Rather than being considered as an obscure concept, cloud computing is quickly becoming the norm for small businesses everywhere.
A survey conducted in 2015, found that 52% of small business owners had already adopted cloud based storage. However, a lack of awareness and knowledge regarding the advantages it can bring, was what made the others more hesitant to switch.
There are many benefits to moving your business data to the cloud, such as reducing your operating costs and increasing business efficiency. The following are three more advantages cloud computing can bring:
Within a business, employees can work from home or can be on the road to see clients, thus increasing sales. This then poses the the challenge of file sharing and collaborating on documents, as doing this via email makes it difficult to track files, combine revisions and get it to the customer on time.
Using a cloud storage option such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Apple iCloud, and Microsoft OneDrive allows for the convenience to access files no matter where you are as long as there is an internet connection.
It's also easy to share the documents with clients, track progress and back up your files to prevent loss of data.
The installation and maintenance of physical data storage can cost a small businesses thousands of dollars, some of these including:
On the other hand, cloud storage is operated and maintained by an external team of professionals, who's main focus is on maintenance and cyber security.
A cloud based storage is also scalable. Different options can be provided for businesses of all shapes and sizes, with the prices and features tailored to fit your specific needs and intended budget.
Cloud storage providers not only implement the latest cyber security protection, but they also offer safeguards that prevent data loss in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
How would your business be impacts if there was a power outage that caused your data to be inaccessible? It would likely result in a loss of revenue and client confidence. The solution would be to rely on your internal IT team to reboot the system and recover files. This is likely to be very costly and time-consuming, as well as stressful.
Cloud providers have the resources and expertise small businesses simply can't otherwise access when it comes to data storage and protection. Tapping into their strength can help your business stay nimble, grow faster, and even compete with bigger players.
A cloud storage provider has the resources and expertise when it comes to both data storage and protection, that a small business just doesn't have. By tapping into their strength, it can help your business grow faster, stay nimble and even compete with bigger competitors.