. | - You don't have to install and maintain the software.
- You don't have to take regular backups.
| - You have to be online to access your account.
- Your data is not in your control.
- You could be slowed down by other companies using the software.
- It might cost you more.
|
| Product | You host the software on your company's servers. You also have to maintain (upgrade to newer versions) and take regular backups of the data. If you are IT savvy, conduct a lot of surveys or would like the data to be in your control, then this might be the way to go. |
- Your data is in your control.
- You are not slowed down by other companies.
- It might be cost-effective compared to the hosted version.
| - You have to install and maintain the software.
- You have to take regular backups.
|
What if you still don't make the right decision?
Inspite of everything, you still might not make the best decision. But relax, you can always switch over to a different vendor. Survey software, by its very nature, is not very "sticky". That is, it's much easier to switch to a different survey software than some other types of softwares, say project management software. And that is exactly why a free trial is so important. If you have to choose between a vendor that offers a free trial and one that doesn't, choose the former.
Credits
This article has been copyrighted and has been printed with the permission of Web Based Survey Software If you want to reprint this article, please send us an email (mailto:webmaster@web-based-survey-software.org) to inform us and we will grant you the permission. But please ensure that this message appears at the end of the article and proper credits are given to Web Based Survey Software.
|
|
