With the constant development of the cloud computing offer, more and more small businesses are jumping on the wagon. Has your organization made the move yet? If not, we offer you a few reasons why we think cloud computing is beneficial for SMBs.

Firstly, by using cloud computing you have no need to invest in expensive IT infrastructure anymore, nor in servers, storage space, etc. With cloud, everything is used from and stored somewhere in the cyberspace, so you don’t need to worry about it. As a consequence, you also don’t need to worry about hiring the right personnel to take care of the infrastructure.

Secondly, if you contract cloud computing services you have the option of scaled pricing. That means: you pay as your business develops. If you need a structure for only 5 stations, you pay for 5. If next year you need for 75, you pay for that. You are not forced to pay for more than you need in advance, or drawn into an inflexible package.

The above two benefits sum up to an important fact for businesses starting out, or for the ones with limited spending budgets: cloud computing is cheaper than traditional in-house IT infrastructure. And we know that money matters, especially for the SMBs.

Cloud computing also increases productivity and team work. By having all your data in the cloud, you can work not only from the office but also from any place with an internet connection, be it the airport lounge, your living-room or the park. The same goes for team collaboration. Using various online communication and sharing tools, we can attend virtual office meetings and access web-saved collective documents.

Lastly, using the cloud computing services is as secure as one can get, despite initial concerns. Of course, you need to take the appropriate measures to protect your business from malware, just like you should with any other IT infrastructure. But just the fact that you don’t know where this “cloud” is in the space, and because you don’t have complete control over it, it doesn’t mean it’s unsafe.

As a final word, cloud computing can improve your organization’s functionalities with less investment, less personnel to hire, and with more flexibility and scalability. Buy only as much as you need, use hosted services for your data, and develop your business from wherever you want.

We’d say cloud computing means business class functionality, without the enterprise-level investment.

Written by: Monica Nastase.