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Small Business Cloud Technology
Are you wondering whether you should move your small business to the Cloud? If you aren’t, you should. The Cloud provides many benefits for the small business sector. It’s fast becoming the new normal because if used right, it can help to improve cash flow and cut operational costs.
Cloud technologies provide new opportunities to drive growth and success. Need convincing? Here are 10 ways that your small business can profit from using the Cloud.
1. Scale Your IT Infrastructure To Save Money
The Cloud allows for the deployment of services and solutions on an as-needed basis. This means that you can grow your IT infrastructure or recede it based on demand. This will enable you to shift workloads from overburdened areas to underutilized IT assets.
Cloud deployments offer flexibility that we never had in the past. They are inexpensive, efficient, and responsive to demand. You pay for the server load you need and nothing more.
Your cost for data management can be scaled for use. This provides an economical solution for small businesses that must watch every dollar. And, this level of agility offers you an advantage over competitors who don’t use cloud computing.
2. Never Lose Business During Peak Demand Times
E-commerce can make for unpredictable server loads. A spike in demand might overload traditional servers and limit your customers’ access to your services or products. A cloud-hosted infrastructure can automatically spins-up to meet the demand, so you never lose business or customers.
3. Keep Your Capital
With pay-as-you-go cloud-based services there’s no large capital outlay required. There’s no high cost for hardware. You pay for services with a subscription-based model, so there’s no out-of-pocket, upfront expense required. Include the ease-of-setup, and you’ve started saving money from the first step you take to adopt the Cloud.
4. Cut Your IT Labor Costs
In-house IT staff can be expensive to support. When you rely on cloud-based IT service and support you not only eliminate downtime but the expense of employing 24/7 resources to support your infrastructure. With cloud-based IT support, you share labor costs with others and can take advantage of economies of scale. You can’t do this on your own with in-house support.
5. Increase Employees’ Productivity
In 2018, small businesses everywhere are benefiting from collaborative work environments that cloud-based office platforms provide. Solutions like Microsoft Office 365 and G Suite from Google promote team-based projects where multiple users can work on projects and documents in real-time simultaneously.
No more emailing files back and forth will save time. And no more wondering, if versions are the most up-to-date, will save frustrations. If your employees are still emailing documents back and forth, moving to a cloud platform like Microsoft Office 365 can significantly improve their efficiency and productivity.
Plus, when you utilize cloud computing, all of your files are stored centrally where your authorized users have the access they need. Improved collaboration equates to better work and a healthier bottom line.
6. Telecommuting Cuts Costs
Small-business foundations are shifting. Many have realized that telecommuting provides many benefits over tradition in-the-office workspaces. With cloud technology workers can meet virtually with tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom where they can share their desktop and laptop screens with other meeting attendants wherever they are.
Web-based meetings save money in travel time and expense. Real-time communication promotes collaboration between groups and managers in disparate locations. Experts estimate that by 2020, almost three-fourths of the workforce will be working remotely for these reasons.
7. Cloud Backups Save You From Data Disasters That Can Cost You Your Business
Information security and business continuity after a disaster continue to be a significant concern for small businesses. Threats abound with ransomware infections, accidental data deletions and even natural disasters. A 2017 survey by the Better Business Bureau revealed that only 35 percent of businesses said that they could remain profitable for more than three months if they lost access to their critical data.
With cloud-based data storage, you can keep your business running if your onsite data is destroyed. A system that backs up your data to the Cloud in real time provides the security you need from data disasters. With the right managed backup system, your data will be recoverable whenever you need it.
8. No Time Wasted Worrying About Updating Software
When you use cloud computing, your servers are hosted off-premise and managed for you by your cloud provider. This includes security updates for the cloud-based software you use. All software is automatically updated – you and your staff won’t have to waste time worrying if everything is up-to-date, including security updates. This leaves you the time to focus on growing your business, and your employees on their tasks at hand.
9. You Can Grow Your Small Business With Big Data
Today, small businesses are beginning to utilize big data. This is because now with cloud computing they have the processing power they need to manage and use large quantities of data.
This also provides the capability to analyze in-depth customer information to make better decisions. Plus, you can provide your clients with the relevant information they need in a timely fashion and adjust the services you offer in real time. Open-source platforms facilitate cloud-based computing to handle the “heavy lifting.”
10. Benefit From Increased IT Security That Saves You In Lost Data
What happens if an employee loses a laptop with your clients’ confidential information? With cloud computing, the data on this laptop could be wiped clean. You’ll have greater security because your IT provider can implement solutions like mobile device management, intrusion protection and remote management and monitoring that will protect your data from getting into the hands of criminals. Plus, if your data is lost on a computer, you still have access to it in the Cloud.
The team at ICS can ensure you use the right cloud solutions for your small business. We’ll help you use the Cloud to save money and direct your energies and capital to boost profits and growth.
Jason Simons
Vice President
Innovative Communication Systems
sales@ics-com.net
1-281-819-5829
www.ics-com.net
Further reading
ICS is a Texas-based 40-year-old technology company specializing in Managed IT, VoIP, Video Conferencing and Video Surveillance solutions for US and International businesses. ICS has over 4000 regional installations and specializes in multi-site businesses between 25 and 2500 employees. ICS’s customers enjoy the experience of ICS’s Total Care program which provides clients flat fee services with obsolescence and growth protection. Whether a customer elects to deploy their IT, Video Conferencing or VoIP in the cloud or on the customer’s premise, ICS can provide a full turn-key solution for our clients under one flat monthly fee.