69% say productivity is the top benefit of cloud computing. That’s big, especially considering that cost efficiency is another huge benefit. By moving essential aspects of business, like data management, content and collaboration tools, to the cloud, organizations are able to avoid many issues that come with locally installed computing solutions. While some businesses still hesitate to move to the cloud, most are already using it in some way, even if they’re not aware. Common tools like WordPress, Gmail, Skype, GoToMeeting and Constant Contact are cloud-based, and businesses naturally use them to make their lives easier. In other words, these tools help improve productivity. So what is it about cloud computing that leads to such great productivity? Let’s take a look.
Accessibility Won’t Lead to Laziness
The cloud allows enormous flexibility when it comes to how, when and where employees can work. By implementing cloud solutions, businesses enable their workers to access data from anywhere, on any device. In the day and age of mobile devices, this is extremely convenient, as it enables your team to access relevant files from wherever they are, whether that’s in the office, on a plane, or at home. 2/3 report faster access to technology thanks to the cloud. This characteristic certainly boosts productivity, as it enables employees to be more flexible and collaborative.
Businesses held an initial fear that allowing remote accessibility would lead to laziness and decreased productivity. This fear has largely been unfounded. Instead, businesses are able to cut down on employee travel time and interruptions while actually increasing employee satisfaction. Team members will positively respond when given the freedom to work how and where they want, and in many cases, this will actually incentivize them to work harder, rather than burn out. 36% of employees would even pick working remotely over a pay raise!
A Convenient, Central Location
So how are employees able to have such flexible access to data? Well, the cloud centralizes data, putting it in one easy spot so all team members can access it from wherever they are. Not only does this lead to data integrity, but it greatly improves collaboration and efficiency. Employees can avoid the hassle of emailing files back and forth, instead accessing an easy, central location that’s available to all authorized users. 58% collaborate across the organization in the cloud, and 82% said that cloud-based collaboration allows faster executions. This streamlined process obviously results in productivity, and it can also lead to greater innovation.
Adapt to Changing Environments
Now let’s talk about scalability. It’s a highly popular characteristic of cloud computing, and we want to discuss it in terms of productivity. The cloud allows organizations to scale their resources up or down based on demand – this means businesses can quickly and easily react to changing market conditions and internal demands. With traditional computing solutions, this wasn’t as easy. It required time, effort, and often, new, expensive hardware. The cloud introduces a productive way to adapt to changing business environments, allowing organizations to rise and meet high demands, and then decrease when the demand drops. This also eradicates problems of over-provisioning and wasting resources, or overloading IT systems.
Refocus Time and Money
The cloud enables businesses to be more productive in how they spend their money. By moving to a cloud environment, an organization outsources the expensive burden of managing its own servers and software to a knowledgeable provider. This, in turn, replaces the organization’s massive IT expenditures with predictable operational ones. Businesses can see savings on real estate, travel, transportation, utilities, security, routine maintenance, updates and more. And if employees opt to use their own devices, businesses can even save on hardware! And in terms of productivity, this means an organization can refocus a significant amount of time and money.
59% of companies that use the cloud are more likely to see productivity benefits – don’t you want to be one of those companies? Productivity is key to running an efficient business, and cloud computing makes it easier to achieve. For more statistics on productivity in the cloud, visit our deck here, and see our infographic!
