What comes to mind when you think of “moving to the Cloud”? What does the Cloud represent to you? It’s more than the newest marketing gimmick. Cloud computing software represents a jump forward in business thinking and involvement. A recent study indicated that 74 percent of ERP decision makers in the UK are likely to move to the cloud as the next available convenience. In contrast, fewer than 1 in 5 (18 percent) don’t see cloud as being important to the success of their company in the future. These numbers should only continue along this trend in the future to represent a move toward Cloud-based solutions.
There are a number of benefits to moving to the Cloud. Perhaps the biggest among these is the ability to access and share data anywhere from any device, in any place which has online connectivity. Upgrades become a thing of the past, with Cloud-based products always running on the latest version automatically and system updates being handled by the cloud provider rather than in-house.
The cost of maintaining physical servers and data centers is also mitigated by moving to the cloud. Less time, money, and man-hours devoted to upkeep of these clunky devices mean more resources available to drive business in other areas. The Cloud, with its functionality as the ultimate redundant backup, makes data safer and more secure than physical servers ever could.
These, of course, are only the obvious technical benefits of moving to the Cloud. Perhaps the greatest value delivers by Cloud solutions lie in the business growth and transformation potential they carry. Implementing this new technology represents much more than just a change in methods and tools. It means a change in mindset. Any company moving to Cloud computing is indicating to the world that they are willing to shake things up in the name of growth and transformation. These companies are demonstrating that they understand the evolving nature of business and must adapt their solutions and mindsets in order to keep up. In an “adapt or be left behind” environment, who can afford not to embrace the future of business?