How Cloud Software Supports Business Agility

Today’s businesses need the agility to quickly adapt to ever-changing landscapes in an affordable way. Consequently, adopting a business strategy that gives you the agility to react to the market – and world events – is a central pillar that underpins the longevity of your business. 

The global coronavirus pandemic has been a wake-up call for many companies. A study conducted by Origami in the aftermath of the pandemic revealed that almost 50% of businesses were not prepared to deploy a remote workforce. 

But businesses need to be agile in every aspect of their business. Marketing, sales, production, operations, and how you handle your budget call for game-changing decisions. 

Whilst the idea of business growth is exciting, it also invites an air of trepidation. And with the pace at which business landscapes are changing, companies need an agile strategy in place – and the technology that enables them to execute their plan with minimal challenges. 

Whether your company is launching a new line of products, looking to scale to accommodate growth, improving the efficiency of your operations, adopting a new business model, or merging with another company, the ability to foster agility will play a key role in your ongoing success. 

Legacy Software vs Cloud Software 

The sticking point in terms of agility for many companies is legacy software. Back in 2015, 9 out of 10 IT professionals said that legacy systems were hampering efficiency and growth. 

Whilst it’s acknowledged that some companies rely on specialist software, the latest cloud solutions typically drive digital strategy. Because software companies, at some point, stop support for outdated software, yesterday’s tools inevitably develop bugs and are more prone to outages. 

In-house servers in general are susceptible to outages. They are more expensive to maintain and typically suffer a greater percentage of downtime than cloud servers. 

Downtime is obviously a loss of productivity. It’s also frustrating for your employees that are under pressure to meet deadlines and targets. Moreover, if your business relies on 24/7 accessibility for customers, cloud solution services can support your reputation and profits.

On the topic of cost, legacy systems require an initial outlay of capital. Whilst the bulk of the expense is made at the initial point of purchase, there are ongoing maintenance costs and the loss of revenue every time there is an outage.

Getting started in the cloud is far less expensive. There is an argument that overall costs will be more expensive over the long term, however. Cloud costs are ongoing. 

On the other hand, cloud services make it easier to manage your monthly budget because they are offered as software as a service (SaaS). This means you only pay for the services you use, the costs are fixed, and you don’t have any unexpected costs. 

Knowing what budget is available to you means you can be more flexible with your spending. You can plan further into the future and assign a budget where it is needed and when it is needed.

Maintenance costs are also less expensive than legacy systems – particularly if you outsource your IT maintenance to a remote cloud provider. The outsourced IT support team is responsible for ensuring your system is kept in good working order. According to a leading IT solution provider in London, MicroPro, cloud servers have a 99.999% availability for client systems. 

The Scalability of Cloud Software

Businesses that plan growth also have to plan scalability. Meeting new business requirements requires you to be agile enough to recruit new employees and provide them with the tools to hit the ground running. 

Cloud computing solutions support scalability because they are incredibly flexible. Subscriptions are purchased per user so you can simply add or remove users in a matter of minutes. 

According to a report published in CNBC, agility is an important factor for employees. HR experts claim that between 50-70% of job seekers want the autonomy to work when they want from multiple locations. Flexible working options are a decisive factor top talent considers when deciding whether or not to accept a job opportunity. 

Cloud servers enable users to access files from anywhere on any device. Cloud software also enables remote teams to collaborate seamlessly – even to the point they can work on the same document simultaneously. 

Microsoft 365 is a prime example of how cloud software fosters collaboration and enhances user experience. The software’s standard tools improve communication, share information in multiple ways and enable project managers to coordinate workflows and set deadlines that everyone can see.

Customization and updates

The performance of your business is typically measured by how efficiently your IT infrastructure operates. Decisive factors not only concern your current activities but the pressure your IT system will come under when changes are needed. 

Regardless of whether you purchasing out-the-box software or cloud software, there’s every chance you made need to make tweaks. Customizing software to meet your business needs can give you more agility and help to improve employee performance. 

The customization of on-site software is the responsibility of your IT team. This means at least one of your computer guys has the development expertise to customize the software. And IT experts typically carry a hefty salary. Do you want to know how much the Amazon software development engineer’s salary is? No, must read.

The cloud route gives you access to experts that have the skills and knowledge to customize your IT system without the overwhelming expense. Top-quality IT support services will also be able to advise you about which software offers you the tools you need so that customization is kept to a minimum. 

Software updates are also an essential task for today’s IT professionals. With the increasing risk of cybercriminals hacking into systems through vulnerable gateways in business software, updating your tools with the latest security patch is an important defense in your IT security strategy. 

If you’re using outdated software the manufacturing company no longer provides security patches for, you are leaving yourself wide open for exploitation. 

Because cloud software is continually updated, security patches provide you with permanent protection. What’s more, the updates can be performed remotely and automatically so you do not have to rely on your employees to download the latest system update. 

Cloud software makes it far easier to move with time. And that means no matter how much the landscape changes, you will be able to react much quicker and remain competitive.