I’m often asked by my clients, as they seek a new AMS, should they be looking at hosted options? Or more to the point, should they bother looking at premise-based solutions anymore?
My answer is: For the vast majority of associations, a hosted solution will work fine and is actually preferable to premise-based. (Please keep in mind there are definite exceptions to this, but they are exceptional. In my 2015 Benchmarking Survey I asked about hosting; fully 2/3 of associations have their AMS outside of their premise.)
For most associations, maintaining hardware (and software) for a premise-based AMS solution is a set of headaches they just don’t need. Most associations under 25 staff don’t even have full-time dedicated IT resources, so premise-based solutions are particularly difficult to manage.
And the reality is that most hosted AMS solutions are now so stable that there is little risk involved. So should your AMS be hosted? Yes, it probably should be.