Why Should Small Businesses Go Into The Cloud?

11/12/09

By Chris Lindsay, general manager for business applications, BT

Cloud computing is built on a seemingly simple model: the software is hosted by a third party and accessed via the internet. Naturally, the ‘offsite’ aspect is a change for firms to get their heads around despite the obvious cost and convenience benefits. Once businesses have taken that leap of faith, cloud computing helps them better manage their business operations and improve efficiencies.

App happy

The one great advantage of cloud computing is the ability of small businesses to access applications that they generally wouldn’t be able to afford — a bit like renting a...

...product instead of buying it outright. BT, for example, offers software such as Salesforce.com for maximising the work of sales teams, Genius, an application that enhances email productivity, and Ribbit for Salesforce, an application that bridges the gap between a mobile text message and its use as a customer sales record that makes use of this data.

We’ve found the choice of applications is one of the biggest advantages for our customers; many time-poor businesses tend to stick with what they know rather than dedicating energy to finding and researching new, innovative applications. Cloud computing allows these businesses to discover new ways to run their business without committing to costly software licences.

Cost flexibility

Cloud applications are delivered remotely in return for a monthly per-user subscription fee. When extra resources are required, the total fee rises, when they’re not they can be ‘switched off’ and the fee falls accordingly. This offers enormous benefits in terms of scaling software up and down with minimal cost impact.

Easy maintenance

Payment of a monthly cloud application fee means that all issues regarding maintenance are handled for you - there are no software licences, for example, and no need to maintain server systems on-site with... continued on page two >

 

 

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