How SMBs Can Benefit from Cloud Solutions & Services?

Today’s business environment is much different from 20 or even 10 years ago. Employees are more productive and expect more from their business tools, while companies run a tighter, more streamlined work environment. As a result, every tool is utilized to its fullest capabilities, with little room for downtime.

SMBs, in particular, are looking to get the most productivity out of their technology. Most don’t have an IT staff—and some don’t even have an IT budget, to speak of—so every technology purchase must have a direct impact on the SMB’s bottom line.

That’s what makes cloud-based solutions a smart investment for small businesses. Little to no upfront investment, low IT involvement and flexibility are a few of the benefits of cloud technology. Outsourcing your IT needs to a solid firm also makes more sense then hiring Joe, who went to college, in the van, down the street, on the cheap.

More companies have adopted cloud systems as a way to save money and keep their employees on task. Cloud systems and managed IT service providers allow companies to be flexible. They only need to hire relevant IT resources for their custom applications and processes in house. The bulk of day to day operations is taken care of by the IT managed service provider.

What about Joe in his van?Why isn’t he a good fit? Well… why hire one person when you can hire a team, for the same price, instead? What recourse do you have if Joe and his one man show blows a tire? None. Cloud systems and managed IT solutions come with teams of people to fill in the holes.

Cloud may be a good fit for you if:

Your IT staff is overloaded, or you don’t have an IT person at all — Cloud-based solutions are often hosted offsite, eliminating the need for a dedicated IT or telecom person to manage your system needs.

Your IT budget doesn’t allow for anything fancy — Customers want to be able to reach your company in multiple ways—over the phone, via web chat, click-to-call from your website, email—at any time. When they communicate, they expect your representatives to know about them and their needs from previous interactions. They expect your customer service agents to be able to access any and all tools they need to assits them no matter where they are or what they are doing. Cloud solutions can give your customers the experience options they want at a price you need.

Your employees work out of the office as much as they do in the office — Today’s employees demand the flexibility to work from anywhere, and to have access to the same functionality as they would if they were sitting at their desks. Do your systems offer that 100% of the time with full feature parity? Cloud-based systems can providing a feature-rich work experience using any device. Not to worry, Sonoran Integrations will either, help your IT resources manage the solution, or we can do it for you!

Small businesses must bridge the gap between limited budgets and equipping their employees with technology to keep them productive. The functionality and low cost of a cloud-based systems and managed IT services makes it a smart investment.