With businesses across all industries finding themselves under constant pressure to innovate, there’s a greater case for adopting cloud technology than ever. If your existing IT department is under the strain of increased demand or lack of in-house expertise, it’s time to start following in other small businesses’ footsteps.
Here are five key ways your business can turn cloud enablement into dollars:
#1. Accommodate the borderless workforce
Globally, the mobile workforce accounts for almost 40% of the world’s entire workforce. People are getting more used to working from home and on the move, rather than at an office desk. At the same time, businesses are starting to look beyond their local areas to tap into expertise from around the world.
Cloud technology provides businesses with an inherently collaborative environment that lets you work with a truly borderless workforce. Applications like Office 365, Slack, and Skype make it possible for people to work together in much the same way as they would if they were all seated at the same table, even when they’re a thousand miles apart.
#2. Finely scale back and forth with demand
Scalability is a key concern in an age when customers expect prompt service and are not forgiving about unscheduled downtime. They’re not interested in hearing excuses about your computers going offline due to a sudden increase in demand. Brands easily miss out on in-the-moment opportunities if they can’t scale quickly.
Related article: Is your cloud solution going over budget?
The cloud provides businesses with an easily adaptable infrastructure that isn’t dependent on in-house hardware. For example, you can create and delete virtual desktops just like any other file, and you can add or remove users as demand requires. Ultimately, this means less revenue wasted on excess technology and fewer missed business opportunities.
#3. Align technology with your goals
Many businesses simply don’t have and can’t afford to have the in-house technology expertise necessary to oversee a successful digital transformation strategy. The common outcome is failure to successfully align IT with core business goals, which results in increased risk and excessive spending.
Related article: How Cloud Backup Helps Your Business
Cloud services are managed computing environments designed with flexibility in mind. With a cloud provider on your side, you'll have access not just to the technology your business needs to grow, but also the expertise you need to make the most profitable technology decisions.
#4. Reduce unexpected expenses
Technology downtime is one of the biggest killers of employee productivity and morale, and it has a direct effect on your bottom line in the form of costs of recovery, remediation, and lost revenue. IT can fail without warning, and a critical in-house server going offline unexpectedly can bring business to a halt, not to mention that an in-house server repair or replacement costs a lot.
Cloud technology is delivered as a service — the continuation and integrity of that service being outlined in the service level agreement (SLA) you sign with the provider. Cloud technologies are proactively maintained and updated, while built-in redundancies greatly reduce or even eliminate downtime. That means no unexpected costs to keep things running smoothly.
#5. Keep your data safe
Businesses have a legal and ethical duty to ensure that their data is safe. With cyberattack opportunities rapidly expanding and hackers out in force to steal corporate data, every company needs to put security and compliance at the forefront of its IT strategy.
Related article: How cloud-based data backups can save your business
Cloud providers have access to best-in-class technology, hosted in ultra-modern data centers on a level that no small business can hope to achieve in-house. They also have the administrative controls and security expertise needed to ensure your data is kept safe. In addition, most providers can help with compliance auditing and disaster recovery planning.
Charles IT provides managed IT services in the Hartford area to help organizations become more efficient with proven technology solutions. If you’re in need of technology expertise, give us a call today, or download one of our helpful eBooks.
