The word “cloud” immediately conjures up a vision of fluffy objects floating on the blue sky. In this digital era, the term is used as a way to store and share information in an online realm. The technology has evoked endless opportunities and implementations. Many professionals, organizations and businesses can be helped appropriately. The cloud technology is one of the latest implementations of the online world, although it is not really a new technology. During the very early era of the Internet, people were already able to store and share information from a distant location.
However, the technology has been enhanced even further and it is now possible for users to run software located in distant servers. It means that users with low-powered laptops are able to run resources-intense software remotely. Cloud technology is “one demand” and it is designed to be both secure and safe to use. Cloud technology can be used for retail shopping, online banking and other purposes. Small businesses should consider incorporating cloud-based software in their daily operations. Until fairly recently, people typically install software in their locally located computers or at least in their networks. This can be rather challenging, especially if the local computers are ill-suited to run the software.
Running software locally should be seen as a time-consuming and expensive procedure. This could result in significant monetary expense. There are different reasons why small businesses should use software located in the cloud:
- Accessibility: With cloud-based software, all related employee details, company information, business records and any pertinent information essential to the overall operations can also be stored in the cloud. Locally-located software will also need to access this information, which will consume a large space in hard drive. Any employee with the right authorization could access the information securely. This could be performed the same way with accessing a website or any online portal.
- Ease of use and easy set up: Previously, the complexity of setting up and using cloud-based software could vary significantly. However, we could now get excellent implementations on various software solutions. For users, they may only need basic computer and Internet skills. There are also free coaching sessions that users can choose to improve their skills in using cloud-based technology.
- Reduced costs: Many owners of small businesses will immediately cringe at the actual costs of purchasing and installing software in dozens or even hundreds of individual machines. This could become a significant source of expense for start-ups that need to equip their computers with appropriate software. As an example, the cost of Windows 10 OS alone can be prohibitively expensive for many small businesses, if it needs to be installed on multiple computers. Software will also need to be maintained regularly with new upgrades and completely new versions.
- Customer benefits: In fact, customers will also be able to access the shared software and this will increase the customer benefit. This is essential because customers will need to be allowed to stay informed. Businesses can also increase sales, while staying competitive.