IT has become such an integral part of the business world that the cloud isn’t just about software anymore — it’s also a key business tool. While some stakeholders are excited about the transition to and prevalence of the cloud, others see it as a dreaded inevitability.

Regardless of how one feels about the cloud, it’s important to understand the advantages and capabilities of the cloud from a business perspective. There are several ways in which the cloud offers unique opportunities that can transform the business for the better.

​Outsourcing

The cloud enables businesses to leverage outside experts in areas such as hosting and managed services. This is a huge advantage for smaller or resource-constrained companies that don’t have the infrastructure to support these programs. In this way, cloud technologies actually free up internal resources to focus on higher priority initiatives.

Employee Benefits

The cloud enables employees to access business data anywhere from any device, allowing companies to provide some additional perks to their employees that will help with recruitment and retention efforts. For example, businesses can offer bring your own device (BYOD) programs that allow employees to choose the device on which they receive corporate email.

Additionally, many businesses take advantage of volume purchasing programs to provide employees with the latest devices. This serves the dual purpose of boosting productivity and equipping employees with the tools they need to do their jobs well.

Business Continuity

The cloud’s powerful storage capabilities mean that businesses can ensure their customers that data and systems can be quickly restored in the case of an outage or incident. Industry-standard service level agreements (SLAs) and an abundance of service providers have resulted in a strong hosting market that can offer many advantages to businesses and their customers.

Budget Flexibility 

Cloud-based solutions offer businesses the opportunity to move budget dollars around between CapEx and OpEx spend. Many providers have flexible licensing options and are willing to work with businesses on license and pricing models.

Collaboration

Thanks to cloud-based technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and unified communications, business colleagues can be more collaborative and integrated than ever before. Teams made up of remote and geographically disparate members can still collaborate in real-time and quickly exchange ideas and content.

The cloud unleashes some powerful tools that benefit businesses in today’s environment. Businesses need to seriously consider whether they are fully leveraging all that the cloud has to offer. eXemplify can help companies ensure their cloud strategies are in line with industry standards and making a positive impact for the business. For more information on our cloud services, contact eXemplify today.