All small business owners have a shared commonality, regardless of industry, in that they need to continually increase profitability to sustain success. One proven way in which founders and executives can successfully achieve this is by integrating cloud computing solutions into their organizations. To that end, here are three reasons why small businesses should embrace the cloud.
Enhanced business agility
In today’s always-on, hyper-connected marketplace, consumers and clients expect services that move at the speed of the internet. As such, small businesses need to ensure that they have the tools to meet those expectations. By utilizing the cloud to create additional infrastructure, growing companies can make themselves agile enough to take advantage of every possible opportunity.
A robust cloud-based solution like the one offered by Comcast Business, gives workers the ability to access company files remotely, communicate and share documents with other employees, get contracts signed securely on the go, and video conference with clients. With the agility to acquire leads, network and close deals with maximum efficiency, small businesses can optimize productivity and improve profitability. In fact, research by Exact found that small businesses that use the cloud to support their operations experience a 25 percent increase in revenue growth compared to those that do not.
Increased protection against cyber attacks
According to a 2017 report compiled by Ponemon Institute, cyberattacks cost small and mid-size businesses an average of $2,235,000 in IT damage, theft, and operational disruption. Since incurring losses of that size can be devastating to a burgeoning firm, owners need to protect their business's most valuable data and their customers' sensitive information with a comprehensive security solution. Cloud-based utilities like Carbonite Pro, F-Secure Protection Services and Norton Internet Security give businesses the peace of mind needed with advanced data backup and recovery, multi-device security, and active virus spam and social media threat protection.
Lower IT costs
For reasons of both expediency and cost savings, most U.S. businesses utilize digital tools to perform customer relationship management (CRM), maintain inventory, manage payroll, process orders and perform accounting. However, while various business-related applications make running a company easier, they also require regular maintenance to function properly. Whether it’s upgrading hardware, fixing backend bugs or updating software, those costs can take a big bite out of a company’s bottom line. Thankfully, recent technological innovations have led to the development of a host of high-quality CRM, accounting, payroll, inventory and order management cloud-based solutions.
In addition to the service providers handling all the maintenance costs, cloud-based tools are fully scalable. That means owners have the flexibility to increase their levels of support during growth periods and reduce it if it becomes necessary to make strategic cutbacks.
Comcast Business has the largest IP network in the nation, serving the needs of small business through large enterprise customers. Technology solutions range from fast, reliable Ethernet and Internet connectivity to voice, video, and Managed Solutions. Comcast Business is powered by an advanced Gig-ready network and 24/7 technical support. Learn more at business.comcast.com/san-francisco.
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