In our increasingly globalized world, small businesses need an operational communications network to span the geographically spread sections of the company. But the business applications required to achieve this network are a high-priced proposition, making it increasingly troublesome for young organizations to compete with huge corporations with seemingly infinite budgets.
Now, though,we are seeing the emergence of multi-tenanted business applications based on a price-per-user model -- in other words, the public cloud. Young companies can find enterprise-level services, security and products at a fraction of the cost.
Now is the time to start “Thinking Big” – and using communications to get there. With cloud
computing hosts centralized virtual servers in a data center, instead of a company operating desktops, applications, exchange or voice through in-house servers. This entire procedure is quick to set up and easy to use: login, customize, begin. Applications are more scalable, more secure and more reliable. You don’t need a copy of an app for every department using it, just one app that is flexible enough for everyone to customize. You can instantaneously provision applications whenever you need them, as the end user directly controls the resources. Companies striving to adjust to the pace and dynamism of business todayhave newfound flexibility to deploy highly resilient virtual machines for their employees.
Managers are starting to realize a change in the dynamics of their companies now that staff can be networked more cost-effectively, no matter where in the world they are. Employees can benefit from increased mobility with access to their personal desktop user profile from any device – Laptop, Thin Client or iPad – from anyplace in the globe within reach of a 3G network. Individuals and offices can be united in one cohesive, responsive unit in which users share and synchronize emails, diaries and files. Small organizations can hire home-based workers, or open small branch offices, or more effectively connect employees on their mobiles to deliver seamless customer service as easily as large corporations. Cloud computing also boosts staff productivity and innovation by providing access to the latest technology without the need for any investment in upgrades, so small businesses get best-in-class IT on a global scale without having to spend a penny.
IT executives have raised some worries about the security of their data in the cloud. But since all data and applications are centralized in a data center, it is vastly simpler to enable and enforce processes and procedures to ensure security, privacy and other best practices. No data is stored on a device, so you never have to worry about proprietary data passing into the wrong hands if the device itself is lost, stolen or broken. This is especially noteworthy with potentially sensitive corporate data sitting on the desk of each staff member.
But many executives are still hesitant to take the step. They would no longer be able to ‘‘touch and feel’’ the systems that drive their organization. Alex Parker, CTO of Commensus PLC, is not surprised by this reaction, but he thinks there is sufficient experience of remote working to relieve those concerns. “Data centers have been on the scene for three decades or more. Cloud computing is simply a logical progression of that service. There has been little evidence of organizations experiencing troubles with access to data and with comprehensive service level agreements that specify virtually uninterrupted availability. Any remaining concerns should be set aside.”
Most businesses are small (over 98% have fewer than 100 employees), and they like it that way. They value the flexibility, responsiveness and customer interaction. It is clearer than ever that the
competitiveness of an organization is now based less on its size than ever before. By making effective use of today’s communications capabilities, small businesses can compete against anyone, anytime, anywhere.
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