SMEs are a major source of strengthening the economy of a country. They not only serve as an engine for innovation and growth but also offer job opportunities to the masses. Furthermore, they hold a huge potential to transform into a large business, which makes them put more effort into their operations. It is easy for a small business to get on the path of expansion and growth if it leverages the right tools and resources, like the ones that the cloud offers to enhance its productivity.
However, when it comes to the classification of businesses as large, medium, or small, there are a number of factors, such as the scale of operations, number of employees, revenue, capital, etc., that determine the criteria. The resources available to a small business are limited, requiring them to make optimal use of them.
Cloud adoption is becoming more and more crucial and beneficial for businesses and organizations of all sizes. This is due to the several huge benefits it offers them. However, when it comes to small businesses, the advantages cloud offers them are overwhelming.
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Benefits of Cloud Adoption for a Small Business
It is a common misconception that only large businesses or enterprises with huge capitals can afford to benefit from the cloud. On the contrary, cloud solutions and technologies are as easily accessible and advantageous to SMEs as to large businesses, if not more. Small businesses can leverage this to their advantage and remove most of the obstacles they are faced with due to their limited resources.
Cloud solutions can provide SMEs the initial “nudge” they need in their stages of infancy to boost the effectiveness of their operations and business activities.
Here are some of the advantages that a small business can expect cloud adoption to bring along:
Ease of Collaboration
The workforce of today is physically dispersed as well as diverse. This means that businesses depend on effective and efficient collaboration more than ever before. As cloud equips a business with central maintenance for its data, the problems that come with physical distance are taken out of the equation. Cloud solutions offer real-time collaboration, making communication between departments and employees extremely efficient and, consequently, business projects easier to carry out.
When an employee leaves a task on a cloud network, the next employee can take it over right from the point where it was left. Efficient communication, coordination, and collaboration can be critically important for a small business that has a limited number of skilled employees.
SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS (SDVOSB)
Enhanced Security
Cloud houses all the data of an organization in a central location. This makes it more convenient, from an administrative point of view, to secure it. This means that a database that is centralized has the potential of being protected in a better manner than one that is dispersed. For this reason, cloud solutions for data storage have less chance of getting lost to cybercrimes than all other solutions.
What is more, is that a business does not lose data that is stored on a device if it gets stolen or lost as the information is kept safe from unauthorized access and is always backed up on the cloud. Change the password for cloud network access, and it will be secured. This benefit is not there in the case of data being stored sporadically across a number of different devices.
Efficiency
The cloud servers are way superior to in-house ones in terms of performance. Not only that but there are a number of effective and efficient software and applications related to productivity on the cloud network. This means that small businesses with their “not so advanced” devices can enhance their overall efficiency through cloud adoption. Cloud solutions can increase the productivity of employees of SMEs beyond the workplace obstacles.
Flexibility
Cloud adoption mitigates the need to buy a personal computer for each new employee as just creating a new user will do the job. Similarly, employees of a small business do not have to rely on their devices to access the cloud network as only the correct login credentials are enough for them to get working. This means that work will not stop even if an employee, for some reason, is unable to turn up to the workplace.
Scalability
Growth and expansion of SMEs were not possible without procuring additional IT equipment and hardware to support new employees before the introduction of the cloud. On the other hand, downsizing meant a waste of all the incurred expenditure for additional hardware procurement. With cloud adoption, small businesses can scale up or down much more easily by simply creating new users over their network and removing them, respectively. Similarly, acquiring a new tool, software, or cloud resource requires a nominal fee and a few minutes.
Compatibility
With cloud adoption, all performance or security-related patches, as well as updates, autonomously occur at a single location. This is not the case with a conventional infrastructure in which every individual system has to be updated manually and separately. This not only saves time that the IT team can spend on value-adding operations but remediates concerns regarding poor compatibility as well. Most of the new applications and software are being designed specifically for the cloud, giving small businesses that are on the cloud better compatibility levels to leverage the latest resources.
Cost Reduction
Procurement and maintenance of in-house IT systems and networks require a lot of money. With cloud adoption, not only can a small business save money by cutting its IT budgets, but HR budgets as well.
Small Disadvantaged Business
Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) provides access to specialized skills and capabilities contributing to improved competitiveness and efficiency.
Conclusion to the top 10 reasons for Small Business Cloud Adoption
Cloud adoption is not a luxury for businesses, especially SMEs, anymore, but a necessity. A small business can reduce costs and enhance its productivity and profitability by leveraging the power of the cloud. However, it is important to partner up with an experienced and specialized cloud solutions provider, like Cloud Computing Technologies, to reap the maximum benefits of the cloud. Small businesses can get in touch with CCT to make the most of the cloud and increase their revenues.
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