Cloud storage and computing is one of the most game-changing computing models of the last 10 years, and small businesses can take advantage of this innovation in a variety of ways. Many businesses have already adopted cloud technology, and more do every day – Syntax reports that 72 percent of businesses are using the cloud, and that in three years that number should reach 91 percent. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the ways that cloud storage and computing can benefit your small business and why you should adopt it.
It’s Cheaper
Cloud computing saves your organization money in a number of ways. For one, it lowers your overall power costs, especially if you maintain your own server rooms, since you no longer have to maintain servers on site. This means cheaper rent for facilities, less air conditioning costs, and a variety of parallel savings that come with the reduction in physical computers and servers on-site.
Secondly, it reduces your infrastructural costs by reducing your in-house IT costs as well as the start-up costs if you’ve yet to build an IT department. These various savings apply to a huge number of different businesses – NSK, Inc., points out that 82 percent of companies report saving money by moving their storage and computing to the cloud. Cloud hosting gives you massive-scale computing and storage capacity while minimizing your costs.
Always Available
Cloud-hosted storage and apps are available from most devices anywhere that has a connection to the Internet. Take for instance the Flint app. Flint is an cloud-based app that can take payments and easily keep track of invoicing from a computer or mobile device anywhere you might be. This accessibility allows your office to exist wherever you and your staff might be, rather than chaining your organization to their desks. The ability to access files and resources from anywhere makes collaboration easier as well, since saving and accessing files through the cloud can let everyone work from the same master documents. Should you run out of data storage space, upgrading takes only a moment to do. When you need more power and storage, scaling up is just the click of a mouse away with cloud computing and storage.
Risk Reduction
The cloud offers a variety of benefits when it comes to security. First, security for cloud solutions is often very strict due to the ISO security standards that cloud data and computing services must follow, as well as regular security audits. Furthermore, the reduction in the number of physical machines that data is stored on in your organization reduces the risk of physical hardware being stolen or lost – after all, Salesforce reports that 800,000 laptops are lost per year in just airports alone. People make mistakes, but you can rest easy knowing that your most important data isn’t stored on something as easily misplaced as a laptop. On a similar note, cloud backups mean that even if you do lose a physical computing device, the data is stored elsewhere. This iteration protects you in the event of a local server failure, lost smartphone or broken laptop.
