Cloud computing is the great equaliser. With how cloud technology can fuel business growth, it allows small businesses compete on a level playing field with big ones. It makes enterprise platforms affordable and allows any business to access anything, anywhere. In a world dominated by giants, the ability to be lean and agile is a significant advantage to any business.
According to the Cloud Industry Forum, 84% of British businesses have adopted some level of cloud computing. That number is expected to grow steadily over the coming years. Now the industry is better managed and offers a much higher quality of service, it has become a powerful resource for businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Here are just a few business functions where cloud technologies can help you grow.
Office productivity
Cloud technology can fuel business growth by increasing office productivity. Products such as Microsoft Office 365 have revolutionised the way smaller businesses can operate. Once the preserve of large enterprises with significant IT budgets, the cloud has significantly lowered the barrier to entry.
The power, flexibility and breadth of tools available with a productivity suite of this calibre is hard to understate. The inclusion of collaboration tools, cloud storage, document sharing, version control and security make Office 365 a must-have for any business.
Big data
It took decades to recognise how much benefit could be derived out of all that data we store. Now we know, all businesses of all shapes and sizes want a piece of it. Big data is regarded as the next big growth area so Microsoft Power Bi or Oracle Cloud are good tools to have around.
Both allow access to the potential of this data. Either to utilise for your own benefit or to monetise for the benefit of others.
CRM
CRM applications used to be big, expensive, clunky and needed their own hardware to run. Cloud operated CRM applications are the antithesis of that. Outfits such as Salesforce, Sage and Adobe all offer cloud CRM applications, as do hundreds of other companies.
Choice is now its own problem but it means that whatever your needs, there is a CRM solution out there that is perfect.
Accounting
Finance is at the core of any organisation but managing money can offer quite the challenge to many small businesses. The proliferation of cloud accounting software such as Xero, Clearbooks or Quickfile brings enterprise-class accounting to the small business. While the learning curve is still as steep as ever, the platforms and training are now available to all.
Each of these four business areas has a multitude of vendors that deliver some class-leading solutions. All accessible to small businesses, all affordable and all offering powerful platforms from which to build a successful enterprise. There really is no excuse for any new business to not make use of them.
If you would like to know more about how cloud technology can fuel business growth for you, contact Excalibur today on 01793 538881. We are cloud experts!
