Yet another formerly-out-out-reach-for-small-and-medium-business technology tool is not only accessible but mainstream today: Cloud computing. It’s now a $45 billion-plus industry, expected to grow at an annual rate of 28 percent at least through 2015. We’re talking nearly $100 billion! More than 6 million small and medium-sized businesses purchased their first cloud service last year, with millions more to follow. The cloud is being a called a game changer and an equalizer, because the technology levels the playing field among businesses. Even the smallest businesses have access to enterprise-level applications, making them instantly more competitive.
Why has the cloud taken off? Reports The Huffington Post: (in partnership with American Express OPEN): It’s on demand. It’s burstable (A lot of it can be used). It’s elastic (You can use very little). It’s metered (A business pays for only what it uses). Of the cloud’s three service models, SaaS (software as a service) is the most heavily used by smaller businesses—for office productivity, such as email, word processing, crunching numbers, online file sharing and basic forms of communication. It’s also used for security purposes, including downloading spamware, malware and intrusion protection software.
There are still barriers, though: Security, performance and integration are the ones small business owners describe most often. Still, growth in cloud technology implementation in small businesses continues. As more and more businesses move to the cloud, they’re reaping more and more benefits: Reach, agility, pay-as-you-go cost, not needing a bunch of hardware or IT specialists—and yes, security. Cloud experts say that more business data was probably lost “the old way,” as in people failing to back up their data. With the cloud, businesses can also connect with employees and customers in ways they couldn’t before, to collaborate or chat or respond.
As The Guardian points out, with cloud computing businesses streamline their operations, and staff time is freed up to focus on the things that matter most: Customer care, generating revenue, staying competitive. Cloud computing is actually perfect for small business, the site says, starting with the elimination of having to buy/license software. Instead, businesses are renting services they actually need. The absence of major investments upfront is another huge benefit.
And there’s no installing, maintaining, repairing downloading updates, worrying about security or needing a server. IT issues are handled by your service provider! As business conditions or staff size or operational needs change, scaling up or down is a piece of cake. The cloud makes your business nimble and agile, with the ability to change or adapt to just about anything.
Remember when you were tethered to a pc or a network? The cloud liberates you and your staff to access data, work, share and collaborate from anywhere in the world.
It’s hard to find any downside to cloud computing for anyone, especially small and mid-size businesses. To understand more, take a look at this short, interactive guide to cloud computing at Microsoft Small Business Support. Not only will it help you learn more about things like cloud reliability and security, but the guide will also help you decide if cloud computing is right for your business.
Understanding specific applications and their benefits is helpful, too. There are countless cloud services out there now, with more coming on the market all the time. To make it easier to choose, PC Magazine pulled together an overview of 20 of the top cloud services. Happy reading!
Image courtesy of ddpavumba / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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