Cloud Computing Technology

When running a small business, or starting a new company, keeping costs to a minimum is important. You need to be able to reduce the amount of money that you spend so that you can keep the doors open as long as possible. Cloud computing is one type of technology that has the potential to save your business quite a bit of money over the long-term. How exactly can it help your business?

Reduced Costs for Software

One way that cloud computing can help your business is by reducing the amount of money that you have to invest in software for your employees. By using programs that are available through open source or cloud technology, you can enable access for each of your employees to the programs without having to install them on every computer.

Traditional working practices are changing with the growth and spread of cloud capability. The flexibility cloud-based programs can provide comes as a boon to many employees; particularly those who have young children or chronic ailments.  For these people – a day at home does not mean a day off work.

There are also implicit benefits for adopters and embracers of the ‘cloud’. A start-up business without the finances to rent office space and furnish it accordingly can still employ workers and operate as a business.  The potential to scale upwards when profits increase is always there.

And these technologies and open source software are not limited to corporate clients. Google Docs and many elements of the brilliant Ubuntu project are available for individuals and can change the way we work and experience the internet. In the work sphere – something like Google Docs or Open Office can be used rather than installing the usual word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software on each computer. And of course, these programs are free to use, and it can be accessed anywhere that has an Internet connection.
More Productive

Cloud computing technology can also benefit your small business by making your workers more productive. By using cloud computing, your employees can collaborate with one another very easily. The files that they need to share and access are located on a remote server. This means that anyone in the company can work on a project with someone else through the cloud. Your employees can even access their work while they are out of the office. When a key employee has to stay home for the day, he can still get some work done remotely.

Less Money on Servers

In addition to saving you money on the cost of software, using cloud computing can also save you the vast expense of installing on-site servers.  Instead of having to invest thousands of dollars in hardware, you can simply use a cloud server. All of your files can be stored remotely in this virtual space, also saving you the space a server (or servers) would have taken up on your business premises.  For a start up business, this can provide a real boost in available funds – with which you can develop your enterprise.

Outbound Calling

Cloud technology can have many more applications for your business, beyond the aforementioned. If your aim is to set-up an outbound call centre – no matter how small the team of operatives is – you can do this virtually. Telesales campaigns, customer outreach and other contact centre functions can be performed without implementing the traditional expensive infrastructure by using a hosted predictive dialler. Saving on capital expenditure in this way or by employing other cloud-based systems makes absolute sense – particularly if you have just started out in business.  The number of possibilities and the efficiency of the ever improving ‘virtual office space’ grows by the day. Inherent in these changes is the capacity of the ICT industry to help combat – or at least not worsen – climate change.

 

Guest Author Bio:  Emily James is a researcher for LeanCall. As well as working as a freelance copywriter she has a keen interest in the environment and workers’ rights. In her spare time she loves collecting fossils and playing retro platform games.