used with permission from MSFT for Work
If you haven’t started exploring cloud solutions for your business, consider this: As much as 40% of all IT spend by 2016 will be for cloud-related platforms and applications. That’s because the cloud can help your business reduce costs, engage employees in new ways, and increase agility, efficiency, and productivity.
Customizable solutions like Microsoft Cloud are made up of several easy-to-use applications and services, such as Azure and Office 365, that connect with each other and what you already have. No matter where your business is or where it’s going, it stands to benefit in four key areas when connected to the cloud.
Insights
Turning to the cloud for data storage makes it easy for staff across your business to access network resources. Without having to go through IT, employees can speed the process to solutions with self-service, on-demand insights. And IT can become more efficient, as they free up time to focus on business goals rather than on pulling data.
Putting real-time data to work for your business in this way can help you find fact-based solutions that create more consistent customer experiences. It can also shorten decision-making time and allow for more agile responses to changing conditions and customer demands.
Productivity
Getting more done without having to hire more people isn’t a far-fetched dream. Cloud solutions allow collaboration from virtually anywhere at any time, allowing employees to get work done faster and more efficiently. Familiar, easy-to-use tools in the Microsoft Cloud, such as Office 365, let your employees stay in sync across devices, including phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. And with the ability to share files, your business can better capitalize on opportunities.
Social
Social media has changed communication, and if your business is ignoring it, you’re missing out on driving real business value. Always-on customers have access to more information about your business than ever before, and they expect real-time responses. By embracing this shift in behavior, and with the help of a cloud-optimized CRM system, your business can use the wealth of insights generated from social interactions to connect with your customers and anticipate their needs. Plus, the cloud can internally promote social interactions through document sharing and collaboration. This can help your business end siloed thinking, and enable you to take action on ideas coming from anyone across any department.
Platform
When looking for the right cloud solution, you may want to consider a hybrid platform over a public or private one. A hybrid platform lets your business take advantage of the scalability and cost-effectiveness of a public solution, but gives you the top-notch security of an in-house platform. And it can support your existing datacenter investments, while allowing you to move applications without networking changes.
The Microsoft Cloud allows you to customize the solution to meet specific business needs, and move to the cloud at your own pace. Plus, you can easily scale up—or down—as you need to. See what the Microsoft Cloud is doing right now for business of all types and sizes—and what it can do for yours.
To learn more, contact us today.
