Cloud Compute

Are You Getting the Most from the Cloud?

March 24, 2016 – Forrester indicates that spending on cloud computing is expected to top $160 billion around the globe by 2020 – a growth rate of 22% per year – it’s no secret that cloud technology is becoming an essential part of modern business. But along with the implementation of new cloud computing services comes the challenges that come with adopting any new technology- inefficiency. Inefficiency can mean your employees aren’t working at full capacity or equipment, software, and features you have invested in are sitting unused. If you want to make your cloud computing services, such as cloud VoIP, CRM, and other options, work for you instead of against you, keep reading for five ways to maximize your efficiency with the cloud.

1. Put Cloud Computing Policies in Place

While security is certainly an issues of top concern when it comes to cloud computing, that’s not the only policy that your company should have in place to protect efficiency. It is important to ensure that you have protocols for managing your cloud resources – from personnel to procedural. This way those critical elements like security and support do not fall into a dreaded zone where everyone believes they are someone else’s responsibility. The sooner your company can get this type of policy in place, the better.

2. Ensure Your Cloud Apps Communicate

Some estimates suggest that by 2018, business will have up to 27 services in the cloud that were previously in house. However, it is not enough to simply move these services to a cloud system. For maximum efficiency, these services need to actually be able to communicate with one another. For instance, a cloud VoIP can offer advantages in phone communications, but when the system is also integrated with a cloud CRM, productivity can skyrocket.

3. Take Advantage of Reliability

One of the key ways in which cloud computing services can improve efficiency is by allowing systems to stay up. When software lives off site, it can stay up and functioning – and be accessed remotely – even in the event of downtime in the office, including outages, natural disasters, and other unforeseen circumstances. Make sure that employees know how to use cell phones and home offices to access your cloud systems so that you can take advantage of this standard of reliability.

4. Use Cloud for Frequent Updates

Some software and systems are updated a lot more frequently than others. Looking to the cloud for these particular services is a great option because those updates will happen automatically and generally at no cost to you. This means you will always be working with the latest version and the best possible tools, ensuring efficiency well beyond standard on-premise solutions.

5. Utilize Your IT Department

One of the biggest advantages of systems like cloud VoIP is that your IT department does not have to spend their precious hours supporting your phone system or whatever service you decide to take to the cloud. You can use this opportunity to leverage your IT department for bigger business goals – whatever that means for your company. Cloud computing is here to stay. But as you continue to invest in it, be sure that you are using it to its full capacity and taking advantage of the efficiencies it has to offer. Learn more about a cloud phone system that will help you accomplish all of the above 5 tasks.

Cloud Compute

Technology: it’s often seen as both a blessing and a curse for growing businesses today. From all the conveniences of a mobile world to the stresses of trying to keep up with all the system updates and changes, businesses are seemingly always trying to find smart data solutions. However, technology and data issues at businesses is not a problem that needs a final solution, but should be viewed more like an ongoing project that needs continuous attention and maintenance. Much like the product or service you deliver needs periodic adjustments to adapt to your market, so does the data aspects of your business.

The Problem with Data Use

Today’s digital landscape is reaching new thresholds. Data is coming from a number of different embedded systems like MP3 players, MRI scanners and even traffic lights. Because of this, it’s growing to levels where it’s challenging the more established practices previously located in data centers. Because of all these rapid changes, most growing companies are finding that data is one of their main technical challenges. To begin, you must define the sheer scale of how much data you need to power your business and create your products. Additionally, you need to ask yourself how you can forecast putting your organization’s data to the best use? Make a realistic estimate of a best-case scenario: if costs didn’t matter, how much data would you need to deliver the best possible products and services to your customers?

What Data Can Do For You

After you identify your company’s data needs, you can then begin the process of shaping your technologies around your best-case business results. Go beyond finding the technologies that will work for your business, but instead create your own technologies around your business needs and goals. Doing so will allow you to make realistic measurements of how data adjustments and changes can truly benefit and influence your business.

Overcoming Complexities

But even outlining a best-case scenario doesn’t mean you have the knowledge and experience to implement smart data solutions. As we’ve mentioned, the problem with data management is the sheer amount of data solutions available and keeping up with how the advancements may impact your business. Beyond simply managing a department, a business must remain knowledgeable with the latest developments like data technology and machine learning. Doing this effectively takes someone who can understand and identify what different advancements are the right fit for your organization to allocate resources to. An experienced Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is trained to identify and consistently advise your business through these types of complexities.

Data-Driven Benefits

Making an assumption that it’s not necessary to invest in the data needs of a growing business puts the future stability of the organization at risk.  Although a costly investment, implementing plans that put company data consumption and use at the center of business growth processes helps to ensure the stability of the organization in the future. Learn how ATI can get you the bandwidth for the data you need here.