Cloud computing was introduced in the 1960s, but it didn’t gain popularity until the late ’90s and early 2000s dot-com era when it was widely adopted by chief information officers. In today’s digital age, online cloud storage that can protect and securely back up documents isn’t just for large corporations anymore — it is a must for businesses of all sizes.
Other offerings such as syncing and collaboration can benefit your business too.
If you’re skeptical of moving your growing business to the cloud, consider this: According to ESNA, 82 percent of companies that use cloud services reported saving money, and 80 percent of cloud adopters reported improvements within six months of moving a business to the cloud.
Additionally, 87 percent of cloud users say they would recommend cloud computing to their peers and colleagues.
#1. Scaling — Growing and Shrinking
According to an AMI-Partners study backed by Microsoft, small businesses are losing $24 billion in productivity annually due to non-technical employees having to help manage the business’s IT program. Gianpaolo Carraro, Microsoft Australia’s SMB director, recommends that small businesses should scale down and embrace cloud technology to combat ineffective IT management.
Cutting costs during hard financial times or a slow economy can directly impact your business. If you’re thinking about scaling down, look to the cloud. Many companies trim down costs by cutting IT budgets and moving to online services in the cloud that don’t require expensive server hardware, backup systems, cooling systems or utility costs like traditional IT infrastructure.
If your business is experiencing growth, upgrade your cloud service to accommodate more users accordingly.
With the cloud, your costs increase as your business grows, and you only pay for what you use. This makes the switch to the cloud a savvy business decision.
#2. Collaboration
As your business grows, you may have more employees in different locations. If you’ve experienced hiccups with your current means of collaboration, such as back and forth emails, cloud computing is a nice fix.
Cloud computing can bring your on-site employees and remote employees together with seamless, interactive collaboration among all team members no matter their location.
#3. 24×7 Access
Accessing the cloud is also convenient. Like many small business owners, you may find yourself always on the go.
Attending morning meetings and gathering with clients in the afternoon can make for a hectic day, especially if you’re shuffling through documents and scrolling through hundreds of emails to find what you’re looking for.
Cloud services can be accessed anywhere, anytime, which can make your on-the-go lifestyle a little bit easier and more organized.
You’ll never have to worry about misplacing an important document, because all of your files will be securely backed up in the cloud. Also, you and your employees can access files and documents that are stored in the cloud on any device with Internet capability.
Cloud storage is becoming standard for document storing and file sharing among growing businesses. Small growing businesses can benefit greatly by using cloud storage systems for reasons including ease of use, collaboration and scalability.