Get a Handle on the Cloud and Improve Your Business

The cloud is a dynamic tool that benefits businesses in a variety of ways. Although, it’s important to keep in mind that, as is the nature of any tool, users must know how to leverage its use in order to reap the promised benefits. Without such specialized knowledge, an organization adopting the cloud will essentially have a powerful tool in their possession that does little for them.       

To help your business get the most out of the cloud, you’re first going to want to set goals about what you’re expecting from the cloud. Then, you’ll want to familiarize yourself and those working with this new tool on how the cloud can best be utilized to meet these goals. Essentially, the process of a business adopting the cloud is no different than a how a company would adopt any new tool. Yet, unlike other tools, it can be easy for a business owner to rush to the cloud and adopt a “cloud-first” strategy, simply because it’s trendy and their competitors may be doing so.

When setting goals for your cloud services, it can be difficult to narrow them down. Primarily because the cloud offers enterprises with such a robust selection of benefits (it’s like the digital Swiss Army Knife of business tools). Therefore, we at SCW would like to assist your business as you set your cloud computing goals by sharing three of the main ways that businesses are leveraging the cloud, as well as suggesting how your organization can go about achieving these goals.            

Innovate How Your Business Connects with Consumers
Thanks to the wide availability of Internet-connected technology like smartphones, today’s business model has drastically changed. Consumers are expecting more from businesses and they’re essentially the ones calling the shots. ITProPortal explains, “No longer can businesses rely on just their product or service to win the hearts of consumers. In a world where consumers are in the driver’s seat, businesses need to think of the customer experience first. Customer experience and digital transformation go hand in hand.”

By taking advantage of the cloud and making information and customer service easily accessible online, you’re able to connect with consumers in new ways. You can connect with them about relevant topics like upcoming sales and promotions, or by simply having an active presence on social media. Consumers will appreciate the extra effort that shows you care about their needs and wants, and this extra effort will pay off when it comes to comparing your business with a competitor that hasn’t leveraged technology to better connect with the same marketplace. Here’s additional insight on this from ITProPortal, “Businesses with a low customer intelligence quotient with a large estate of legacy systems, who are resistant to change, with a top heavy decision making culture will naturally find it more difficult to digitally transform.” 

Make Positive Changes to Your Business Model
Cloud computing has the ability to enhance workflows by giving workers anytime/anywhere access to projects and files. This kind of access can dramatically improve company-wide communication and bring about positive changes to any business model. The changes brought about by cloud computing can even be as dramatic as rethinking the role of the office entirely by switching to a remote workforce, thus saving you the major expense of renting and running a traditional office space.    

Enhances Company Culture
When the cloud is leveraged to improve workplace flexibility and communication, employee morale and company culture improves. This in turn positively enhances all aspects of your business, including your bottom line. Of course, going back to the idea that cloud computing is a tool, you’ll want to first have an idea of how the cloud will enhance company culture before implanting it. This can be as simple as presenting your staff with the ways that the cloud can improve operations, and then getting feedback from them about which cloud features and benefits appeal to them the most.

How is your business leveraging cloud computing? If an organization fully understands how to take advantage of the cloud, they’ll experience these three benefits and more. Of course, like with any tool, one should first have clear expectations about what they want to use it for before they enact it. To this end, have a conversation today with SCW about the goals of your company and how cloud computing can assist you with these goals. It’s as easy as picking up the phone and calling (509) 534-1530 to speak to one of our friendly IT technicians.