Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are drowning in data, but with the right cloud technology apps and setup, they can make use of the deluge without costly infrastructure or IT configurations.
For example, cloud services can take on reams of data that would once have required a room full of servers – and what’s more, data from outside sources can be accessed and even incorporated into a business’s own data points.
“Today's technology has revolutionised our ability to access data, levelling the playing field for smaller firms,” says Shraga Zaltzman, who recently left his position as chief executive at employment specialist, Work Avenue.
From monitoring customer activity to logging financial records, data can now be stored, accessed and analysed online, thanks to the growth of software-as-a-service (Saas) applications – web-hosted, subscription-based software accessed through a web browser – and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) applications, which enable companies to build their own apps through a browser without much of the traditional complexity and cost.
Here, three small business owners explain how they are making use of the cloud and modern tech to streamline their IT operations.
Fitness course provider, Origym, specialises in distance learning and online courses. Its managing director, Luke Hughes, says that the company uses selected cloud apps and services to streamline communications and business operations, and lower costs.
“We use IBM Cloud for aspects of our business where there’s crossover from one department to the next,” he says.
The solutions offered by IBM Cloud are varied, but the same principles underlie all of them: giving small businesses access to tech and data management that would once have required significant IT infrastructure and staffing.
“[The cloud apps] allow free-flowing communication between different aspects of the business, which we’ve found all the more paramount as we’ve grown,” adds Mr Hughes.
As well as switching its phone systems to cloud technology for easier access and simpler data collection, it also replaced its customer relationship management (CRM) system with Insightly on the web, reducing downtime and IT management costs – and allowing for easier data management and scaling.
The new online system handles live data about customer relations in one place – and offers online server storage, which means that Origym can minimise local IT resources while still getting the same type of software and quality data analysis as bigger firms.
