The demand for cloud services has risen over time. Today, different organizations (including startups) are trying to determine where cloud infrastructure fits their overall IT strategy.
Thanks to cloud services like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, startups have access to solid and affordable cloud-computing resources. That way, startups can manage their projects and spread their wings overseas. As a result, it improves their chances of competing with other financially-endowed competitors.
Whether you are an upcoming developer or an events management unicorn tucked somewhere in the garage, the cloud allows you to operate from anywhere, anytime, and without losing your data.
Looking for Project Management Software? Check out SoftwareSuggest’s list of the best project management tools solutions.
What Is Cloud-Based Project Management?
Project management in cloud computing allows you to coordinate, collaborate, plan, deliver, and monitor all projects in one place. Rather than relying on old-fashioned tools like a whiteboard, team leaders and employees can collaborate with several network tools inside the software.
Cloud-based project management software is a wonderful way to simplify project management for workers and project managers. Still, the advantages and uses stay the same regardless of the type of business.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Cloud-Based Project Management Software?
Corporations are increasingly using project management in cloud computing. It has many advantages over traditional methods of management, some of which are:
Accessibility
Using cloud-based project management software, you can access your information from any location worldwide, as long as you have an internet connection. Furthermore, you can access content from multiple devices, including your cell phone, laptop, etc., so you always have access to your information.
Cost-Effective
A cloud-based management system is easy on the wallet. You don’t have to pay thousands for servers, extra structures, or more storage. It is also admiringly cost-effective since it provides a high-standard customer experience and specialized client support.
Reliability & Security
Using cloud-based project management software is trustworthy and secure because it is all made with cutting-edge technologies and undergoes several safety measures. Retailers use several mechanisms to secure customer data, including data segregation and SSL certificates. If your laptop is robbed or lost, you can still guard your data by logging into your online account and changing the password.
Web-Based Integrations
A cloud-based project management system must allow various web-based integrations at one single location for a company to run effectively. With it, users can simultaneously manage several tasks and services in one place, saving time and improving productivity.
What Are The Features Of Online Project Management Software?
There is a strong demand for a cloud-based project management system that institutions of all sizes can use to manage projects. Associations can create, plan, organize, and report on projects using the best cloud-based project management software. In most cloud project management software offerings, the following features are included.
- Collaboration: Project management is based on working collaboratively with team members to share information about a project.
- Real-Time Reporting: It will notify you immediately of changes to ongoing projects, missed deadlines, or any other issues that might arise. You will be able to respond to the problems before they turn into serious ones.
- Task Management: Task Management is the primary function of all project management tools. It involves tracking and managing tasks within the framework of a project.
- Time Tracking: Planning and keeping track of project time is crucial for project management.
- Scheduling: Project management isn’t just about assigning tasks but also about scheduling due dates and managing deliverables. Most project management tools display a schedule as Gantt charts.
10 Best Cloud-Based Project Management Software
While many options are available for cloud-based project management tools, the ideal tool may not be right for every business. When deciding which cloud-based project management software to pick, several key factors need to be considered, which is why we have put together the top 10 cloud-based project management tools to help you narrow down your list:
1. Zoho Projects
Zoho Projects, a leading online project management tool based in the cloud, can benefit both small and gigantic businesses. In addition to scheduling tasks, creating a budget, creating tasks and assigning them to members, and setting due dates, its numerous features allow users to accomplish many tasks. Among other things, Zoho Projects automates document management processes, including access management, revision tracking, and search and recovery.
Zoho Projects
Key Features
- Task Automation with Blueprint
- Project Gantt
- Project Resource Utilization
- Custom Roles & Profiles
- Custom Domain
Pros
- It’s extremely simple to set up and use
- Multiple options for advanced setup
- Time-tracking tools
- Task customization
Cons
- Searching for tasks needs improvement
- Poor dashboard functionality
- High learning curve
Pricing
- Free
- Premium: $4.00/month/user
- Enterprise: $9.00/month/user
2. Asana
Among the best project management software options on the market, Asana offers a variety of views that you can customize for every team member involved. In addition, Asana supports various automatic processes and integrations that can increase efficiency and productivity.
Asana
Key Features
- Custom Fields
- Workflow Builder
- Time-Tracking
- Reporting across unlimited projects
- Custom templates
Pros
- Unlimited file storage
- Collaborate with up to 15 teammates
- It offers 100+ free integrations
- The free version has many features
Cons
- Customer service needs improvements
- It is not ideal for graphics-intensive work
- Prices are slightly higher than competitors
Pricing
- Basic: 0
- Premium: $10.99/month/user
- Business: $24.99/month/user
3. Wrike
Wrike, a leading project management app and collaborative work management tool, is ideal for all sizes of businesses. In addition to its general project management app, Wrike offers custom marketing, creative, teams, and more packages. It also features an easy-to-use dashboard with enterprise-grade tools.
Wrike
Key Features
- Task management
- Subtask management
- Account-wide work schedules
- Folder hierarchy
- Project portfolio management
Pros
- There are unlimited projects in a free account
- Wrike supports eight languages
- Cooperation and communication in real-time
- Special customization for marketing/creative teams
Cons
- Gantt chart view is available in paid plans only
- There are limited features for the free plan
- The Wrike bot is kind of confusing
Pricing
- Free
- Business: $9.80/month/user
- Team: $24.80/month/user
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
- Pinnacle: Custom pricing
4. ProofHub
The ProofHub online project management and collaboration tool includes features like group chat, quick discussions, workflows, project boards, and reports. Team members can collaborate and communicate flexibly and easily from one place with ProofHub, which aims to simplify and simplify organizational matters.
ProofHub
Key Features
- White labeling
- Project manager
- API Access & Reports
- Detailed Activity Logs
- Priority support
Pros
- Fast and uncomplicated setup
- API access for integration with third-party apps
- Great advanced features
- It maintains records and monitors the tasks
Cons
- It is slow to load
- Customer support is slow to respond
- It lacks budgeting tools
Pricing
- Essentials: $45/month/user
- Ultimate Control: $89/month/user
5. Monday.com
The Monday.com platform allows users to create the tools they need to run their companies. Whether users need to create a marketing campaign process, execute a robust CRM, or construct a project management tracker, Monday.com aims to help teams remain aligned, agile, and efficient in everything they do by providing a collaborative space.
Monday.com
Key Features
- Timeline & Gantt views
- Time tracking
- Formula column
- Advanced analytics & reporting
- Professional Services Automation
Pros
- It allow comments on work to make corrections
- Automation and reminders
- It manages tasks across multiple projects seamlessly
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- Creating new tasks is very tricky sometimes
- The dashboards can be confusing
- The mobile app is not user-friendly
Pricing
- Individual: $0/month/user
- Basic: $8/month/user
- Standard: $10/month/user
- Pro: $16/month/user
- Enterprise: Custom
6. Microsoft Project
As one of the best cloud-based project management software, Microsoft Project helps professionals manage multiple projects and the varying deadlines and requirements they face daily. It streamlines project planning and enhances project visibility across organizations, whether it is for small businesses or large enterprises.
Microsoft Project
Key Features
- Collaboration and resource management
- Timeline (Gantt) view
- Project planning and scheduling
- Roadmap
- Portfolio selection and optimization
Pros
- Incredibly detailed in planning items
- Integration with MS Planner
- Adequately handles resources
- Powerful cost management
Cons
- User management is complex and time-consuming
- The advanced features demand proper training
- Not enough reports
Pricing
- Starting from: $10.00 /month
7. Smartsheet
Smarsheet is a vibrant, robust, and highly customizable project management and collaboration tool perfect for managing projects, tracking tasks, managing customer relationships (CRMs), and collaborating online. Smartsheet Inc. offers a variety of work management products that seamlessly integrate. These products make the work process more efficient, faster, and secure.
Smartsheet
Key Features
- Single sign-on/SAML
- Directory integration and account discovery
- Enterprise Plan Manager
- Project portfolio management
- Unlimited dashboards, reports, and forms
Pros
- Intuitive dashboard
- Easy to use and implement
- Great team collaboration tools
- Data security
Cons
- Customer service needs improvement
- Limited functionality
- Lack of reports
Pricing
- Free
- Pro: $7/month/user
- Business: $25/month/user
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
8. ProjectManager
The ProjectManager platform offers high-level project management capabilities with an intuitive interface. Customizable work views empower your team regardless of department or industry. With no onboarding costs or training requirements for teams, they can easily collaborate across the organization.
ProjectManager
Key Features
- Advanced reports
- Risk management
- Timesheets and approvals
- Real-time availability
- Task management
Pros
- Managing & monitoring projects
- Project and task update
- It is simple and easy to use
- Real-time communication with clients
Cons
- Customer service needs improvement
- Creating the task schedule is confusing
- There are extra costs
Pricing
- Team: $13/month/user
- Business: $24/month/user
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
9. Clarizen
As a project portfolio management and professional services automation tool, Clarizen connects and engages all employees across an institution. It allows PMOs and professional services teams to deliver business outcomes by giving them real-time visibility, automating workflows, and managing risks.
Clarizen
Key Features
- Task Management
- Budget Tracking
- Project Scheduling
- Collaborative Planning
- Time Tracking
Pros
- It offers effortless collaboration
- Automatic upgrades & integrations
- Easy to do administrative work
- Accessible anywhere
Cons
- The system glitches sometimes
- The app lacks reporting tools
- Limited integrations
Pricing
- Professional Edition: $30/month/user
- Enterprise Edition: $45/month/user
- Unlimited Edition: $60/month/user
10. Mavenlink
Mavenlink is one of the best cloud-based project management software specifically designed for professional services teams. Mavenlink optimizes resources and boosts operational performance for businesses. A single dashboard allows team managers to manage projects, planning, and analytics with real-time updates and tracking resources.
MavenLink
Key Features
- Task prioritization and scheduler
- Resource management
- Time tracking
- Document storage
- Budget reports and dashboards
Pros
- Amazing features like customizable templates, analytics, and open API
- There are plenty of customization options
- It has an easy-to-navigate user interface
- Pre-built project templates
Cons
- It is quite expensive for small businesses
- There is no mobile app
- It does not have any chat app or communication tool
Pricing
- Teams: $19/month
- Professional: $39/month/user
- Premier: Custom pricing
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
How Safe Is It For Businesses To Manage Their Products On The Cloud?
In a world where cost-benefit analysis (CBA) rules, every startup wants to establish whether or not transitioning to the cloud could help manage their resources. Here are some of the reasons that make the cloud safe for running your projects.
Guards Against Data Breaches
Security is everything. Securing your startup data has become increasingly important in the globalized world. The cloud offers top-notch security options to implement certain protocols to guard sensitive data.
Whether about transactions or just wanting to keep your customers’ personal data under wraps, the cloud makes the best candidate. Plus, the TLS and other security protocols add an extra layer so that you can always thwart attacks or prevent unwanted third parties from accessing or intercepting your data.
Saves Your Money
Since many startups have cost constraints and are focused on success, low cost, and maintenance come in handy. Cloud-based applications and software exploit the colocation agreement between the business owner and the service provider.
It means that a startup does not have to buy hardware to install project management software, installation, and configuration, reducing up-front costs significantly.
No Hardware Required
The right project management software is easy to implement. As a startup, you would easily sulk at spending long hours in installation and configurations. Cloud-based project management tools are easy to implement, and startups can benefit easily without delaying their take-off.
Since the service provider delivers most tasks, implementation time is reduced to a few days, whereas on-premise project management software can take longer, running into months. That way, the teams can work on their projects much more quickly.
Scalable & Versatile
One more reason startups should seriously consider cloud-based project management tools is scalability and flexibility. As your business grows, so does your staff. And that means you will need more space to accommodate the new changes. Thanks to the cloud-based project management software, as your need grows, your cost doesn’t grow proportionately—scalability.
On-premise applications normally require stringent hardware and operating system specifications. However, with cloud-based project management software, requirements are fewer—just a web browser.
Support for Decentralized Teams
Installing and supporting on-premise software can cause a lot of challenges, especially for startups, especially when their staff are in disparate geographical locations and are required to work on a single project as a team.
This can be a real stress for startups. But cloud-based project management software is easy to install and great at offering support for decentralized teams. It is done on the server side, and everyone else on the team gets access simultaneously.
Interoperability
The cloud project management software can integrate seamlessly with other tools that the users already know and use. As a startup company, you can fully benefit from this capacity as it reduces the time you could otherwise use to integrate with other software tools.
Customizing or integrating existing software to make it compatible with cloud-based project management solutions can be exorbitant. Cloud-based software makes it easy to achieve just that. Besides the ease with which it works, the convenience of having all the tools of the trade-in in one location that is easily accessible to the team cannot be underestimated.
Ease of Accessibility
On-premise project management tools can only be accessed from a particular computer or shared over the local network.
If, for instance, the team is working on a project and it is saved in one of the team member’s computer folders, it can be a big headache if he forgets his password or is absent from work. With cloud-based project management software, your team can access it from anywhere and anytime.
Cost-Efficiency
As a startup, you are keen on saving and getting value for your money. Now, a cloud-based project management tool does that. Cloud services offer different pricing options depending on the software features you need. That way, startups can access tools unlike on-premise software, which is hard to purchase.
Challenges of Cloud-Based Project Management
Although cloud computing offers a host of benefits, it does come with its own set of challenges. Below are some challenges you must address before they result in overruns and missed deadlines.
- Cloud Integration with Legacy Systems: To ensure seamless cloud integration with your legacy systems, consider the time and resources it takes. Budget overruns and poor oversight can ruin your cloud collaboration integration.
- Training Internal Teams: Although your IT team may be very familiar with cloud computing, other teams within your organization will benefit from training sessions, which can consume much of your time.
- Coordination & Setup Costs: Cloud computing will require your organization to hire more vendors and spend more office hours coordinating with everyone to maintain a consistent workflow. It will result in higher setup and maintenance costs.
Bottom Line
The cloud is evolving everything today for money-laden and cash-strapped small businesses. Cloud-based project management systems offer business owners a medium to efficiently and effectively handle projects. It is affordable, protected, scalable, and offers the over-the-top interoperability required to move your business.
You can begin by trying out the top cloud project management products above to find out which best suits your needs.
If you’re just starting out, you can also look for open-source or free project management software. Take note of your most important features, prioritize them over your non-essentials, and compare other factors like pricing, scalability, device accessibility (for mobility), and vendor reputation to choose the right one for your company.
Frequently Asked Questions
With cloud-based project management tools, teams and project managers can coordinate the planning, teamwork, monitoring, and project execution. Rather than using a whiteboard and sticky notes, the software offers a variety of tools that allow them to work together.
The cloud-based project management system stores all project documents, software, and data in a safe, centralized location synchronized across devices. Aside from being easily accessible, data in the cloud is more secure and available in real-time to all team members, regardless of location.
Supriya is a highly skilled content writer with over 8 years of experience in the SaaS domain. She believes in curating engaging, informative, and SEO-friendly content to simplify highly technical concepts. With an expansive portfolio of long-format blogs, newsletters, whitepapers, and case studies, Supriya is dedicated to staying in touch with emerging SaaS trends to produce relevant and reliable content.