The process of storing and managing data and business on the internet has seen a major boom in the recent years, with several high wealth corporations and small businesses adopting the trend. Managing your work through the internet is not only convenient but also makes it accessible from various locations, allowing you and your employees to build a seamless work communication. There are several programs and applications that can be installed on your computers, smartphones, tablets and notebooks, which allow you to manage your work from anywhere. These include applications for cloud storage, CRM software and project management apps etc. to maximize the efficiency of your employees and create a flexible workplace. Listed below are some great cloud apps to grow your small team into a well-oiled machine.
1. Microsoft Office 365
Launched in 2011, Office 365 is an essential cloud storage service, which allows the users to store view and edit MS office documents on OneDrive; Microsoft's cloud service. For small business, a single subscription of Office 365, will allow them to install a single copy of MS office 2013 on 5 computers. Office 365 also comes with a handy little app ‘Office on Demand', which temporarily installs Word, PowerPoint and Excel on any system and saves the documents on the cloud. Temporary install means, the programs will automatically be deleted from the system on shutdown.
2. Google Drive
Being the most popular among all search engines, Google launched its cloud services in 2012 and boasts of more than 250 million users across the globe. Google Drive, it seamlessly connects your computer to a cloud storage service and automatically uploads all the documents that you place in the drive folder on your computer. You can either use the app version, which can be installed on any computer or device and automatically synchronizes a special drive folder to the cloud. The web version allows storing, editing and viewing word, excelling and PPT documents directly without installing MS office on your computer.
3. Adobe Connect
Available for Windows, iOS and Linux, Adobe Connect is a next generation tool that helps you create a virtual office environment and cloud storage. Storing documents, video and audio conferencing, meeting rooms, reporting, content library are some of the major features of the Abode Connect which will help you with your day to day business needs. Upon signing up, you will be able to use the service on 100 devices making it a great deal. As it is based on Adobe Flash, its interface can be completely customized according to your preferences, making it an essential tool if you want to distinguish yourself from your contemporaries.
4. Evernote
Evernote, as the name suggests is a highly popular app used primarily for not taking and archival of data. While all the data can be stored on the local device, one can also upload and save a master copy on the Evernote cloud servers and make it available across the various platforms. Evernote is also known for its support for a huge number of devices and platforms such as Windows, iOS, Linux, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phones and web applications for Firefox, Opera, Chrome and Yandex. A support for so many platforms makes it highly popular for small business all across the globe.
5. DropBox for Business
Initially launched as a free cloud storage service in 2008, DropBox now also offers its services for business users on a freemium basis. Simply install the client software on your device and it allows you to upload documents and files to their cloud servers, regardless of their size (upto 10 GB/file). While the free version allows you to upload only 20 GB of data in a day, the Business version increases that cap to a massive 200 GB of data each day making it an attractive choice for both new and older businesses.
Cloud computing benefits you and your business in several ways. It makes collaboration more fluid as you and your employees can access their work from anyplace with an internet connection. You can view and edit any information on the cloud from multiple locations across the globe, establishing seamless ‘on-the-go' communication with your employees.
