The term ‘the cloud’ relates to ‘cloud computing’ but has almost become synonymous with anything accessed via the internet. A website hosted on a remote server is in the cloud and has been for the last two decades so why all the hype around this new term. Putting the latest buzzwords aside, for me what we are now starting to see is the ability for smaller business to access software and tools which are powerful, scalable and cost effective which in the past were only available to large corporations with big budgets.
I have worked with internet based businesses for the last 15 years and over this time have witnessed the development of this market. 10 Years ago we were advertising the services of ASP’s (Application Service Providers), and then more recently SaaS (Software as a Service) providers. Today the term is cloud computing or ‘the cloud’ but only now has this market matured to a point where SME’s can truly start to embrace it with confidence. Who knows if the term will last the test of time or if a new buzzword appears but what I am confident about is there’s a genuine benefit for small business to embrace the services which are now available to them.
Advantages for Small Businesses
Small businesses now truly have access to markets and infrastructure which have never been available before and at a cost and flexibility to meet their needs as they grow and adapt. Small businesses need to remain agile and quick to change as they grow and respond to market conditions. Decisions need to be made based on information not gut feel and they now have access to the resources to enable this.
Own Your Website
You can now have a greater control over your websites than ever before thanks to the development and adoption of the WordPress platform. With original content being important for SEO rather than requiring a web developer to update the site this can now be done in house reducing costs and making updates instant.
Marketing – know your cost of conversion
Online marketing has grown significantly over the last few years and include a range of platforms such as AdWords, email marketing and social media marketing but there is one thing they should all share in common and that is their performance should be measured and the cost and time put into each area appraised. Tools such as Google Anaytics and many CRM systems will track sales/leads but are not used enough by small businesses. Social media in particular is a place where many businesses feel they should be but this is not right for all business and allocate too much of their budget here. The data is easily accessible and the cost/benefit should be appraised for all marketing sources.
Huge Choice of Business Software
This is the area where the term the cloud and cloud computing had been most closely aligned. As internet connectivity has improved traditional desktop software is being replaced by online or cloud based software/services. There are many providers now in this market, many who never existed a few years ago and it will continue to grow at a rapid pace over the next few years. The array and choice can appear at times quite daunting but all providers offer basically the same advantages over desktop based software:
Pricing – This tends to be based on a per user/level of functionality basis and is billed monthly or annually with no tie in. Businesses are no longer committing to a major upfront expenditure and with many providers offering a free trial they can appraise the suitability of the software before spending any money.
Scale – As pricing is based on usage many business can start off with what they need and can add additional functionality as they grow.
Maintenance/Back Up – New functionality is released online so no need to update the software yourself and with backups also automated you do not need to run in house servers or require IT staff.
Integration – Many providers have made their software easy to talk with other systems allowing business to create fully automated processes at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems.
Better Collaboration and Resources
With the emergence of new services over the last couple of years communicating and collaborating with teams outside of the traditional office is becoming easier and more commonplace. This has also allowed businesses to recruit and manage remote workers often on a part time basis to supplement their existing team when required.
Should you embrace the cloud?
Business goals have not changed, generally they want to promote their products/services increase revenue, reduce costs and improve efficiency. The challenges are the same, identify opportunities, solve problems and make decisions based on the best information available at the time. Technology has always played a part in this and there has never been more choice for small businesses than there is now.