The convenience of using a property inspection app instead of paper forms speaks for itself, especially if your business has multiple employees who need to remain consistent across all their reports.  But one real potential benefit of property inspection apps is one that unfortunately not all apps have, and that is Cloud backup for your inspection data and reports.  While apps without Cloud backup may typically be cheaper, the ability to back your data up to the Cloud automatically is definitely worth paying a higher subscription fee – for a number of compelling reasons.

You can access your data on multiple devices

For all the convenience that a smartphone offers during the inspection itself, it may not be the most comfortable way to handle all of your data.  You may prefer to take photos on your smartphone but type on your tablet, or perhaps you like to review your data on the large screen of your desktop before sending out your report.  An app with cloud backup ensures that any information you capture with one device is automatically available on any other, meaning that you can tailor your workflow across whatever combination of devices enables you to get your work done most efficiently.

Sharing information with your team is easy

If there are multiple people in your business, it’s important to make sure that everyone is working from the same rulebook.  Consistent style, format and level of detail is important to maintain a professional, cohesive feel to your business, which means that team members should be able to share and review each other’s work.  If a new employee is joining your business, it’s important to be able to look over his/her work during training, and the more efficiently you can do so the easier it is to make sure that everyone is working to the same standard.  Cloud storage makes sharing files easy and quick, since any team members can access shared files from any device with an internet connection.  Most Cloud options allow you to set permissions so that important files aren’t viewed by the wrong people, keeping everything securely within the team.

Cloud storage insures you against loss or theft

A smartphone’s small size makes it extremely convenient to use for property inspections, but it also makes it easy to misplace, lose, or leave behind somewhere.  Smartphones and tablets are also valuable, making them targets for theft; in addition, any electronic device can suffer damage or software corruption.  If your property inspection app backs up automatically to the Cloud, then you do not lose any data if one of your devices is lost, stolen or damaged; you can pick up right where you left off on another device, and when you replace the lost device you can download your information again with no loss of data.

Cloud storage is very secure

Because online Cloud services host important data from thousands of users, they are typically protected with the very best in online security.  Personal laptops and tablets can be hacked with surprisingly little difficulty, but data stored in the Cloud has much sturdier encryption.  Since property inspection reports often contain personal information from clients and property managers, storing your data in a secure location is not only professional: it shows respect for your clients’ privacy.