Cloud services have transformed the way we work, allowing an increasing number of employees to work on the go or at home. The pandemic has only further increased the need for cloud services as millions are forced to work remotely.
During the first quarter of 2020, businesses increased spend on cloud services by 2.2%, and cloud service providers have had a hugely successful year — despite most industries taking massive hits. Slack, the innovative teamwork app, reaped the biggest rewards, having been recently bought out by Salesforce for a whopping $27.7bn. The future is certainly on the cloud.
It appears then that cloud computing services and apps have never been as important as they are right now. Here’s why the cloud is here to stay and why it’s so crucial for those working at home.
Instant Access from Anywhere
The most attractive appeal of the cloud is that employees can access their company’s network, systems, and data with the click of a button from anywhere in the world. This has proven incredibly useful for multinational businesses with a large number of employees worldwide.
For many companies, it means that some employees don’t need to come to the office. The concept of hybrid businesses with a part in-office and part remote office is quickly becoming a reality. It’s now possible to work in a team of people spread out across the globe and still work efficiently, communicate, and deliver results.
Cloud software platforms like Microsoft 365 give employees access to vital information and allows virtual meetings and projects to be organized with relative ease. Those working remotely can be made to feel like they never left the office. Add the group dynamics made possible by Microsoft Teams, and some employees needn’t ever come back to the physical office.
Quality Collaboration
The biggest fear of employees not working in a physical office is that quality collaboration will be lost. Cloud services make up for this using any combination of the millions of innovative collaboration apps and tools now available to businesses and remote workers.
Software as a Service (SaaS) tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Asana, and Trello have revolutionized how remote teams collaborate. These software types allow teams to meet online, chat and work in real-time, organize tasks, track progress, and analyze performance — everything needed for effective and successful collaboration. The software has become so effective, that remote workers will feel like they never left the office.
Enhanced Security
Besides innovation being pushed by cloud service providers, the importance of security has remained critical throughout. This has resulted in significant cloud computing security developments that better safeguard company and employee privacy, data, and personal information.
Security is a major concern for most businesses when considering cloud computing, which is a more than reasonable concern. Working from home means employees must take extra caution when accessing and using cloud services connected to their company. There’s a need for employees to take more responsibility for computer security.
However, employees are more secure using their employer’s designated cloud services, rather than each individual using their own personal accounts. Ensuring all employees are using the same software, tools, and apps with company logins is essential, and employees need to make sure they use them properly.
Data Backup
One of the most significant success factors behind cloud computing is the ability to back up a company’s data using the cloud. No more vulnerable servers on the company premises that can be easily damaged or malfunction. This safeguards company data like never before and can give employers and employees peace of mind when working away on company networks and systems.
Saving files locally often leads to files being lost or mistakenly deleted. If everything is on the cloud, there’s far less chance of anything disappearing — an employee’s computer can have a severe break down without compromising any company data or files. It’s also possible to go back into history to a specific time to retrieve certain data or previous versions of files.
With the cloud, all files are continuously saved in real-time, so there’s no chance of losing any progress, and these files can then be accessed from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.
