Business growth is among the most important drivers for 45% of businesses worldwide. You might be thinking, “Well…duh! Of course businesses want to grow!” But it’s not always that easy, is it? And growth doesn’t always mean the same thing for every organization. The cloud can help you evolve from a simple, yet creative startup to a large and influential enterprise. According to Google and Deloitte, 90 percent of rapidly growing small businesses surveyed believe that cloud technology allows them to grow and scale faster than would otherwise be possible, while three-quarters say it’s what allows them to beat their competitors. So take things to the next level! Cloud computing will help see you through the various stages of your growing business.
The Startup
You have an idea, and you want to make a business out of it! This used to be extremely difficult to do, as your start up couldn’t necessarily pay for all the resources it needed to start up in the first place. But today, cloud-based backup and storage naturally support business growth and help overcome the lack of capital or skills. When backup and storage are also scalable, it becomes much easier to accommodate any additional employees and devices. Startups generally have less access to resources, and the cloud makes sure this isn’t an issue. More than 80 percent of surveyed startups believe cloud technologies enable them to access tools and technologies they would not have been able to afford otherwise.
The cloud is simple to set up and maintain, and you’ll face fewer hardware and maintenance costs. These businesses can even go without a permanent location, as employees can work from any Internet-connected device, wherever they are. Additionally, they can access automatically updated software that is paid for on a subscription basis.
The SMB
Once you’ve got the flow of things, you begin to grow. Small businesses that use more than two types of cloud services grow 26 percent faster and are 21 percent more profitable on average than those that don’t use cloud tools. Cloud should stay by your side, allowing you to access computing resources on demand that you probably couldn’t afford otherwise. And with resources that are affordable and managed by a cloud provider, an SMB suddenly has the freedom to create and experiment without making a huge investment. More than three-quarters of surveyed businesses believe cloud-based applications allow them to focus more of their resources on strategic projects.
Again, the scalability of cloud resources is key, as you can seamlessly handle changes in demand without spending more. It also becomes much easier to build and maintain a Web presence, as there are endless cloud tools for this exact purpose. These tools also make it easy to add things like e-commerce capabilities, which can prove invaluable to an SMB.
Additionally, your focus will probably be largely on increasing sales. This means focusing on things like marketing, and of course, sales. Cloud technology helps target these efforts, putting the right information in customers’ hands, at the right time. You’ll also gain great insight into efforts that are working and those that are not, in real time.
The Enterprise
Congratulations! Your hard work paid off. But suddenly, you may have multiple locations and remote workers. Stick with the cloud and this won’t be a problem. The cloud enables these remote or geographically separate employees to work together in real time, with access to shared data and software in a centralized location. They’re able to work productively from wherever they are, while using collaboration tools like file-sharing services to easily send information back and forth. Other tools, like Web-based conferencing services, will be key to maintaining successful communication throughout the enterprise.
Now that your sales aren’t a problem, you can switch your focus to retaining loyal customers. This means honing in on your service, and creating an efficient and personalized customer experience. When you’re able to meet their demands and respond to their exact needs, you’ll see loyalty soar, and consequently, you’ll continue growing.
The cloud saves time and money, while fostering business growth. Still want to learn more about this topic? See business growth in the cloud visually explained in our new infographic, Make It More Than Just a Lemonade Stand!
