Stop laughing, it's a serious statement! Cloud computing can offer many benefits to your business to help increase sustainability, efficiency and also cost reduction.
Sustainability
It's an important box to tick in a world that's becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact that business practice can have - today, businesses that can be seen to be paying more than lip service to their carbon footprint is more likely to be deemed responsible, trustworthy and honest. Cloud computing helps to aid the green grade of businesses because you only use the server space that you actually need; which is great for the overheads of your business too, as you'll never pay for server space that you don't need and won't use.
Efficiency
Cloud technology also builds efficiency within teams as well as the technology creates greater capacity for simultaneous collaboration. The phrase real time is one now synonymous with 21st century living. We get real time updates on Facebook and Twitter, constantly keeping abreast of activity taking place anywhere in the world at a given time, and so it makes sense that this way of creating and processing should also lend itself to the way we work. With cloud technology, all documents and information are centralised in one place, accessible anywhere at any time too. Cloud- computing also means that you and your team, your partners and your clients can all work on documents at the same time too-even if you are not in the same space, without the need to continually ping emails back and forth.
Cutting Costs
The efficiency of the technology itself means that many of the costs normally accrued with the IT needs of your business are greatly reduced. As most cloud technology is hosted on off-site servers, there is no need to buy servers, or pay for an IT technician to come and install the machine. Because cloud computing also has strong disaster recovery capabilities costs allocated to making repairs is also minimal. Upgrading systems also becomes easier to manage too, the vast capacity of the software means that adjustments can easily be made. When it comes to cloud solutions for particular aspects of your business, for example for your payroll processing, there is often the option to trial services for free, just so you can make sure you are making the right investment in your business.
Great Examples of Cloud Software to Make Your Life Easier
Being well organised and keeping abreast of all your projects and deadlines key to business success. But day to day, it can be easy to get stuck focusing on particular tasks and forget about upcoming or other on-going projects - having a cloud based project management tool, such as Trello makes this easier for you. In the fast paced world of the twenty first century, the old school tact of having fluorescent post notes littering your walls, floors and coffee cups just won't cut it. The multiple demands facing anyone running a business are immense, and if you're on your own, then having a cloud based system such as Trello is a kin to having a personal secretary, and what's even better is that this secretary comes at a bargain price: it's free!
Other than remaining as organised as possible, the accurate management of your business's finances is paramount to your survival - no matter what trade you are in, from food to DIY services, managing your money means being able to make accurate investments, projections and most importantly of all, being able to sufficiently budget. If you are based in the UK, then tying your system to real time enabling technology means that it will be easier for you to comply with changes to UK tax regulations. With Sage depending on your business needs, you'll have a software package that enables HR and payroll management, time tracking, invoicing and accounting, plus more.
Everyone knows that communicating ideas or important information in business takes on many forms, and in the digital age, with fewer people reading, using visual means is often the first choice. Whether you need an organizational chart for your team, flow charts for your projects or business processes, SWOT analysis for assessing and reviewing the strengths and weakness Gliffy is a great cloud based solution that enables to create and share a variety of visual presentations for your business.
