There’s a new player in the business world, and it’s a game changer. The number of companies – small, medium, and large – moving to the cloud is at an all-time high, and the situation continues to only improve. From cloud storage, to cloud computing, the benefits now vastly outnumber any potential downside, and businesses that may have initially written it off as the latest fad are now steadfast converts.
The cloud offers ample opportunity to save time and money, and boost productivity, for virtually any business, regardless of size, product, or niche.
Increase the Bottom Line
The bottom line has to be a top concern. And the cloud delivers. Migrating to a cloud service provider allows your company to save money on everything from office software, data storage, and maintenance. This is especially important for small to mid-sized businesses that likely don’t have the budget or space for a dedicated IT department or network administrator. Outsourcing to an established provider like Box, Dropbox, or Google Drive saves money on two fronts: the actual cost itself is, in many cases, not much more than $5-10 per user per month. Secondly, the management and maintenance of the system is the responsibility of the provider. There’s no costly data servers or repairs, or expensive personnel. You simply pay your low monthly fee, and reap the benefit of world-class servers, large volumes of storage space, highly skilled technicians, and a multitude of third-party integration opportunities.
The cloud levels the playing field that way. You have access to technology and personnel that used to be the exclusive domain of very large companies with budgets much larger than your own. But not anymore.
Complete Data Backup
Used to be that all your important files existed as paper documents stored in cabinets and boxes. Then, with the digital revolution, you were able to digitize and store those documents as paperless files on a computer. Both have their drawbacks, the greatest of which is that your files are pinned to a physical location. If there was a fire, or theft, or flood, of system failure, your crucial files were gone. Enter the cloud. Now, your files are stored in the ether of cyberspace, and if something happens to your physical computer, you simply access from another entry point to retrieve them. Any computer with internet access. Programs to automatically archive or digitize your files make this even more efficient. A paperless office environment saves money on printing and copying costs, as well as functioning in smaller spaces that don’t require large cabinets devoted to files.
Access from Anywhere
Cloud storage systems work anywhere with an internet connection. And the convenience that offers is invaluable. Suddenly, you and your employees can pull up any file, any customer profile, from any location. Work from home. Work from the road. Your desk. A restaurant during an important business lunch. Never find yourself without everything you need, when you need it. You don’t need to remember to copy it to a USB, or email it to another computer. It’s already there. Desktop computers. Laptops. Tablets. Mobile devices.
File Creation and Editing
Rather than having to spring for expensive office suites for each individual user and tied to one computer, most of the big players in the cloud service world offer excellent and robust file creation capabilities built right-in. Google Drive provides document, spreadsheet, and presentation creation from within their system. For free. Microsoft OneDrive has basic office suite production (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), with a paid upgrade to Microsoft 365, which is a full-service cloud replacement for their Office Suite. Create and edit online, and the file is immediately available on any device, anywhere, at any time. How’s that for productivity?
Seamless Collaboration
Sharing via the cloud is instant and painless. Gone are the days of having to email something to a colleague, waiting for a reply, and then replacing the original file with the revised one. The cloud allows for real-time collaboration. Share any file or folder. Work on it together, over any distance, with any and all changes appearing simultaneously to every user. The changes can even be color-coded by individual in some cases. You’re instantly connected with every other employee, and every file is available to everyone.
Plan for Growth
In addition to its low cost, the cloud also boasts configurable and scalable tiers of service. Start small, and the cost and functionality will match that. As your company grows, upgrading service and capabilities is as easy as changing your account settings. As you need more, you add it. More storage. Greater security. Deeper program integration. Additional third-party functions. It’s all there for the taking, without the cost, hassle, and headaches of having to upgrade your own personal servers and networks.
Bringing It All Together
The cloud service providers, in most cases, work well with many other systems and programs that your business might need. Customer relationship management, finances and accounting, communication, and a slew of specialized services are available as an add-on, plugin, or upgrade. No longer do they operate as separate entities…you get full and complete system integration. And like the cloud service itself, you’re on the hook only for the cost per user (if any), and not the expensive upkeep and initial purchase cost.
A migration to the cloud saves time, money, and frustration. Office equipment and programs designed with the cloud in mind further boost productivity, workflow efficiency, and overall mobility. Employees have access to everything they need – be it file or software – wherever they find themselves.
Be sure and check out our line of ccScan for cloud service providers including Dropbox, Google Drive, Box. For those of you in organizations already using company or division wide Content Management Systems, take a look at ccScan products for Salesforce and SharePoint. Optimize your cloud storage and digitizing tasks to reach the full potential of the cloud. Save time. Save money. Make it easier. Make it automatic. Improve the bottom line. It’s the business dream team. And ccScan can give it to you.
