Google Drive. SharePoint. Dropbox. OneDrive. You’ve probably heard plenty about all the Cloud options out there in recent years. But are you aware of the real ways in which moving to the Cloud can have a significant positive impact on your business?

We’re living in unprecedented and changing times, and many of us are having to quickly adapt to our teams working remotely from home rather than in the office. So the question is, how can your teams stay connected and have reliable access to everything they need to work effectively when they’re working from different locations?

Migrating your data, documents, and information to a Cloud server improves accessibility for your company and ensures business continuity – so you don’t have to worry about disruption when your teams are working away from the office. The Cloud also benefits you in many ways when you’re back working in the office too.

Let us tell you about just a few of the ways a Cloud migration can help you improve the way your business works, and to help you decide whether you’re ready to start working in a better way.

How you can benefit from migrating to the cloud

Costs

Do you currently store your data on your own in-house servers? The costs can mount up when you need to maintain your own IT infrastructure, run your own servers, and backup your data regularly. And the worst part? These extra costs don’t even get you the smoothest or most reliable system.

Now let’s talk about using a Cloud server. You don’t need to pay for any expensive systems or equipment – as all your data is hosted on a secure online server that can be accessed from anywhere. Your IT teams will also have their time freed up so they can focus on more important tasks than managing and troubleshooting your internal servers. Cloud server providers roll-out regular software updates using the latest technology, meaning you get a system that’s cutting-edge and can evolve with your needs.

Scalability

Do you know how much storage space your business needs right now? What about in the future? When you first set up your servers, you may have an idea of how much storage space you’re likely to need.

But what happens when your company changes or evolves over time? Running out of storage space is a massive headache. Or maybe you’ll end up with excess storage space you just don’t use. A Cloud environment lets you adapt your storage based on your company’s needs with ease. If you need extra storage space, or to reduce what you’re paying for, the pay-per-use model lets you scale up or scale down storage space in-line with your business demands.

Productivity

Ever struggle with your servers going down? If you want more reliable access with minimal downtime it might be time to think about a Cloud platform. Your teams can access the data they need, when they need it – wherever they’re working from.

All your employees need is an internet connection and they can simply connect to the Cloud platform to access the key information they need to get on with their jobs. Some Cloud platforms even have functionality to let people access data and work offline too. You’ll see a big boost in productivity when you enable your teams to access data and business information from anywhere using any device.

Use the Cloud to keep everyone connected

Cloud server Microsoft SharePoint keeps everyone connected

Credit: Microsoft

Collaboration

Teamwork is everything. We all work better with strong communication and the ability to work together when we need to. Using a Cloud platform streamlines how your teams work while giving them flexibility to collaborate through a shared storage solution. Everyone has the ability to access, edit, and share documents with multiple people with just a click of a button – so there’s no more need to send emails with documents attached to each person. You can also access all the information in real-time – with no issues of version control or duplication.

No longer will you have to worry about certain documents only being held on someone’s local computer or in their emails – missing out on accessing them when you need them most. With all your documents held centrally and in a well-organised structure, everyone can seamlessly locate what they’re looking for wherever they are.

Keep track of who has viewed or edited documents

Keep track of who has viewed or edited documents on Cloud servers such as Microsoft SharePoint

Credit: Microsoft

Data protection

Ever been working on a document and your computer crashes and you lose what you’ve done? If your team members don’t save data regularly, or only have it saved to their machines, you can end up losing all the data if something happens to their laptop or computer. A cloud platform puts a stop to this problem, as the data is stored automatically and securely in the Cloud using the autosave function.

For an extra layer of security, you can also wipe data from your machine remotely too. Your Cloud server backs up all your data regularly to a secure location – protecting it from any machine errors, power failures, disasters, or other crisis. Your teams can simply access the data in the Cloud from any device, ensuring your business can run smoothly.

Security

Keeping your data and documents secure is essential. Cloud providers have industry-leading security in place to prevent data breaches and can seamlessly work alongside your own data protection policies.

With all your documents saved and edited within the Cloud – and everyone able to access them in this central location – there’s no need for information to be shared through less secured emails. You can also manage and keep track of permissions for individual folders and documents, and assign different sensitivity labels to ensure only the right people have access to certain documents and know what they’re allowed to do with them.

Manage who documents can be shared with

Manage who documents can be shared with through a Cloud server such as Microsoft SharePoint

Credit: Microsoft

Analytics

Data is the heart of all things digital. Data analytics is an invaluable tool for understanding your audiences, building effective strategies, and making the right business decisions. You can use data collected from your various digital applications to gain insight into all sorts of areas – including systems operations, employee performance, internal communication, and so much more.

When you adopt a Cloud platform, you can easily store, process and interpret your company’s data. Better still, your teams can access data in real-time – allowing them to make accurate business decisions using in-depth data and invaluable insights.

Environment

An environmentally conscious mindset is necessary for all businesses today. Is your organisation doing your part to minimise the impact you have on the world around us? You could be consuming a lot of energy when you run your own onsite servers or data centres – especially if you have servers with larger capacities than you need.

Cloud-based storage lets your data be managed off-site in a more energy efficient way and helps scale your storage to make sure you only use the amount of energy that fits your current needs. All this helps reduce your carbon footprint to make your organisation greener – while also cutting your power bills costs and location costs too, as people can work remotely while still accessing everything they need.

So what are you waiting for? With your teams likely to need to work remotely for the time being, there’s no better time to get your data moved across to a Cloud server – so your business can continue to run as smoothly (or even better) than ever.

We can help set-up your organisation on a Cloud platform – such as Microsoft SharePoint – and we’ll get all your teams trained on how to access and use the platform, so they can feel confident using it for all your company’s data and information on the Cloud.

SharePoint is also available as part of Microsoft Office 365. That means if your business has an Microsoft 365 subscription, you’ll have access to SharePoint at no extra cost. You can also pair SharePoint up with Microsoft Teams (which is also part of Microsoft 365) to give you a comprehensive document management and collaboration solution that provides a straightforward way for all your teams to communicate, access documents, and work together in one easy-to-use platform.

Get in touch with our team here at Pi Digital today to see how we can help your organisation run well with high-levels of productivity while your teams are working from home – and when they’re back in the office.

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