Cloud Computing For Small Business

Not normally our area of expertise, perhaps better said as not our area of expertise! However we were working with a client recently and time, cost and the need to improve systems were all apparent in their business.

This got us thinking… We actually use cloud computing a lot. Our email, our CRM, our document storage, pretty much everything is stored and used over the internet. This means that we don’t need expensive IT equipment, we can also replace kit fairly easily and it doesn’t stop us working.

So why isn’t everyone doing it?

Symantec Survey

We picked up this piece of research via a survey done by Symantec. It looked at business’s perceptions of cloud computing. There are some interesting outcomes here, some of which are worth looking at as they could offer you, your clients and our clients some real benefits.

Cloud Computing For Small Business – Headaches

Take a look at this short summary. SaaS stands for ‘software as a service’, in other words instead of buying outright you simply pay to use it (took us a while to figure that one!)

The bottom line here is that cloud computing appears to offer lower cost, quicker and more flexible solutions. The ‘lower cost’ and ‘quicker’ certainly appealed to us. The fact that you don’t need a phd in computer science to get it in place is also a big plus.

The Big Benefit of Cloud Computing

This table was the one that got our client excited (OK, they don’t get out much, but you get the idea…)

A clear 100% saw benefit in there being less distraction from their core business. Spot on!

Too many small businesses get pulled in all directions then lose focus on what they were originally great at doing.

The Cloud Computing Reality Check

Let’s be straight. We are not resellers of cloud solutions, we are not IT experts. What we do is look for solutions for our clients. We are great at finding funding solutions, however this can mean addressing issues along the way.

We are not suggesting you change your whole systems, rather that there are options out there that offer;

• Less distraction
• Lower cost
• Need less expertise
• Quicker and more efficient

Which means that it is worth looking at.

If you are thinking about using cloud computing more then feel free to get in touch and we will share our personal experiences with you.

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