Hype about business Cloud services refuses to dissipate with seemingly every vendor offering some Cloud-enabled product or service. But does the Cloud actually have anything to offer small and micro businesses?
Well yes, actually, it does.
Improved agility
41% of those who adopt business Cloud services report an increase in “agility”. How this manifests differs between organisations, but users commonly report lower operating costs and greater efficiency. In fact, research suggests that one third of businesses can achieve greater agility without increasing capital investment.
Improved productivity
Being able to access company resources any place, any time from any device means that employees have the potential to be productive around the clock. And the “Business Agility in the Cloud” report from Harvard Business Review proves that this is not some vain hope for business owners – 61% say that using Cloud services has indeed boosted productivity.
Competitive advantages
The increased flexibility provided by business Cloud services and the pay-as-you-go licensing model have wide-reaching consequences. With staff becoming more productive, and systems simpler to manage, 74% of IT managers believe that the Cloud actually gives their business a distinct competitive advantage.
Security advantages
Protecting your data is not only good business sense – in most cases it is mandated by law. The good news is that 36% of Cloud users believe that hosted technologies actually increase their security and data protection – again without a corresponding rise in capital investment.
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