December 23, 2024
Let’s start by acknowledging that for some offices, going fully remote might not be practical, desirable, or even possible. But being able to work from home — at least part of the time — is an important perk for a lot of workers, who overwhelmingly list “no commute” as their biggest reason why.
There are plenty of incentives for businesses to adopt remote-friendly tools as well. And cloud computing solutions have certainly had plenty of time to demonstrate their ROI. So in this blog, we’ll focus our attention there.
Top Cloud Computing Benefits for Businesses
As more and more software providers are switching to subscription models, businesses often have been forced into cloud computing, little by little. Cloud software delivery isn’t going away, and while subscriptions will require a bit more management, here are more reasons to go all in.
1. Increase Productivity Organization-Wide
Start by understanding how your users function best — personally and in the role they are filling for you. If you have a mobile sales team, ensure they have the tools they need on the road. If you have an open office environment, but your employees sometimes require a space or the ability to go somewhere with fewer interruptions, cloud computing tools make it easy for them to do that. Cloud tools make it much easier for people to work when they’re at their best, which may not always be between the hours of 8:00 and 5:00.
Essentially, your office no longer has to be one-size-fits-all, and these new tools make it possible to design a space that can improve productivity for every department.
2. Enhance Collaboration
Before the pandemic, it was frequently assumed that teams with special collaboration needs needed to be in the same room.
Every organization is different, but believe it or not, the assumption that in-person collaboration is inherently going to produce better results might not be true. Here are a few cloud collaboration benefits that are hard to argue with:
- Cloud collaboration tools make it easier for everyone’s ideas to be heard equally, regardless of their communication style
- It’s easier for everyone to quickly access the resources they need
- Features like meeting recording and automatic transcription can capture key points without requiring someone to take notes, which can negatively impact their ability to fully participate
- Cloud tools can better accommodate team members with Language, hearing, and visual impairments
- Cloud tools make it incredibly easy for everyone to collaborate on the same document simultaneously
3. Get More Insight
This won’t come as a shock — in-office time isn’t always productive time. It can sometimes be difficult to tell who’s actually contributing more to the success of your company when the only available metrics are who stays latest, who speaks up the most, and who’s most visible.
Cloud computing tools make it much easier for companies to get insight into the status of high-priority projects, identify where bottlenecks are occurring, and optimize processes. These tools can also make it easier to see who your true star performers really are.
4. Gain Flexibility and Scalability
Technology changes in hardware and software happen frequently. A cloud computing environment provides a better alternative for managing and applying these updates and adjusting to changes throughout your organization. It’s also much easier to add or remove features and users as needed.
5. Streamline Onboarding
Cloud-based virtual desktops, also known as Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS), can help simplify onboarding for your IT team and for new employees. Everything, including the operating system, apps, and data storage, can be delivered through a secure connection.
6. Facilitate Faster Disaster Recovery
There is definitely still value to be had in tape backup systems. But cloud computing tools can make disaster recovery exceptionally quick.
7. Prevent Data Loss
Have you ever worked on a document only to have your computer crash on you when you were almost finished?
Back in the day, that meant your work was only as good as your last save. And if you ever accidentally saved over something else, the original was gone. People make mistakes, hardware can fail, and laptops can get stolen. No single data storage solution is 100% foolproof, but cloud storage is much safer than the alternatives. Preventing data loss in the cloud, just like preventing data loss elsewhere, just requires following a few best practices.
8. Get Automate Upgrades
Updating on-premises systems can be time-consuming, disruptive, and hard on your budget. Cloud tools are updated automatically, which can make life easier for your IT team.
What You Should Know About Cloud Computing Infrastructure
If you’re hoping to incorporate more cloud computing tools, there is one caveat we should mention.
Cloud apps can require a lot of bandwidth! And unless your network is optimized for cloud tools, you might see some performance issues, including lag, freezing, poor video and audio quality when video conferencing, slow file transfers, and the like.
Get Expert Cloud Computing Consulting
Once you’re in the cloud, quite a few things tend to get easier. Getting cloud-ready can be a challenge, though, depending on your current infrastructure.
And unless your organization’s IT department has specialized cloud expertise, you should consider partnering with an outside provider to help with the transition and set you up for success. The common cloud migration frustrations and security concerns some small to midsize businesses experience are avoidable when you work with IT professionals who help clients with these kinds of complex IT projects every day.
Cloud migration, security, and optimization are some of our specialties here at Marco, and we’re happy to meet organizations where they’re at. Click the link below to do a deeper dive on this topic!
