Should You Use Freeware Asset Management Software?
Along with managing a variety of products, companies in the retail industry have to track a multitude of assets. If your company is looking for ways to cut costs, you might be considering a freeware asset management software. There are many free options available, and with research, you might be able to make one of them work.
However, there are many downsides to using freeware to manage your assets. These could range from a minor inconvenience to making your asset management system completely unusable. Here are the cons you need to know about.
Along with the other kinds of freeware offered, many companies will offer free versions of previous software programs. Most of the time, this only happens when an organization believes that they can no longer profit from that software program. Outdated software can create issues when used on newer machines and may not function at all.
Some free software programs are what is called open source. This means anyone can go in and change the code to add additional features and design. However, freeware is not open source software. The program is offered under copyright and cannot be messed with. If the program you've chosen doesn't have a feature you need, then you're out of luck.
In order to provide their software free of charge, many companies need to put ads into the program. These can be incredibly disruptive and jarring when you are trying to get work done. In addition to ads, development teams are more likely to overlook bugs and glitches when it comes to freeware. They don't have the budget to comb through their software and make sure everything works properly. This could be inconsequential, or it could eat all your asset data and cause issues for your company.
Even if you have an incredibly tech-savvy employee on hand, it's likely that you will need to use tech support at one point or another. Because the company is not making a profit off of its freeware asset management software, it has no incentive to provide support to end users. If you encounter a bug or problem that you can't figure out, you're on your own.
There's no guarantee that the software you download will be easy to use. Tracking inventory can get very complicated, and free software has much less bug testing than the commercial alternative. This could translate into an incredibly unintuitive user interface or a lack of documentation for figuring out how to use specific features. Either way could be problematic for your business.
Asset Panda understands your concerns about being cost-effective. It can be very tempting to use a freeware asset management system. However, with all the problems that can come from doing so, it could end up costing you a lot of money. We created our platform to be affordable for small and mid-sized businesses. You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to make sure your assets are managed properly.
One of our large factory clients uses Asset Panda to to request machinery and other assets. This makes it possible for them to track where their assets are at any given time, and make sure they don't lose track of any of them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpxwPba6WRo
Want to see Asset Panda in action? Take a today!
However, there are many downsides to using freeware to manage your assets. These could range from a minor inconvenience to making your asset management system completely unusable. Here are the cons you need to know about.
Many Freeware Software Programs Are Outdated
Along with the other kinds of freeware offered, many companies will offer free versions of previous software programs. Most of the time, this only happens when an organization believes that they can no longer profit from that software program. Outdated software can create issues when used on newer machines and may not function at all.
Freeware Has Limited Options
Some free software programs are what is called open source. This means anyone can go in and change the code to add additional features and design. However, freeware is not open source software. The program is offered under copyright and cannot be messed with. If the program you've chosen doesn't have a feature you need, then you're out of luck.
Ads and Bugs Could Make Your Freeware Asset Management Software Unusable
In order to provide their software free of charge, many companies need to put ads into the program. These can be incredibly disruptive and jarring when you are trying to get work done. In addition to ads, development teams are more likely to overlook bugs and glitches when it comes to freeware. They don't have the budget to comb through their software and make sure everything works properly. This could be inconsequential, or it could eat all your asset data and cause issues for your company.
Tech Support Is Not Available
Even if you have an incredibly tech-savvy employee on hand, it's likely that you will need to use tech support at one point or another. Because the company is not making a profit off of its freeware asset management software, it has no incentive to provide support to end users. If you encounter a bug or problem that you can't figure out, you're on your own.
Freeware Can Have a Large Barrier to Entry
There's no guarantee that the software you download will be easy to use. Tracking inventory can get very complicated, and free software has much less bug testing than the commercial alternative. This could translate into an incredibly unintuitive user interface or a lack of documentation for figuring out how to use specific features. Either way could be problematic for your business.
Asset Panda understands your concerns about being cost-effective. It can be very tempting to use a freeware asset management system. However, with all the problems that can come from doing so, it could end up costing you a lot of money. We created our platform to be affordable for small and mid-sized businesses. You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to make sure your assets are managed properly.
One of our large factory clients uses Asset Panda to to request machinery and other assets. This makes it possible for them to track where their assets are at any given time, and make sure they don't lose track of any of them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpxwPba6WRo
Want to see Asset Panda in action? Take a today!
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