Top Five Cloud-Based Business Apps

By Erin Harrison
Executive Editor, Cloud Computing

Most cloud application providers like to tout their offering as “the best,” but in reality, only a few rank among the top. GetApp.com released it latest list of the most popular business cloud apps.

The firm’s ranking of business apps – including CRM, collaboration, accounting and help desk tools – is based on a composite algorithm that incorporates several criteria, including listing popularity with its users, number of user reviews, ratings or integration paths, according to Christophe Primault, CEO of GetApp.com.

“Every month more small businesses visit GetApp.com to discover new applications as they realize the benefits of cloud apps in terms of cost saving and improved productivity,” Primault said. “They are attracted to cloud-based software as it can automate low value tasks and free up scarce resources to do more important tasks for the company.”

The top five business applications in April:

1) Zoho (News - Alert) - Business Management Suite Zoho offers a suite of online Web applications for small business geared towards increasing your productivity and offering easy collaboration (CRM, Accounting, Applicant Tracking, Helpdesk, Project Management).

2) Desk.com - Customer Support and Social CRM Desk.com pulls customer service conversations into one collaborative desktop where service requests are collected and prioritized. It delivers customer support by email, phone, chat, Twitter, Facebook (News - Alert) and more.

3) AtTask - Project and Task Management AtTask is an online project management software that provides a 360-degree view of all workplace activities. It helps all company staff to better understand and organize their work, improving workflows and productivity.

4) Zendesk - Help Desk and Customer Support Zendesk is a customer support and help desk ticketing system. The solution integrates well with all of support channels including email, web, chat and social media.

5) BrightPearl – Integrated Business Management Suite BrightPearl is fully integrated Web-based business management software for small and medium businesses designed specifically to save time, increase sales and make customers happier.

Other business apps that increased their monthly ranking for April:

• GetSatisfaction – Customer support and Social CRM
• Knoodle – Online Training Platform
• Maximizer CRM – Online CRM
• LiveBall – Web Landing Page Optimization
• FreeAgent – Online Bookkeeping and Accounting

Check out the full list of this month’s 25 most popular business apps here.