The decision of moving to the cloud is one that many organizations spend a lot of time and energy making. Whether an organization moves to the cloud or not will depend both on its business needs and its technology needs. However, there are some instances where moving to the cloud is an easy decision to make.
Global, Online Customers
For a business that has online customers from all around the world, the cloud can be the boost that enables the organization to continue to grow. Global customers want a quick and accurate response time no matter where they are in relation to the location of the business.
Two ways that the cloud helps with this are geographical spread between data centers and how the cloud provider handles failures.
- Geographic Distance Between Servers: The cloud enables a business’s servers to be located in any part of the world–not confined to the same geographic area as the business itself. This means that customers on the opposite side of the globe can access the server nearest them, which will result in improved response times.
- Redundancy: Cloud-based solutions have higher redundancy levels than traditional solutions. Businesses looking to have more of a global reach should ensure that their service level agreement with their cloud provider includes a provision for uptime, which translates into more availability for customers.
Mobility in the Field
Sales and quality personnel are no longer restricted to places they can go physically–which can often include the expenses of flights, lodging, and food– when an organization moves to the cloud. Rather than flying across the world, employees can complete their work on mobile interfaces like smartphones and tablets.
Even if these personnel do have to make field visits, entering data to the cloud means that data is almost always uploaded, even if it has to wait until the employee has a better connection to access it. Data that is entered into the system also becomes available to customers more quickly; this enables the business to make faster, better informed decisions.
Mobile Access
Mobile interfaces also are helping simplify access to the cloud. Instead of either having to learn complicated IT systems or having to rely on only the IT department whenever something technological is needed, mobile interfaces and the cloud make it easy for all employees to do their jobs. This can include an organization’s compliance auditors, customer support, and sales personnel.
Uneven Demand
Cloud services give businesses the ability to access solutions like software-as-a-service (SaaS). Many businesses can benefit from an SaaS distribution model, including those in the following verticals:
- Tourism
- Education
- Specialty retail
- Event management
These businesses and organizations often have seasonal demand for their products or services, which leads to highs and lows in their transactions. Cloud services like SaaS enables these organizations to reduce costs, because they only pay for what they actually use.
Cloud solutions have become an intrinsic part of the technology industry, though many businesses still evaluate the risks and benefits of moving to the cloud. Businesses that aspire to have a more global presence, cut costs, and improve customer relations should consider how moving to the cloud will help them achieve these goals.