Hello Small Business, my how you’ve grown. Look at you, optimizing opportunities in cloud computing and capitalizing on your own big data to make more strategic decisions.
Today, businesses of all sizes are realizing the benefits of cloud technology and how it improves the efficiency, productivity and functionality of business operations. The reality is, the percentage of U.S. small businesses using cloud computing is expected to more than double during the next six years, according to a study from consulting firm Emergent Research.
Taking a look at small businesses and the cloud, the Emergent Research study revealed 78 percent of small businesses (companies with less than 50 employees) will be fully adapted to the cloud by 2020 — up from 37 percent in 2014.
Though today’s small businesses are reporting using cloud-based applications chiefly for email, online banking and social media, the expansion of the small business community’s utilization of diverse cloud applications, tools and platforms is anticipated to greatly increase. As this trend grows, Emergent Research forecasts that cloud computing will completely change how small businesses operate by 2020 — as the small business landscape fully adapts to cloud computing.
Why is The Cloud Great for Small Business?
With variable instead of fixed costs, it’s cheaper for small businesses to leverage the cloud. The cloud provides a flexible and scalable platform that greatly enhances a small company’s opportunities to manage, share and control its data.
Below are ways the cloud is reshaping small business productivity today — and why cloud computing may be the coolest thing to happen to small business since the filing cabinet.
Strong 24/7 Security
The cloud gives today’s small businesses an affordable, expansive platform to store data securely. For many small businesses, the cloud adds a security that is unmatched, resulting in data back-up, decreased hacking vulnerability and protection from the latest cyber-security woes. The cloud gives small businesses a security infrastructure that streamlines operations while keeping data safe, allowing small businesses to operate safely 24/7.
Better Collaboration
When a business runs with powerful collaboration, everything from daily operations to exceptional customer service is managed and controlled. Collaboration lets a small business operate like a Fortune 500 firm, keeping clients informed, team members on task and mobile workers functional and effective throughout the business day.
The cloud delivers this degree of collaborative functionality to small businesses. With cloud computing in place, an enterprise can track, manage and schedule tasks 24/7, expanding business productivity and customer care greatly.
Big Boy Data Control
With cloud computing, small businesses can not only collaborate better — they can control their data better in the process. Since cloud computing keeps all data in one central location, all team members can access the data and documents required to stay efficient and on task throughout the business day — and beyond. Employees and managers can analyze projects and tasks with ease to determine more streamlined ways of doing business.
Since files are no longer trapped on one team member’s computer, business productivity can rise to new levels as professionals and teams can work on projects 24/7 whether in the office or at home on their tablets or smartphones.
Whew! Disaster Recovery
When a small business relies on a cloud-based service to store and manage its data, the days of complex disaster recovery headaches are over. Cloud computing adds security for small businesses, negating disasters caused by hacking and cyber threats.
In the event of a natural disaster, having data in the cloud means you don’t have to worry about power requirements, space considerations or physical barriers — your data is safe, stored and accessible from any mobile device. By migrating to the cloud, small businesses position their data to survive a disaster.
Cloud Photo via Shutterstock
I’m not sold on the security of the cloud, but I agree with the other points of the article. I use tons of cloud-based applications and it’s immensely helpful.
Aira Bongco
I don’t know much about security but if you’re using the cloud,. there will still be some risk. Your data will be out there. It will be accessible anywhere. It is convenient but I wouldn’t bet that it is 100% secured.
Emily
Interesting ,Cloud for small business is a cost effective and agile solution to cater to changing requirements that most fledgling businesses encounter. Businesses can manage digital collaboration with other clients on cloud to improve their efficiency.I work with McGladrey here’s how we can help you with the cloud. http://bit.ly/mcgldrycloud
Thank you for your comments! Although cloud security is always the chief concern for small businesses looking to move to the cloud, companies that move to the cloud experience an additional layer of protection to their data that on-premise data hosting organizations may not experience. Enterprises of all sizes that choose to store their data in the cloud not only can benefit from the flexibility that cloud computing provides, but also the data backup that exists in the cloud – disaster recovery. Additionally, many businesses today employ a hybrid cloud solution, hosting some applications onsite, while backing up data offsite for data protection. When it comes to cloud solutions and cloud strategies, it is all about finding the solution – or solutions – that work best for the requirements of your particular business. Again, thank you for your comments, observations and perspectives!
Although I think cloud tools ARE great, you really need to pick and choose the few that are important for your business and help make money, because actually they are not a cost saving but cost a lot more compared to traditionally installed software that is a one off purchase. Start mounting up on your cloud subscriptions and in fact cloud software is costing you a great deal of money. Being a web developer, there are plenty of cloud services that would make our life easier and help with business, but it would cost multiple hundreds of pounds PER MONTH to subscribe to them. That is just not cost effective, so instead we only subscribe to the very important necessary ones.
athar hussain
i think cloud is great cost cutting purchase software small business
Another very important value of cloud for small businesses is affordable expertise.
Most small businesses don’t have the budget to hire the necessary IT, network, and security experts. Therefore, they find themselves less efficient, less competitive, and more vulnerable.
With cloud, in-effect, companies have an IT-in-a-box. They can establish a secure connection to their cloud apps from anywhere and at anytime, without having to worry about uptime, security, and disaster recovery. That inherently allows them to focus on their core competency, as opposed to having to deal with the pains of everyday tools.
Nowadays, cloud is an absolute necessity for small business, and I don’t know how one survives without it.
It seems to me that the cloud-solution allow small business to compete with bigger ones. The former do not have to spend loads of money on the hardware, still remaining highly efficient and productive. From personal experience, at Glorium Technologies, we can state that our clients after using the Cloud turned their IT department into profitable one.