Business benefits of Cloud Computing
Adopting Cloud services offers a number of benefits, as highlighted below:- 1. Reduced capital expenditure – Cloud computing avoids large upfront investments. Instead, you can pay a predictable monthly or annual fee, helping with budgeting and cashflow.
- 2. Availability anytime, anywhere – as long as you have an internet connection, you can access your information and work from any device, anywhere. Not only does this allow your employees to work more flexibly and enjoy a better work-life balance, it improves responsiveness and customer service.
- 3. Flexibility and scalability – Cloud services can be scaled in accordance with your business growth. This makes them ideal for fast growing businesses. Extra capacity can be purchased on an as needed basis, rather than making over-allowances for future requirements. Likewise, you can scale down again if necessary.
- 4. Reduced administration – with automatically administered software updates, you can save time and maintenance costs. This means you can focus on running your business.
- 5. Collaboration – by making your data and documents more accessible, your employees can work together more effectively. Importantly, this promotes teamwork and collaboration.
- 6. Backup – as your data resides in the Cloud, it is stored across multiple servers and data centres, rather than a single physical device. This protects against data loss and provides a suitable backup option for your business.
- 7. Security – this may seem a contradiction, particularly given the fears concerning Cloud security. In reality, you are less likely to suffer an attack in the Cloud as providers apply more sophisticated layers of security. Moreover, they automatically update patches and fixes behind the scenes. Few SMEs have the time or resources to match these security levels. Hence, your data may actually be more secure in the Cloud.
- 8. Competitive advantage – moving to the cloud gives small businesses access to enterprise-class technology, without large upfront investments. This means they can compete with the big players, whilst remaining lean and agile.
