Partner Article

7 Benefits of Cloud Computing

The widespread adoption of cloud computing has eased many of the challenges facing the modern workforce. With remote workers and mobile sales forces, collaborating among team members could be a tremendous challenge without cloud computing. Here are some of the core benefits of adopting cloud computing for your business.

1. Ease collaboration with partners across the globe.

If you have a mobile workforce, or collaborate with co-workers who work from remote locations, cloud computing eliminates the need for constant emailing of documents back and forth. In many cases, two or more team members can view and update documents in real time, with all parties being able to see changes as they’re made.

2. Streamline processes and project monitoring.

With cloud computing, every team member is constantly up-to-date with the most current documents and can stay on top of projects and timelines. No more confusion on where projects stand, what needs to be done or what’s already been done. You’ll save time and money by avoiding unnecessary delays and duplications.

3. Easy, seamless implementation and integration with other functions, such as social media, business apps and web hosting.Choosing a cloud setup that offers functionality with these different IT functions can help your run your enterprise seamlessly.

4. Reduce technology overhead costs.

Using cloud computing can reduce IT costs by 30 percent, because there’s less customization necessary on the underlying infrastructure. Software updates are automatic, reducing the IT maintenance required over time.

5. Cloud storage isn’t affected by disasters or hardware/software failure.

Power outage mid-report? Failed hard drive? These are no longer major issues when you’re using the cloud. All your documents are stored on a remote server, so even if your entire infrastructure gets wiped out by some unforeseen event, your data remains intact.

6. Access important files from anywhere.

That major infrastructure snafu we just mentioned? Not only is your data still intact, you can access it from any device with a mobile connection. That means you can fire up a brand new laptop and instantly access any documents or files stored in the cloud. It also means that if you’re traveling, you don’t have to worry about downloading dozens of files onto a flash drive for use on the road; you can take your typical travel computing device and stay connected and on top of all your projects.

7. Flexible scalability – upgrade or downgrade based on your storage needs.

A compliment to benefit number four, costs overall tend to be lower when using cloud computing. There’s no need to purchase and customize a large-scale program, and you’ll reduce upfront capital expenses typically required for software licensing and server farms. Even small companies can take advantage of resources that would typically be out of reach, thanks to the combined financial support of both small and large firms utilizing the same platform. With cloud

computing, you’ll pay only for the storage you need and can upgrade or downgrade at any time as your requirements change.

Cloud computing is one of the best IT innovations benefiting small to medium-sized businesses, enabling smaller firms to compete with large corporations without the significant IT overhead costs necessary to run your enterprise on local servers. This dramatic cost savings, combined with improved workflow and protection against lost data, make the cloud a sensible option for modern business.

Robert Stanley is a content producer at Click Software, a field service management software company which also offers a variety of resources on capacity planning and mobile business apps.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Amey Bester .