Cloud Storage Offers Benefits to Small Businesses
With businesses dealing with and storing more data, cloud storage platforms have begun to be extremely important for the modern small business. It took a while for small business decision makers to implement cloud storage solutions for their businesses, which is largely to blame on the stigma of insecurity the cloud had. Today, however, cloud platforms are used for all types of utility. Today, we’ll go into the types of cloud storage, and their benefits to a small business.
Cloud Storage Offers Benefits to Small Businesses
With businesses dealing with and storing more data, cloud storage platforms have begun to be extremely important for the modern small business. It took a while for small business decision makers to implement cloud storage solutions for their businesses, which is largely to blame on the stigma of insecurity the cloud had. Today, however, cloud platforms are used for all types of utility. Today, we’ll go into the types of cloud storage, and their benefits to a small business.
What Is the Real Value of IT for Small Business?
It’s important that your business get as much value out of your technology as possible, but this is often easier said than done. There isn’t an easy answer to how you can get the most out of your technology. Even if you implement a brand-new solution, who’s to say that you don’t actually need it or use it? Cutting costs is more important now than it has ever been, and for small businesses hoping to save on IT support, there’s no time like the present to secure your business’s future.
This all starts by making IT profitable for your organization. In other words, you don’t want to waste assets on technology solutions. Instead, you want your technology to save you money, thus making it worth investing in. To find out if your technology is a waste or a benefit to your business, try asking yourself the following questions:
- What are some of the services you have that aren’t being utilized properly? Are you wasting time and assets on software or hardware that aren’t being utilized to their full extent?
- Do you replace hardware more frequently than you need to (or not often enough)? You could be risking hardware failure or general technology deficiency by not maintaining your technology.
- How much are you spending on technology that doesn’t offer a return on investment? While it’s one thing to pay for services that make your job easier, it’s another entirely to waste them on unnecessary assets that are either a luxury or simply don’t offer enough value to justify the expenditure.
To get started, ask yourself how your business’s technology is affecting its bottom line. If you implement a new solution, what is it offering for your organization? Are the funds best being spent, or would they be better delegated elsewhere? For example, if you spend some money on automation technologies for basic tasks, you can eliminate the need for important personnel to waste time that would be better spent on more important tasks.
Another common example is the use of break-fix strategies. Businesses are throwing money away trying to keep their technology in proper working order. Break-fix model for IT support puts up the facade of value by providing support in the moment you need it most. While this does get your business back in action, you still have to pay exorbitant fees for new hardware and downtime. You’re not preventing the incident outright, which is where most of the waste comes from. Instead of wasting time, assets, and resources on downtime caused by reacting to technology troubles, try taking a preventative approach instead.
The best way to find more value in your technological investments is to work with a managed service provider like Catalyst Technology Group. Basically, you can cut out the costs of hiring multiple IT technicians by outsourcing the work to us. This eliminates the costs of managing an IT department, adding new technicians to payroll, and most important of all, the upkeep of your systems. Instead, for a single monthly payment, you can invest in an outsourced IT department that can handle any and all responsibilities of an in-house team, plus some. Here are some of the services that we can offer your organization:
- Remote monitoring and management
- Backup and disaster recovery
- Network security
- Email management
- And more!
To learn more about how IT outsourcing can help your business, reach out to Catalyst Technology Group at (317) 705-0333.
Small Businesses Need Comprehensive Communications
Does your business suffer from chronic miscommunication? Chances are that your business is not the only one. Small businesses often lack the ability to invest in solutions designed to cut down on communication problems in the workplace. To help your company’s workforce improve communication and collaboration, we’re going to discuss some of the many ways that you can implement technology to eliminate miscommunication in the workplace.
Here are some of the most important tips that we can offer, in no particular order.
Implement an Intranet
For those who might not be tech-savvy, one of the most difficult parts of communication comes from not knowing how to properly navigate around your own network. This could mean finding specific files, or moving about your organization’s cloud-based file storage system. An intranet can help not just these employees, but all of them, by providing a central hub where any critical assets that your business depends on can be seen at a moment’s notice. This clears up any confusion regarding where your employees need to go to access links to software or important information.
Take Advantage of Communication Solutions
If your organization has yet to implement a unified communications solution, it’s in your best interest to do so as soon as possible. A unified communications solution includes an email solution that’s used across your entire business’ infrastructure, a phone system that provides each of your employees with an extension where they can easily be reached (this is often a Voice over IP solution), and an instant messaging or video chat system that can be used to get in touch with employees who might not be in the immediate area. Basically, you want to provide your employees with ample opportunities to reach out to others in your business for assistance with any projects.
Make Important Information Easily Accessible
Have you ever browsed the Internet for information about a particular solution, only to find a whole lot of nothing? In most cases, the services that your organization uses will have detailed online documentation and frequently asked questions that will help you figure out what you need to know; yet, your internal processes may not have these questions or documentation as transparent. You can implement your very own knowledge center that can be located in an intranet, allowing your employees to find any vital information that they need.
Does your business need to implement more powerful communication solutions? If so, Catalyst Technology Group can help. To learn more, reach out to us at (317) 705-0333.
Software as a Service Is Helping Small Businesses
What kind of software does your business use to keep operations moving forward? Depending on what industry you are in, you might find it increasingly painstaking to procure and manage the software titles your organization uses, particularly if yours is a small business that has limited capital to invest in its software. Nowadays, however, the acquisition of software doesn’t have to be troublesome, as software as a service (SaaS) is providing organizations with limited resources access to software it normally could not afford.
SaaS is a cloud computing strategy that makes available the mission-critical software your organization needs for an affordable monthly fee. If you use the traditional method of software procurement, you’ll be purchasing your software by the license, meaning that the more users who need access to a particular software, the more it will cost you. While this concept doesn’t really change with SaaS, the long-term ramifications of these titles can be mitigated.
Instead of utilizing a traditional method of acquiring software solutions, organizations that leverage SaaS options are gaining access to dynamic software that is hosted, managed, and maintained by the provider–significantly reducing the overall cost and transferring the larger capital outlay to a more manageable operational cost. To take advantage of this software, all you have to do is pay for access to the software, and it’s delivered over your Internet connection.
Some benefits your organization will see by using software as a service, include:
Lower Costs
Your business spends a pretty penny on software; and, it is probably more than you even know. On top of a software license, you traditionally also have to pay for the resources you need to host, monitor, and maintain infrastructure. These costs add up quickly, but by utilizing a software as a service model, you can get all the software your users need, per user, with one monthly payment.
Up-to-Date Editions
Typically, your Software as a Service applications will be accessed through an online environment. These cloud-based solutions are, more often than not, completely up-to-date, meaning that you’ll be using the most recent version of this software; and, as mentioned above, none of this maintenance is your responsibility.
Flexibility
If yours is like many modern organizations, you have trouble keeping within the confines of your technology budgets. Software as a Service allows an organization to do more with less. By the end of 2017, over 94% of small businesses will be utilizing SaaS in one form or another. One of the most cited reasons for this is the overall flexibility SaaS provides. Not only does SaaS improve your organization’s financial flexibility, it brings with it dynamic scalability and anytime accessibility. Many SaaS platforms are available from anyplace there is an Internet connection, on a whole myriad of different types of devices. To scale your software deployment, it is as simple as adding new users to your service plan. All you have to do is reach out to the service provider and make the required arrangements.
Does your business want to take full advantage of software deployment in the cloud? To learn more about software as a service and how to stretch your organization’s technology budget to see the fastest and largest return on your technology investments, call us today at (317) 705-0333.