A recent survey conducted by Gartner indicates that more than 60% of today’s small and mid-size businesses have already started reaping the benefits of cloud technology. In its early days, there were certain security concerns related to cloud technology that has been addressed in recent years. As the technology has matured, its benefits are being leveraged by businesses for all kinds of creative purposes. Most importantly, these benefits are not limited only to large corporations.
Cloud Technology for Small Businesses: The advent of cloud technology has opened up numerous new avenues for small businesses, providing massive information processing capabilities regardless of their size. This versatile technology can potentially benefit your small business in many different ways.
Mentioned below are some of the biggest ways cloud technology can positively impact a small business.
Cloud-based office systems: Almost every business these days is looking for opportunities to explore collaborative work environments. Compared to traditional programs, cloud-based platforms such as Microsoft Office 365 and Google’s (News - Alert) G Suite offer much better support for projects that are group-based. These platforms allow multiple users to execute their tasks simultaneously, reflecting all changes in real-time across an unlimited number of devices.
Cloud-based workplaces also free-up time and resources for the organization by reducing the workload of IT professionals engaged in the management of the IT infrastructure. Instead of relying on back and forth emails, your organization can significantly improve efficiency by transitioning to a platform such as G Suite.
Scaling infrastructure: One of the most rapidly growing applications of cloud technology is the scaling of cloud-based infrastructure. Cloud-based data infrastructure is not only inexpensive but also efficient and responsive to demand. Just by paying for the server load required by you, you can scale your cost for data management with the use. This is undoubtedly the most economical solution for any small business. Therefore, with cloud technology, paying an exorbitant amount for the massive local server space is no longer necessary.
Remote workspaces: The creation of a location-independent office environment is another key advantage of cloud-based office systems. By collaborating over cloud services, employees can now enjoy the flexibility of working remotely to continue their official tasks even when traveling or attending official conferences. Moreover, cloud technology also helps individuals with a disability or small children overcome social barriers, paving the way for a more inclusive workforce. Experts suggest that by the year 2020, almost 75% of the global workforce will operate remotely.
Big data analytics: More and more small businesses are now beginning to understand the value of big data. With cloud computing, they have access to the necessary processing power to use and organize a large amount of data. Access to deep customer data enables businesses to make better business decisions, This, in turn, allows a business to adjust better to the needs of their customers in real-time.
As a small business owner, shifting to a user-friendly data analytics interface will help you bypass the cost involved in the analysis of such huge amounts of information.
Backups and recovery: Even today, information security is still a significant concern for many small businesses. Unfortunately, for a small IT workforce, comprehensive protection of critical infrastructure is out of the question. It is possible to address these security concerns with the help of cloud-based data storage, by building redundancy into the information management approach of the company. Hybrid systems are capable of providing protection against security breaches by backing up local data to the cloud in real-time. As a result, the reliance on your business on manual backups and physical infrastructure will reduce significantly.
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