The cloud has become more and more prominent in the technology world over the last few years with a lot of software moving to a SaaS (software as a service) format and cloud data storage continually growing and become more of the norm. Seemingly everyone is using the cloud in one way or another but are they getting the full potential out of it?
Everyone can benefit from the cloud in some way but small and medium business owners, in particular, can really harness the power of the cloud to grow their SME. Here are a few benefits of using the cloud and how they can help your business.
Data Backup & Storage
Utilizing the cloud means that you are not restricted by your physical location as it is all online. You are not restricted by the need for hardware and equipment.
This freedom created by the cloud can save a business a lot of money. There isn’t the expense of building further IT infrastructure and the cost of constantly maintaining and upgrading it when technology eventually evolves.
Without all of this equipment, you also don’t need a huge space to house it all. This allows a business to cut back on building costs because there isn’t a need for an unnecessarily large office that is just too big for their team to occupy.
The cloud is also a very scalable technology. It’s easy to increase your storage space in the cloud at any time and similarly decrease it if you needed to. Compared to physical storage, it’s a breath of fresh air. Your company is spared from buying really expensive new servers for a peak in your business when you might not need to use them in the future.
This all translates to a lot of savings which be instead spent in further developing the company to help with the overall growth of the business.
A Boost in Productivity
Field and remote workers have a lot more flexibility with the cloud as it allows you to work from anywhere on any device as long as it is connected to the internet. It presents a lot more opportunities to get work done.
This drastically reduces the amount of time that can be spent working on documents, presentations, and other paperwork. On the move and with access to the cloud, work can be done whenever there is time. According to an infographic by Sage, there is a potential 400% increase in productivity in companies that have invested in cloud technologies plus a potential one and a half hours saved per day if remote workers did work from a mobile device.
See Also: 4 Free Business Productivity Apps To Help You Grow Your Small Business
Improving Collaboration
You no longer have to wait for a time where everyone can fit in a face to face meeting. The cloud presents a lot of collaboration tools. The abundance of web-based conferencing applications means that any number of people can have a meeting at any time and come together from multiple locations.
Services like GoToMeeting and even Skype can assist you in putting you in touch with collaborators, suppliers and customers who are further away more easily. As well as increasing collaborating opportunities, carrying out meetings like this can also save a business a lot of time and money. There is no need for expensive travel and accommodation and less time is wasted on planes, trains or in the car. Again all of this spared expense can be invested in business development and the saved time can be spent doing something a lot more productive.
See Also: 5 Essential Tools And Apps To Build Your Early Startup
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Author: Beth Williams
Beth Williams is a marketing manager for Infologic, an independent provider of IT services and solutions.
