If you thought cloud computing was just for large enterprises, think again. Any small-to-midsized business (SMB) can benefit from using the cloud to streamline operations, reduce overhead, cut costs and increase scalability, as outlined by Cloud Business Review.
Leveraging the cloud can also help SMBs grow and expand as well as open up new business opportunities and provide inroads into new markets, according to a comScore study of small businesses in the U.S., India, Hong Kong and Malaysia commissioned by Microsoft.
The survey found that 41 percent of SMBs could increase their staff in departments directly related to business growth or sales as a result of making the switch to cloud computing.
Thirty-nine percent of those companies surveyed invested in innovation or product development and 52 percent were able to market new products and services, an example of the speed with which the cloud can benefit small and medium businesses.
Many SMBs may be wary of cloud technology, said Dark Reading writer Kelly Jackson Higgins, because of security, privacy and reliability concerns. Yet those issues are quickly being addressed, according to the Microsoft study nicely summarized in this article by the staff of CloudTimes, an online newspaper dedicated to covering cloud issues, news and trends.
The survey showed that as of May 2012, 35 percent of U.S. companies surveyed improved levels of security after moving to the cloud.
According to that same study, 32 percent of these companies worry less about cyber attacks and 32 percent spend less time weekly on security management than those companies not yet ‘in the cloud’.
Spending on security management is also reduced by as much as five times, according to the study.
About the Author: The article is written by Sharon Florentine, a freelance writer who covers everything from data center technology to holistic veterinary care and occasionally blogs for Rackspace Hosting.