For many small business owners, particularly those from an older school than the tech-based up-and-comers who cut their teeth on Facebook and Google’s suite of services, cloud computing sounds as distant and as far-fetched as those white wisps of airborne condensation, high up in the sky, from which its metaphorical name derives.
And the cautious sort might feel it’s more expedient to wait it out and see if those other businesses do come out ahead in the long run, or if it’s just another internet fad, like MySpace, for instance, which died an abrupt death in the early mid-2000s.
Cloud computing is too useful, too efficient and too cost-friendly to get kicked to the curb; the only thing in any real danger of extinction is your small business, if you don’t capitalize on this technology. Here’s why.
Instantaneous Communication
If you have smartphone then you probably already appreciate that you can receive text, email and other notifications at a moment’s notice. Have you considered how that could translate in your work environment, among your employees and yourself? While it takes effort to keep the line between work and personal time from blurring, cloud computing makes office hours-communication accessible and timely, and allows employees to perform tasks like syncing calendars and contacts across a broad spectrum in just a few key strokes.
Mobile Freedom
Whatever device you or any of your employees have that can access internet can also access your cloud, meaning that files, documents and even applications and software are available from virtually anywhere in the world. This is also a nice way for you – and your employees – to take advantage of telecommuting options, which also means that sick kids or inclement weather needn’t disrupt daily work flow.
Attractive Cost
Switching to the cloud essentially mainstreams your IT needs, reducing the number of specialists required to keep your technology running at optimum performance, meaning that instead of an entire department, you can rely on just one person or a few people, a great boon for your budget. The amount of cloud storage you need, too, can be easily adjusted depending on your business’s needs, so you won’t be spending superfluous money on unused space storage.
Reliable Security
Security is a major concern for anyone with a laptop and an internet connection. So how safe is all the data you keep on your cloud? Surprisingly, it’s very safe, as long as you choose a supplier with a trusted reputation and your tech staff keeps abreast of the latest safety developments.
Increased Efficiency
All of these bullet points lend themselves to increased efficiency. Less disruption for daily office tasks, an organized core of data from which all of your employees are primed to draw and the flexibility to add and delete storage, programs and applications as necessary puts your business on the cutting edge of a technology that is only just beginning to realize its full potential. It’s only going to get better and brighter from here.
