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Top 4 Cloud Services Tips for Staying Competitive in 2019

To remain competitive in the modern business world, businesses need to leverage the benefits of technology services. One service that’s become exceedingly popular among businesses is the Cloud. As a virtual storage space that allows you to work from anywhere, the Cloud will accommodate around 67% of enterprise processes by 2020. If you want to learn more about how it could work for you, it’s time to explore some of the ways it can help you stay competitive.

Leverage flexible working

In not-so-distant memory, flexible working was a dream for most people. Thanks to technologies such as the Cloud, that dream is now a reality.

Flexible working allows your employees to work from home, remote desk spaces, or anywhere with an Internet connection. Using the Cloud, your employees can connect with each other as if they’re in the same room, no matter where they are. Flexible working has also proven to increase productivity. For example, allowing your employees to skip their commute and work from home, may result in higher moral, positivity, and as a result, more productivity.  A recent study by Stanford University also found that “employee attrition decreased by 50 percent among the telecommuters, they took shorter breaks, had fewer sick days, and took less time off. Not to mention the reduced carbon emission from few autos clogging up the morning commute.” – Scott Mautz, Inc.com

By introducing a flexible working policy, you may attract a higher caliber of employees who make your business more competitive.

Save money and increase efficiencies

As your business fluctuates or grows, so will your IT requirements. By owning all hardware and equipment, periods of growth command higher spending on hard disk drives. However, by using the Cloud, you can scale your storage space in line with the natural fluctuations of your business needs. As a result, you won’t waste money on larger disk space that becomes redundant or on hardware that needs to be maintained.

Reduce business downtime

All business are at risk of experiencing downtime due to a security breach of data. On average business downtime can cost $5,600 per minute. Storing data primarily on hard drives makes your data vulnerable, and the resulting downtime restricts productivity, reduces your ability to deliver your services to customers, and in turn, can affect your reputation. 

However, by storing processes and data in the Cloud, you can maintain your usual business processes and reduce financial losses.

Increase data security

The Cloud strengthens the security of your data by storing data in its original form, encrypting data to secure it from illegal editing and corruption, and storing logs of data access, edits and copies. 

As stolen identities and data held for ransom continue to be a threat for businesses and individuals alike, offering a high-level of data security, through cloud storage and backup, you can offer your customers a competitive advantage.
Providing flexible work environments, saving money, and protecting your data are just a few out of the many ways the Cloud can help your business become more competitive. Now is the time to find a dependable service provider that can meet your business’s needs.

trying to remain competitive in a modern business world, you need to use technology to your advantage. One service that’s become exceedingly popular among businesses is the cloud. As a virtual storage space that allows you to work from anywhere, the cloud will accommodate around 67% of enterprise processes by 2020. If you want to learn more about how it could work for you, it’s time to explore some of the ways it can help you stay competitive.

Leverage flexible working

In not-so-distant memory, flexible working was a dream for most people. Thanks to technologies such as the cloud, it’s now a reality.

Flexible working allows your employees to occasionally work from home. It also gives them the chance to work while they’re on the road, such as at conferences and during business trips. Using the cloud, your employees in the office can liaise with their colleagues on the road.

If you’re wondering why flexible working is advantageous, it’s worth considering how it could make your employees more productive. When you allow employees to occasionally work from home, they cut out their commute. In many cases, employees are more refreshed and can become more productive as a result. By introducing a flexible working policy, you may attract a higher caliber of employees who make your business more competitive.

Save money and increase efficiencies

As your business fluctuates or grows, so will your IT requirements. In the past, periods of growth would command higher spending on hard disk drives. Thanks to the cloud, that’s no longer an issue.

Using the cloud, you can increase and decrease your storage in line with changes to your business. As a result, you won’t waste money on a larger hard disk drive that then becomes redundant. You’ll also spend less on maintaining said drives as the cloud is virtual.

Reduce business downtime

Most businesses will face periods of downtime at some stage. Unfortunately, each day your business is down is a day where you’re losing profit. If you store your data primarily on hard drives, you’re at risk of damaging your reputation too.

When most of your business processes are stored in the cloud, you can maintain some of your usual business processes and reduce financial losses. On average, business downtime costs $5,600 per minute. Being able to reduce those losses gives you the chance to invest that money elsewhere. At the same time, you’ll minimize the risk of damaging your reputation.

Increase data security

Like many business owners, you probably understand how much trust your customers place in you. They presume that you’re keeping their data safe, but can you be sure it’s as safe as they’re expecting?

Depending on the type of cloud service you use, you could strengthen your business’s data safety. Many cloud services offer ultra-strong encryption, which is incredibly difficult for hackers to penetrate. When you can promote this safety to your customers and clients, they may feel more comfortable using you over your competitors.

From safer data storage to saving money, there are lots of ways to become more competitive while using cloud services. If you’re ready to make the leap, it’s time for you to find a dependable service provider who can meet your business’s needs.

Diving Into The Cloud For Your Business

Is your business considering a move to cloud computing? It’s a smart move that many companies have made. In fact, 88% of enterprise workloads will be in the cloud by 2020. However, you may be hesitant to dive into the cloud. You may have concerns about costs, implementation, security, and employee training.

Those are all normal concerns, but the reality is, cloud services can offer an abundance of benefits for your organization. With the cloud, it’s much easier to scale and be flexible. If you are on the fence about cloud computing, you’ll appreciate this practical guide.

What is cloud computing?

Let’s start with the basics. The cloud is basically a virtual workspace that connects users from anywhere and allows them to store and exchange information. It’s a model of sharing resources, software, and information through a network.

What are the different types of cloud computing?

There are three primary cloud types:

  • Public cloud: services delivered through the internet
  • Private cloud: internal usage by a single organization
  • Hybrid cloud: a mixture of public and private

Beyond these three cloud types, there are different types of cloud computing services, including:

  • SaaS (software as a service): applications accessible by users via a web browser
  • PaaS (platform as a service): a space for application development and testing
  • IaaS (infrastructure as a service): computing resources in a virtual environment used for data storage, virtualization, networking, and servers

According to a recent survey, 89% of companies use SaaS. So, you may be already using the cloud in some way, depending on what type of software you use. But could you be leveraging the cloud further?

Advantages of cloud computing

Securely access your data

The security of your data is always top of mind. And you may feel uneasy about it living in the cloud instead of on a server on-site. With the cloud, you’ll have all the security protocols you need as well as direct control over access to the data. With a private cloud, you have the security you need to remain compliant and ensure the protection of your data as the network is only accessible by your employees. Feel confident in accessing, sharing, and storing data with cloud services.

Improve efficiency

Cloud computing can have a positive effect on your company’s efficiency. With the cloud, you’ll eliminate the need to upgrade your IT infrastructure constantly. Plus, you won’t have storage concerns or challenges with sharing information amongst your team. Instead of constantly emailing documents back and forth, they can remain in the cloud for collaborative workflows.

Ensure flexibility and reliability

A cloud infrastructure allows you to run all your critical applications. Even if there is infrastructure damage, your applications won’t face any downtime. Plus, with a cloud, you can easily scale as your business grows. This agility can also enable you to adapt quickly to changing environments. This type of flexibility can provide you with a competitive advantage.

Diving into the cloud doesn’t have to be swimming with sharks! 

At GroupOne, we build strategic cloud computing services for companies that fit their needs and their budget. Our process includes getting to know your business and what matters most to you. Then we can design a cloud service ecosystem that meets your needs today and tomorrow.

Contact us today to discuss cloud service and how we can help.