How Enterprise Cloud Solutions Can Transform Your Business
At first, the cloud may have seemed like a lot of hype and just another technology for enterprises to spend money on because "everyone else was doing it." You know, like mobile, the internet, or social media. Of course, all three of these today are vital tools for enterprises to increase productivity, raise brand awareness, and better engage with customers. In fact, it's hard to imagine a business surviving in the digital age without a website, Facebook page, or mobile app.
Though enterprise cloud solutions have also become indispensable to organizations seeking to be more agile while saving money, some businesses are still hesitant about moving to the cloud. After all, a cloud migration is a lot more complicated than building a website or even managing employee BYOD devices, right?
Not really. The truth is, moving IT processes, data storage, and communications systems to the cloud is much easier than many business decision-makers believe. Conversely, the longer a business waits to move to the cloud, the harder it is for it to compete in the digital economy. Businesses that still haven't jumped on the cloud can put themselves at a competitive disadvantage. For example, enterprises with on-premises legacy phone systems and contact centers struggle to meet the requirements of digital-savvy employees and customers.
Enterprise workers today demand the ability to do their jobs from anywhere and using any device. They want the flexibility to remotely collaborate and communicate with colleagues from their homes, to join video conferences on their smartphones, and to access Salesforce on their laptops during a client meeting in the field.
The High Costs of Resisting the Cloud
Legacy communications systems simply can't support these critical functions. The end result can be lower productivity, frustrated employees, and higher turnover. According to the Future Workforce Study 2016 from Dell and Intel, 42 percent of workers ages 18–34 are likely to leave a job because their employers provided substandard technology. That percentage is likely even higher among workers whose jobs require constant use of technology, such as call center agents.
Likewise, older, in-house communications platforms can't scale to handle data and service requests from the growing number of mobile users who want real-time service and the luxury of communicating with customer support via phone, online chat, messaging, or any other digital channel.
However, cloud-based communications systems are flexible and scalable and allow enterprises to satisfy the productivity needs of a mobile, remote workforce, the scalability and cross-channel functionality of a busy contact center, and real-time service requests from mobile customers.
In addition to enabling a business to compete more effectively by leveraging the most advanced digital technologies, moving communications virtually to the cloud eliminates the need to replace expensive on-premises PBX equipment. The result can be an efficient transfer of capital expenses to operational expenses, or even an overal cost reduction.
Migration and Support Made Easy
Enterprise cloud solutions today are available to organizations of all sizes. The key is to partner with a provider with deep experience and roots in cloud technology to provide support throughout the process. A provider with an enterprise cloud backup service can store data in multiple geographic locations, enabling businesses to maximize uptime, even during and after disasters.
Moving to the cloud may appear daunting to some businesses, but even the most ardent cloud holdouts are beginning to realize that the alternative — falling hopelessly behind the competition — is somewhat more daunting. The right enterprise cloud solutions can lift any business that chooses the right partner.
Is your enterprise ready for the cloud? Contact a Vonage Business consultant today to get started.
