The business world has changed rapidly in the past few months, with organizations now requiring an on-demand infrastructure, allowing employees to work anywhere anytime. The sudden work from home (WFH) revolution has been one large-scale, rushed experiment, highlighting the importance the cloud has for companies working both remotely and in the office.
Today, very rarely do IT managers and teams ask whether they should implement cloud applications or not. Instead, the question is, what will be our strategy, what workloads will we migrate, how can we accommodate a remote workforce? The cloud is a pillar of IT environments, a part of essential infrastructure, helping to build a more secure and efficient workplace while also saving money.
Why Cloud?
The future is suddenly here, and the cloud has risen to the challenge, bringing flexibility and productivity to employees wherever they are. End-users can benefit from ample storage and computational power in addition to other advanced capabilities without the expenditure of onsite infrastructure.
For the SMB in particular, this means access to services that would otherwise be beyond their means. Let’s take a more in-depth look at three benefits small and medium-sized businesses can expect from using cloud applications.
Flexibility
Cloud technology is what allows employees to work from a virtual environment, having access to the same business data and applications they would at an office. Beyond that which they are used to using, collaboration and communication tools help to keep staff working productively no matter where they are. Team members also have the flexibility to use different devices, such as phones, laptops, and tablets – whether a personal device or one owned by the company, all one needs is an internet connection.
Today, there is no reason to be bound to a desk, especially when work can continue as usual for just about any location.
Scalability
The cloud makes it quick and easy to scale operations and data storage up or down based on demand. This is an excellent feature for any small business looking to grow in the future. Of course, with the current economic downturn, the opposite could be the case. While not the best outcome, the cloud enables organizations also to downsize if necessary.
Something certainly prevalent today, with the use of the cloud, businesses can accommodate significant increases in remote workers at a quick rate and vice versa.
Cost Savings
In an uncertain economy, we cannot underestimate the ability to save money. With the cloud, it is easy to consolidate applications into a multi-application computing service. With resources hosted in a virtual environment, tasks can be completed with relatively little investment, for example, purchasing software and paying someone to install it. Reduced hardware, infrastructure, and software not only cut operational costs but the need to hire additional staff to manage said technologies. Just pay for the subscription and required features, that’s it.
The New Normal
Remote work is the new normal for many, and the cloud is what powers remote work. If SMBs hope to keep up with competitors and keep employees on board, cloud adoption is necessary.