Story:
Why Companies Are Moving Towards Cloud

Many businesses are discussing the cloud today. One of the many things it can do for your business is in the realm of communication. Although there's a lot of buzz about this, it shouldn't dictate your IT purchases. Instead, you should actually question why people are rushing into the cloud. Fortunately, there are some solid, real-world answers for going with cloud communication today.

Monetary Savings

As a smart business owner, you understand the importance of managing your company's budget. This is no different when it comes to your long-term technology needs. Unfortunately, this is an area that can be both complicated and unpredictable though. After all, innovation is occurring rapidly when it comes to today's technology. As such, The budget you create in January could easily become obsolete by December. One of the best ways in which your company can mitigate a lot of this risk is by using a third-party service provider. By moving your business' budget away from focusing on technology and focusing it more on operating expenditures, you have a greater amount of predictability.

The predictable monthly costs associated with cloud communications really will save you a lot of money. This is because when you host your phone system online you're charged on an “as needed” basis – you only pay for what you actually use. Small businesses find that this is very cost-effective for them since they're no longer paying to install and maintain a traditional phone system.

Regardless of the size of your business, once you're using cloud communications you're leveraging shared resources. This is different from an on-site communication system. These traditional systems make it difficult to achieve hardware and software geographic redundancy. However, this isn't the case when multiple businesses are sharing the same resources through a cloud environment. Instead, the level of redundancy that's available to all businesses is much more affordable, especially in contrast to what you're trying to affordably procure with an on-site solution.

Less Time Wasted Micro Managing

Although you may think that you need to have full control over your communications system, you really don't. There's really no good reason you need to understand and manage an email system's inner workings. You can leave this up to companies like Google Apps or Office 365 instead. Since this is their business, they'll do a better job of handling your email than your own company ever could. This is just one of the many examples of areas of your company's communication in which you really don't need to be in control.

Of course, there's the strong, compelling argument about privacy and data ownership. You could even go so far as to argue that you'll have more protection if you're subpoenaed. However, the likelihood of this ever happening isn't very high, which is why it really isn't worth the hassle of running your own communications system. Even if you're discussing something that's hypersensitive there's still the possibility it could fall into the wrong hands since there's a digital trail – other recipients will always have another copy of it.

By outsourcing your communication needs to an IT provider you don't have to hire an entire IT team. With cloud based communication you don't have the burden associated with maintenance nor are you paying for expensive infrastructure. However, you can still scale up or down when necessary. Whether your business is growing, moving, or scaling back you'll find it's easier to do in the cloud. Your business also has the flexibility of adding and accessing new features without needing new hardware. Even if you still choose to continue employing your IT team, they're now free to focus on other high-priority issues instead of continually concerning themselves with your company's communication needs, which can take up a large amount of their time.

You simply need to find the right vendor. Make sure that they're able to maximize your uptime and minimize your downtime as you'll find this is a pivotal part of your business. At the same time, you'll also want to service customers from anywhere. This is why the cloud provider should have multiple, remotely hosted data centers in place. Such a structure really helps you avoid any costly interruptions caused by downtime.

Investing in Your Future

As a business owner nobody has to tell you how important it is to invest in your future. This is especially true when you consider how you never know when a disaster may strike. When it does, business continuity is vital. If you've already moved to the cloud, you can get up and running again quickly. Sometimes you may never go down at all because you can simply reroute calls to other locations (including cell phones), access your voicemail remotely, and use cloud-based auto attendants to provide your customers with the information they need.

These are just a few of the many customized applications you can enjoy when connected to a cloud. Having access to the latest communications applications and developments help boost your company's productivity and revenue stream. Things like customizable business workflows simply aren't available with traditional communications programs.

By slowly transitioning to the cloud, you’re future-proofing your business since most of today's new apps are being developed there. With all the advantages coupled with the ease of using the cloud, this really is where companies are headed today. It only makes sense that your business will want to keep up.

When you move some of your IT needs to the cloud you'll avoid unnecessary costs like those associated with hardware. Considering how fast these things grow obsolete today or how they have a tendency to break at the most inopportune time, this could be a major savings for your business. This alone should be a good enough reason to at least start utilizing the cloud by moving your communication needs there today. By doing so you'll also be freer to concentrate on your core competencies, growing and scaling your business up so it not only survives but thrives in the future.