Running a home business used to be so simple. If you had a computer it was mainly used for sending some emails, maybe planning your day and, if you were lucky, running a simple website or blog to promote your services.

However, in today’s business climate, you now need to be more advanced than ever when it comes to your online presence and the way you manage your IT network. According to Forbes’ analysis of its 38 million members, there are roughly 28 million small businesses in the US and approximately 52% of them are home-based.

More People Now Working from Home

With more than half the small business population working from home, efficient IT services have become a must. However, when money is tight and the average corporate IT package costs thousands, the options for small businesses are fairly limited. In fact, according to Forbes’ data, 80% of non-employer business (i.e. small business owners) reported annual receipts of less than $50,000. Moreover, only 9.6% of small businesses in the US make between $50,000 and $100,000 each year.

With revenue seemingly scarce, especially in the first few years of operation, affordable IT has become the goal of many business owners. One of the latest innovations to pique the interest of entrepreneurs in recent years is cloud computing. Although it’s a term many of us now use as part of our daily vernacular, cloud services are actually helping to make small businesses more efficient, more secure and, importantly, more profitable.

According to an overview of cloud computing by iCorps, 36% of all data is now stored in the cloud and 91% of small business owners have said that could providers have made customer service more efficient. In fact, of all the facts listed, this one is the most significant as customer service is by far the most important aspect of any small business.

Failure is Always a Danger

More than 50% of small businesses fail within their first two years, according to Theo Paphitis, and one of the main reasons is poor customer service. Fortunately, cloud services are making it easier for businesses, especially home-based companies, to manage their company online.

Sysaid is one company that recently started to offer IT Service Management (ITSM) options to customers through cloud servers. Among the packages offered on sysaid.com, customers can choose the IT Help Desk option and gain access to virtual software, data storage and IT experts in a single package beamed directly to your desktop.

Whatever IT provisions your business requires, whether it’s end-user chat support, service level management, knowledge management, having specialist software and a team of experts is now no longer necessary. What’s more, ITSM cloud facilities are much more cost-effective for small businesses. In fact, in most cases it’s possible to try before you buy (usually a 30-day free trial), so you won’t have to risk a lot of money on a system that doesn’t suit your needs.

Could Computing is the Answer

The main message you should take from the current dynamic is this, starting a small business isn’t easy, but if you look to the clouds you’ll have a much better chance of success. Money is always an issue, regardless of how well you’ve planned your finances, but cloud services, especially in the ITSM sector, are helping to reduce costs. Not only that, but with so much business now taking place online, an all-in-one solution that doesn’t cost the earth is crucial.

Essentially, if you don’t want to become another statistic, you should be utilizing cloud services as much as possible.