For owners across Austin, the images of the flood’s impact on Lamar businesses are terrifying. Most are probably wondering how they can protect their business from natural disasters. Weather-proofing your business is by no the means the only reason to move to the cloud, but it certainly is a benefit.
Cloud computing allows employees to access all their files and programs from any device with an Internet connection. All your data would be stored and backed-up in a data center as opposed to in an onsite server closet or individual computers.
So while certain businesses were completely shut down by flooding, some businesses in the cloud could operate as usual. I say some because if employees did not have electricity or Internet access, or if the data center was also effected by floods, businesses in the cloud would also be shut down.
But here are some pretty appealing points of cloud computing, assuming the obstacles above don’t apply:
1. Pull Ahead of the Competition
It isn’t very often that all your competition is suddenly nonexistent. Depending on your industry this could be a particularly advantageous time for an influx of new prospects. The fact of the matter is your business is functional and ready to help new leads or existing clients.
2. Time Out!
You may not hear a peep from leads, clients or even vendors for that matter. But that doesn’t discount this incredible opportunity. Having a functional business while most are down has allowed you a time out. All those internal projects you never had time for suddenly can be moved to the front burner. You finally have the time to rethink a broken process, organize the public folders, start on that eBook, rewrite the employee handbook, etc.
3. No Travel Risk
The most common severe weather in Austin is thunderstorms, which most greatly impacts a safe commute. Assuming employees have a working broadband connection, they can use all programs and access all files from their personal computer or device at home. Essentially all employees can have as productive a day as you, working on the cloud during a natural disaster.
As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, the fact that cloud computing can keep your business operational in a natural disaster is an excellent benefit. However, it is not the sole reason to move to the cloud.
Our goal with this blog is to answer the questions you ask. If you have any questions about cloud computing, the benefits or any topic please leave a comment below or contact us!
