The Cloud is here, and it’s changing how businesses do work around the world, every day.
Many businesses, in fact, don’t realize just how useful cloud services can be to virtually any organization. Thanks to the recent boom in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and other distributed software efforts, there are few organizational aspects to a business that can’t be moved to the cloud.
“Embracing the Cloud” doesn’t mean a single application. It means embracing an architecture and network design philosophy that allows for almost unlimited expansion and integration of future software services.
What does this mean? Let’s take a look.
How Cloud Services Streamline And Grow Businesses, Today AND Tomorrow
For starters, here are just a few of the services and business functions that can be moved onto the cloud. This is far from an inclusive list:
- Distributed networks with autonomous security systems, which allow secure logins from any location in the world.
- Internet-based Voice-over-IP telephone or videoconferencing services.
- Universal telephone systems with consistent extensions.
- Remote IT administration / Helpdesk support
- Virtual call centers, invisibly redirecting around the world, or even to individual agents’ homes.
- Hosted computer Operating System environments, using a client/server model for streaming.
- Offsite product fulfillment or post-sale support
- Accounting, bookkeeping, systems audits, and other financial services.
- Unified cross-platform messaging that can turn texts into phone calls, or voicemails into MP3s.
- Hosted collaborative document sharing, with live revisions and side-by-side chatvideo.
- Human resources, payroll, and other employment services.
- Company stores or promotional item depots, including print-on-demand services.
- Offsite data backup storage, management, and disaster recovery.
- Custom app and software development.
- Legal data-handling compliance audits and procedural updates.
Basically, a one-man operation (in physical reality) could be utilizing a worldwide network of offsite providers to replicate the features of a far larger firm. Or, a growing enterprise could easily offer the same services as multi-nationals that greatly outclass it in physical assets.
What are some of the overall benefits?
1 – Reduce overhead.
Virtually every offsite cloud-based service means less physical investment in your local offices. Fewer servers means less climate control, reduced electrical usage, more floor space available, and an overall reduction in your daily costs.
2 – Predictable billing.
Cloud-based services virtually always rely on per-month or per-user charges, allowing once-unpredictable expenses to be collapsed into normalized ongoing operating costs. In some cases – such as leasing hardware and software together – “free” hardware upgrades may even be part of the ongoing service agreement, removing discrete upgrade costs from the equation.
3 – Create a go-anywhere workforce.
The cloud brings big benefits to your workers as well. From improved telecommuting, to universal access from any global location, it means your workers remain productive no matter where they go. Geography becomes nearly irrelevant to doing business, aside from shipping times on physical materials.
Business Intelligence 101 has the skills, experience, and partners necessary to take any company into cloud-based streamlined success. To learn more, contact us for a free consultation!