Three Reasons Why Cloud Computing Can Increase Your Productivity

Each day there is more and more discussion about cloud computing. Most of it revolves around how it will be the wave of the future, the next big thing, and how your business should be utilizing it (if you aren?t already).

There are many claims about cloud computing. Here are three valid, factual reasons why it could improve your business?s productivity and efficiency.

1) Storing data securely. Perhaps the biggest reason to adopt a cloud storage strategy is a cure for what we?ll call the ?Grandma?s Attic? method of storage. In your Grandma?s musty attic are many boxes?some are marked with a list of the contents, most are not. Let?s say your Uncle Charlie has just passed away, and you have been given the unenviable task finding his will, which wasn?t kept in a safety deposit box (Charlie was born before the Depression, so early on he developed an innate mistrust of banks). Grandma seems to recall that it was last seen in her attic?who knows how long ago?and she?s in no shape to go up there for more than a few minutes, so you take on the job of going upstairs to look for it. Soon the minutes have turned into hours and you?ve searched through about half the boxes without finding it.

Does this sound a lot like your company?s archived data storage system? No one really knows which hard drive or which server has the information you need to research a frequent customer?s sales history, of which he says he?d like a copy. Admittedly, in the past when data was entered and saved a record was supposed to be kept, but apparently volumes of information have been added over the years without that being done. There was no master file record ever made during that time and no one has any idea what the numbers in the cryptic filenames mean. This requires someone to open and look at each one. You recall that Louise, your previous bookkeeper, knew where everything was?but since she?s passed away that information has gone with her.

If you migrate your data to the cloud, the cloud service provider (CSP) you?ve chosen could maintain such a record for you. Imagine being able to search through your company?s records with ease from your desktop computer! Plus, the physical amount of storage space that the previous archives required can now be used for something else. Security issues are nonexistent, as CSPs pride themselves in secure data storage.

2) Truly organized information.? This goes right along with the above. If you have anything like that system, there?s no doubt that you?ve got some work ahead of you as far as deciphering and organizing that data. However, as it is slowly worked through it can be added to your company?s files on the CSP?s storage system. One of the biggest benefits is that even though your late bookkeeper Louise is gone (for example), the information will live on. In fact, whenever any employee leaves the company, you?ll still have access to the information they left behind. Obviously this is a much more organized system.

3) Collaboration becomes much simpler.? Right from the start, you set ground rules for your new cloud storage system. This is how the data is to be organized, it is to be stored in this way. This is so that when a customer?s records are researched there?s not several different organizational formats for his or her data. By having each record entered and stored in just such a way, other employees are much better able to access and review it, enabling the collaborative effort. Many of these efforts seem to fail because employees grow tired of the search process and the sometimes Byzantine method by which the data was stored. By following a set procedure for organizing and storing it, that reason given for lack of collaboration goes out the door.

Be assured that there are more good arguments for adopting a cloud storage strategy. This article was meant to address some of the common reasons why small businesspersons seem hesitant. It?s certainly worth a deeper look at what cloud computing has to offer.

Source: http://www.thebackuplist.com/three-reasons-why-cloud-computing-can-increase-your-productivity/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=three-reasons-why-cloud-computing-can-increase-your-productivity

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