Cloud computing was merely a buzzword that nobody understood just over a decade ago. Nobody trusted it, and industry experts didn’t realize that cloud computing would soon become the go-to for on-demand computer system resources. Now, it has expanded to a $368.97 billion global industry that infiltrates every corner of business management, data storage, and general business processes. And according to Gartner, 3/4 of businesses that use cloud services plan to increase their expenditure over the next few years.
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Grow With Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is being felt further afield too, revolutionising access to gaming products: whereas previously gamers had to download and install gigabytes of data onto their console’s or PC’s hard drive, they need now only have a subscription to Xbox Game Pass, Switch Online, or the new PlayStation Plus to be able to play (stream) games from the cloud, meaning they are liberated from both having to have the game itself downloaded on hardware they own and from the need to have the console itself. Cloud computing isn’t just in a business bubble.
Fuelled by an exponential pandemic-fuelled growth in cloud-based solutions, businesses are now looking at cloud solutions to maximize growth potential. As studies reveal cloud solutions can help a business grow 19%, let’s explore how they hold so much power over a rapidly digitized business world.
Scalable Storage Whenever It’s Needed
The initial flagship service for cloud computing was online storage. The cloud provides growing businesses with a space to host their operations, have storage, carry out backups, host an entire business, and enable additional cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) packages. The obvious benefit here for growing brands is the space to scale a business at any given point. There’s no need for expensive servers, server upgrades, unreliable hard drives – the cloud provides a single point of access to data that’s easily scalable with a simple request for more storage space.
Plus, easy backups mitigate the risk somewhat of catastrophic data losses no matter how much data storage is utilized. Additionally, employees and users won’t be working with unsynchronised data because all data is always already present, up-to-date, reducing the possibility of errors and re-doing work on a project because of a simple administrative overlook. Cloud-based solutions aren’t just aimed at helping businesses, but they will fundamentally make employees’ lives easier too.
Cost-Saving SaaS Cloud-Based Solutions
Cost-saving is top on the list for growing businesses in the early stages of their development – especially considering 29% of the one in five brands that fail suffer because they run out of cash. SaaS often utilizes the cloud as a channel to host their services, which means employees can access SaaS solutions anywhere, so long as they have a compatible device.
SaaS subscriptions are designed to be risk-free, cost-effective, and accessible anywhere, much like the cloud is. Combining this with a SaaS payment management solution, businesses can further control their expenditures with real-time spending insights.
Examples of SaaS cloud-based software businesses can use include DropBox, HubSpot, DocuSign, and Mail Chimp.
The New Hybrid Working Era
The new hybrid working era is a big focal point in the business industry as brands find ways to move from the now dominant work-from-home culture towards a hybrid working era. There will be a lot of pushing and pulling on this radically new culture. Traditional office dynamics could be totally upended, as is what a working day looks like, feels like, acts like. Innovation for tech companies in this space will go a long way to determining what’s possible, as well as what a company intends for its employees.
While some tech startups are seeking to replicating the traffic and naturalness of a physical office space in a digital, game-like, others will lean into the remoteness and develop solutions that hadn’t previously been considered, extrapolate from current solutions to fully embed them in the working culture. Teams will be made up of people working from Lagos, New York, Tokyo, and Berlin, stretching across time zones and geography, accomplishing tasks which directly contribute to their collective project.
The cloud is the perfect solution. Widespread accessibility means that teams working from home and in the office can work in unison. The cloud is updated automatically with every new entry, making data highly visible and accessible to anyone with access.
Cloud-based solutions like shared calendars, documents, and video call technology have become the driving force behind the ability to adopt a hybrid working model. Office 365 is the perfect example of a cloud-based solution that does all of the above.
Operating using the cloud has numerous advantages for a growing business. It’s easy to operate and understand, and the ever-growing list of features and associated software is propelling the cloud industry towards a predicted trillion-dollar global industry worth by 2025. Every business can utilize at least one of the powerful cloud-based features and solutions to support growth.
