Thousands of companies mushroom every day in numerous nations around the world. With the advent of the Internet, the scope of startups has skyrocketed as everyone gains an equal footing online. At the backend of work operations, however, extensive hardware connections are known to set apart experienced companies from the novices. So, how can businesses elevate their advantages in an already saturated market?
The answer lies in two simple words: Cloud solutions. Cloud computing has been around for 20 years and companies are—now more than ever—being drawn towards such automated and productive functionality. It refers to the technical attributes of a computer system like data storage, analysis, and management that are hosted on the Internet and require no direct administration. Cloud services provide virtual data centers to several companies and can be instantly installed on a pay-as-you-go basis. No matter the size of the organization, there is an ideal plan for everyone.
Let’s discuss the various applications of cloud solutions that help present the service as an attractive option among alternatives in the market.
Ability to Temporarily Scale Resources
Typically, companies are equipped with data centers in line with their storage requirements. This might work for a limited period. When faced with a larger project though, a business may need to extend its capabilities. In a traditional set-up, the company would have to invest in upgrading its infrastructure for the same.
You can avoid this conundrum using cloud solutions. You have the option of expanding your resources for a short-term commitment. You can scale down according to your requirements when the project is completed or continue to make use of the services for long-term investment or gain. All the while, you are saving money as cloud services are pay-as-you-go and far cheaper than the burden of purchasing and transporting physical hardware.
Reducing Expenditure and Increasing ROI
Resistance to change is inevitable. Many brands are wary of switching to cloud solutions in fear of having to pay a large amount of money. This, however, is a misconception. As mentioned earlier, cloud computing plans generally follow a pay-as-you-use model where you can purchase according to your needs. Once you have bought a plan, you can make use of your newly acquired resources within the day. Since this cost-effective service requires only a few devices and an Internet connection, you can avoid the cost of procuring and maintaining tangible infrastructure.
Cloud solutions also provide you with several features that can be beneficial for increasing the efficiency of the organization. This way your company can perform well and produce better results. Increased achievement of targets, coupled with a reduction in the expenditure is equal to a higher return on investment or ROI.
Better Security of your Information
Looking over the company’s information in internal databases often gives people a false sense of security. The truth is that the data is exposed to several members of the organization. Any mismanagement of the data would be hard to trace. There have been several cases of misuse of information by employees of organizations.
With cloud solutions, your data is encrypted and kept safe behind a firewall. According to research company Gartner, “IaaS (Infrastructure as a service) cloud solutions will experience 60% fewer security incidents than those in traditional data centers”. Additionally, any attempts to override the system or corrupt it will be recognized by the technology and you will be immediately notified. While your IT department splits its time between several imperative tasks, a cloud server’s sole mission is to look after your stored information. This ensures constant vigilance and accountability, saves your employees’ time and allows them to focus on essential tasks.
Easing into Collaboration
Even while your employees work from home, they need to be able to function as a team. Team members normally have office spaces where they can brainstorm and effectively collaborate.
In an effort to comply with the ever necessary rule of social distancing, several businesses have started following the work-from-home model during this pandemic. In light of these recent changes in work operations, there needs to be a more competent way of allowing everyone to engage with business information. With cloud solutions, you will be sure that several employees can access your data on multiple devices. In addition, personnel can indulge in remote working with added precision.
When a staff member uses an in-house data center, they can end up with several copies of documents that are not even available to their teammates. With cloud services, however, the information can be handled by several workers. They can add and subtract from the same document, eliminating the need to constantly share and manage redundant documents.
Cloud solutions are also helpful for collaborations when mergers occur. If your organization is consolidating with another, your need to share your information. Physical data silos are harder to transport and share than convenient cloud storage.
Performing Analytics on Information
Market research is the foundation of sales targets. Organizational goals must be set according to consumer buying patterns. Firms using cloud-based telephony systems can easily access this information by using cloud analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). This technology (including interactive voice Response, toll-free numbers, and call recording) is utilized to reroute customer calls to preferred devices in any location. Organizations can allow remote working and ensure the highest quality of customer service using this system.
Secondarily, cloud-based telephony systems have been used to study consumer behavior. You can analyze and record keyboard and voice inputs to thread out the most popular products. Further, add extensions to toll-free numbers to facilitate marketing campaigns that you can monitor to gauge their success.
Your market research is now readily available to you with an easy method of analysis and monitoring. You can use this information to build your company’s goals for the future.
The Features of Cloud Solutions can Benefit Several Industries:
- Healthcare: Confidential documents can be kept safely in the cloud, while appointments can be recorded and self-service menus can be organized using cloud telephony.
- Education: Students can be provided with consistent study material that can be accessed from anywhere. This will reduce the teachers’ stress on work and duties, and allow fun, multimedia education for the pupils.
- Insurance: Using IVR, customers can easily check statuses and explore insurance plans at their convenience. Companies can keep an organized track of customer queries as well.
- Retail: Retail organizations need to communicate with their consumers and listen to their queries. Customer service can be taken over by cloud telephony that will route calls and ensure customer satisfaction. Inventory can also be easily logged into the cloud.
- Non-profit organizations: NPOs and NGOs are more often than not poorly funded. Cloud solutions offer these organizations the best of technology that can be purchased on a limited budget, thanks to the pay-as-you-go model.
Conclusion
Peter Drucker, a widely-known influential thinker on management once said, “The new information technology has practically eliminated the physical costs of communication.” While he was referring to the Internet, the same can surely be said about the modern-day technologies of the 21st century. There are several benefits of using Cloud solutions as these are a new and improved way of storing information, collaborating, computing, or analyzing the data. The technology allows remote working, reduced costs, higher ROI, and easy analytics on consumer behavior. It is helpful in multiple fields and easy to install. When the weight of advantages is this high, one can be sure of its potential.
About Author:-
Vanita Arora is a marketing enthusiast. She is currently working with a leading cloud telephony provider that specializes in providing IVR Services. Reading novels, traveling, researching new online marketing trends are some of her interest areas that keep her rejuvenated.