There are good reasons for the popularity of the cloud in recent years. As small businesses work harder than ever to compete against international brands and bottom lines matter more and more, business owners are looking for any way to get an edge. Here are four ways that embracing the cloud can make your organization more effective:

1. Decreased Infrastructure Costs

When you adopt the cloud, you’ll be able to operate in a virtual workspace. That means the computing power your organization needs, normally coming from an on-premise server, now comes from an offsite provider. This is good because you no longer have to worry about maintaining your server or the costs that come with it.

This will save your business considerable money on hardware over time. While it’s impossible to make an accurate estimate of how much you might save without detailed knowledge of your business, one company saved roughly 37% on hardware costs when they adopted the cloud in favor of an off-premise server.

2. Increased Stability

If your server has ever gone down, you know how it can bring business to a grinding halt. One of the best features of the cloud is that it’s remarkably stable with almost no downtime compared to on-premise servers. While no technology is quite perfect, the cloud is by far the most reliable solution currently on the market.

This is possible because the largest cloud providers maintain massive global infrastructures that make complete failure nearly impossible. If a region’s servers go down, there’s generally enough space left in the network to shift traffic to other regions, which consumers rarely notice. Netflix recently took advantage of this capability to test their network by rerouting all traffic away from a certain region before DDoSing itself. In doing so, Netflix managed to identify key weaknesses in its infrastructure without interrupting its service.

3. Streamlined Workflows

The cloud just makes work easier. Certain cloud technologies make file sharing and collaboration an absolute breeze. Consider Google Drive, for example. Organizations of any size are capable of using this platform to store and share documents and other files. Multiple users can then work together on these files in real time, even if they’re on opposite sides of the planet.

This doesn’t sacrifice security, either. Most cloud platforms give administrators extensive control over who can and can’t access cloud data.

A few years ago, companies had to maintain unwieldy servers that allowed users to share files without jumping through the hoops of email or using a physical device to move files between computers. Now, thanks to the maturity of cloud computing, all of the same functions can be performed effortlessly in-browser.

4. Unmatched Accessibility

The cloud is so incredibly convenient because it can be accessed anywhere, so long as you have a stable internet connection. This kind of accessibility makes your business more agile than ever before, and truly allows you to extend your capabilities beyond what you can get done in your office.

The accessibility of the cloud empowers mobile and remote workers, allows for easier onboarding of new employees, and ensures that everyone can contribute, even if they aren’t anywhere near the office.

If you’re interested in learning more about what the cloud can do for your business, or you’re ready to pull the trigger and begin the process of migrating your operations to the cloud, don’t hesitate to get in touch with PRO OnCall.