The cloud something much more than just a means to help you store data or access your information on multiple devices. There’s an ever-growing list of tools and applications for the technology that can actually transform your business.
For some small business owners though, the cloud is still an underutilized resource. And for many of them, it’s just a matter of their lack of knowledge holding them back.
Transforming Business in the Cloud Twitter Chat
That’s why it’s so important for small business owners, entrepreneurs and tech experts to share ideas and expertise about using cloud technology. Some small business owners got an opportunity to do just that as part of a Twitter chat on Monday, May 1 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. ET.
Small Business Trends founder and CEO Anita Campbell (@smallbiztrends) and General Manager of Worldwide Marketing-Cloud Services for Microsoft, Maria Groeschel (@MariaGroeschel) discussed “Transforming Business in the Cloud” with other entrepreneurs and professionals in the Microsoft-sponsored chat.
You can see the entire archived twitter chat by following #MSBizTips on Twitter. And check out excerpts from the chat below.
First, chat participants discussed the potential benefits of cloud computing.
Q2: What are the top 3 benefits small businesses get from cloud computing? #MSBizTips
— Anita Campbell (@smallbiztrends) May 1, 2017
A2: The #Cloud saves you time, money & enables you to get more done, while built-in #security features give you peace of mind. #MSBizTips
— Maria (@MariaGroeschel) May 1, 2017
A2: Accessibility is huge for me. Security & frequency of updates also big. Always using a “new” version. #MSBizTips
— Robert Brady (@robert_brady) May 1, 2017
A2: Easy collaboration with others, pay for what you need, expand quickly when needed. #MSBizTips
— DeborahEdwards-Onoro (@redcrew) May 1, 2017
Then, entrepreneurs discussed the possibility of making the switch from on-premises computing to the cloud.
@smallbiztrends A3: There are some great pieces of software out there that can assist with the transition 😉 #MSBiztips
— The Singing Tech ? (@SingingTech) May 1, 2017
A3a: Great Q! Ask yourself what your business objectives are and let that guide your transition to the #Cloud #MSBizTips
— Maria (@MariaGroeschel) May 1, 2017
A3 As for adopting the cloud, maybe look for a few simple cloud tools to meet simple goals and expand from there? #MSBizTips
— Shawn Hessinger (@Shawn_Hessinger) May 1, 2017
Chat participants also went into some more details about actual Microsoft tools that can help when it comes to using cloud technology.
Q5: What are the most popular @Microsoft cloud apps among small businesses? And why? #MSBizTips
— Anita Campbell (@smallbiztrends) May 1, 2017
@Lyceum A5 Yes, we use Skype all day every day. #MSBizTips
— Gail Gardner (@GrowMap) May 1, 2017
@smallbiztrends @Microsoft We’re really proud of #MicrosoftTeams. Especially with #SMBs seeking more opportunities for collaboration. #MSBizTips
— David Smith (@DavidSmithSMB) May 1, 2017
Then chat participants shared some real world examples of how the cloud has helped businesses.
Q9: Can you point to a case study that illustrates how small businesses are winning from the cloud? #MSBizTips
— Anita Campbell (@smallbiztrends) May 1, 2017
A9a: @Kaporal jeans, a retailer in France, uses @MSFTDynamics365, @Office365 and @SQLServer to grow and manage inventory #MSBizTips
— Maria (@MariaGroeschel) May 1, 2017
A9) Case Study: Linking Social Media Engagement to Consumer Spending.
Social Proof=Buying AutoRetweets!https://t.co/FdmU3cEBIO#MSBizTips
— Devumi (@devumi) May 1, 2017
wow! these examples may have just put me back in the soon to be @surface user playing field! #graphicdesign #msbiztips https://t.co/LbQmqOAgGe
— mountaintownboutique (@shop_mtb) May 1, 2017
And finally, you can see what entrepreneurs find important when it comes to choosing a cloud vendor.
Q10: What should you look for in a cloud vendor? #MSBizTips
— Anita Campbell (@smallbiztrends) May 1, 2017
This is so critical for #smallbiz-find a trusted partner who can help you use tech to solve your biz problems! #MSBizTips #smallbusinessweek https://t.co/Ow1o9ukszo
— Carol Roth (@caroljsroth) May 1, 2017
A10 How about asking @Scobleizer ? 😉 ?, experience, track record, quality, price, lead-time. #msbiztips https://t.co/zK7tLXWPuK
— Martin Lindeskog (@Lyceum) May 1, 2017
A10b: Also, vendors with broad cloud app experience are key to ensuring everything will work seamlessly together #MSBizTips
— Maria (@MariaGroeschel) May 1, 2017
Cloud Photo via Shutterstock
