Since the inception of cloud technology, most businesses from diverse industries have welcomed it with open arms. Switching to the cloud has been highly advantageous for them in the long run. Whether making the work environment more innovative or giving the workforce flexibility to work from anywhere, the cloud has created previously unimaginable scenarios. You might have heard large businesses talking about utilizing cloud technology in various ways, such as application hosting, SaaS model companies, and more.
But what about small businesses? Are the advantages of cloud hosting within reach of small businesses as well? If you run a small business, which can be a small accounting firm or an SMB, you should know that you can make the most of cloud computing irrespective of your business scale. With most small businesses keeping pace with larger ones, there is no differentiation point about adopting cloud technology. Let’s cover application hosting in detail to help you understand how cloud technology can benefit your small business.
1. Mobile Accessibility
In the current customer-centric world, people expect much more than just a traditional business experience. As a business owner, you would also want solutions that are not confined within physical boundaries. With several business applications hosted on local computers installed in your office, you cannot expect employees to work beyond office hours if needed. Neither would you be able to address urgent client queries remotely.
With application hosting, the entire experience gets changed. Moving business applications like QuickBooks and Sage to the cloud brings in much-needed mobility to your business. Besides these applications, you can also host confidential client data on cloud servers accessible from anywhere. As an authorized user, you can access the application anytime, eliminating the need to wait till the next working day to get back to work on critical tasks. In other words, you can provide round-the-clock services to your clients with application hosting.
Also Read: Cloud Collaboration: All That You Need to Know
2. Advanced Security
The primary set of challenges faced by small businesses includes maintaining the integrity of security methods implemented. In some cases, the cost of security seems too high for owners to invest, increasing the vulnerability of business-critical data to cyberattacks. Any data breach can harm your business and make your client’s data insecure. You might have dealt with clients who ask for deployed security measures upfront before hiring your team.
Application hosting is the answer to many of your doubts or challenges related to maintaining data security at work. It will help you get the benefit of the best-in-class security measures deployed by the cloud hosting provider you hire. Since your data will be hosted on third-party cloud servers, you can easily avoid the risk of illicit on-site access.
To be sure about the application hosting services, you can explicitly ask the chosen cloud provider about their security measures.
3. Higher Return on Investment
Like every other business, returns on investment are a significant concern for small businesses. When the ROI is higher than the invested amount, you can plan to expand your business using the profits. On the other hand, negative ROI can severely deplete your financial resources. For the productive growth of your business, you need to invest in IT resources at scale. This would require huge investments, the returns on which might not be favorable for your small-scale business.
Embracing application hosting backed by the power of cloud technology enables you to get more with less. You can free your business operations from various restrictions, be it geographical or time-zone based. You can also allow your employees to work remotely, eliminating the need to share a physical space for higher productivity. This way, you can also reach more clients and expand your services to generate higher ROI.
4. Scalability within Your Budget
Does the thought of scaling your small business scare you because of the investment needed? It is a common concern for most SMBs that work on churning out maximum returns from limited resources. Particularly in terms of expanding IT infrastructure, the hefty costs involved in hiring more IT professionals are not feasible for most SMBs.
Cloud technology puts scalability in small businesses’ hands, allowing them to exercise better control over cloud resources without worrying about the cost factor. When you switch to application hosting, setting up the cloud infrastructure and its maintenance falls under the KRAs of the cloud hosting provider you select. You do not need to invest heavily in the IT setup or required support services.
All you need to do is pay a regular fee for the application hosting services you utilize within a specific period. You can request increased cloud resources whenever required.
Recommended Read: The Ultimate Benefits of Cloud Hosting Solutions
5. Streamlined Business Administration
Even small businesses have their fair share of administrative tasks to deal with. Whether it is invoicing, payroll processing, or accounting tasks, you want it all to be handled efficiently and without facing any bottlenecks. Smooth administration management is the key to enhanced organizational productivity, which can be further improved with cloud technology.
Application hosting is an example of how cloud computing can benefit a small business in big ways. For instance, since you can access cloud-hosted applications remotely, you can delegate employees into different work hours and offer round-the-clock services to your clients. You can focus more on the business goals and achieve them timely.
Cloud technology can be a game-changer for various small businesses. You can think of it to be a friend for your company, which offers a helping hand when it needs enhanced data security, remote accessibility, and more.
If you want to know how application hosting can benefit your business, give us a call at 1855-583-7486.
