Why Small Businesses Need to Move to the Cloud

From hurricanes to floods to massive earthquakes, it has been a devastating month. We can all extend a helping hand by donating to organizations on the ground doing the hard work to save lives. Countless homes, schools, churches, and businesses have been destroyed and there’s one lesson that we can all take away from this: whenever possible, be as prepared as you can. And there’s one minor step to prepare your business that you can take now: move to the cloud.

The cloud is not a mysterious black box full of secrets. Instead, “moving your data to the cloud” just means having your data stored remotely, in a secure data center somewhere around the world. By storing as much as you can remotely, you can limit some of the loss a natural disaster would wreak on your business’s physical presence. It’s like an insurance policy for your data.

Important Data is Safe in the Cloud

Cloud technology has been growing explosively over the past decade and for good reason. Small businesses can lose everything in a matter of seconds. And while insurance will help you rebuild your office or storefront, they can’t do much for the paperwork that was also destroyed. That’s why so many small businesses have chosen to move to the cloud. It keeps all of their important data safe and secure no matter what. And it doesn’t have to be something as extreme as a natural disaster that makes you grateful that you backed up all of your data to the cloud. Simply knocking over a cup of coffee onto your computer in the back office can wreak havoc on your productivity. Everything you were working on, not to mention all of the other important files on your hard drive, could easily be wiped out with one little mistake just as you were starting your day.

Access Cloud Data from Anywhere

We live in an increasingly connected world. With our phones within arm’s reach for the majority of the day, we’re able to check up instantly on nearly anything we’re curious about. Want to check your daily sales while you’re on the way to a meeting? That’s a piece of cake with cloud software. Being able to check that your business is running smoothly from miles away can help you rest easy when you’re away from your usual office.

Get Organized in the Cloud

When you move your business to the cloud, you will have everything you need in one place. No more lost papers that require you to search high and low. Whether you backup all your documents in Google Drive or Box, you can name everything logically, create categories, and arrange your documents in a way that will make them easy to find later on. That way you can find what you need and get on with your day.

Collaborate Easily

Collaboration goes hand in hand with organization. When you have a cloud solution that helps you get crucial documents in one centralized place, your employees can access them easily. By making their jobs a little more streamlined, you can lower frustration and boost their productivity simultaneously. Especially if your business has multiple locations and you often need to collaborate with managers across town or across the country, keeping your documents in one place will simplify processes you already have in place.

Never Run out of Space

A filing cabinet can fill up. Then you will need to continue buying more that will take up additional space as your business grows. Luckily, this is never the case when you backup your data into the cloud. You might have to pay for more storage in some cases, but it won’t be as cumbersome as a back office that’s overrun with physical documents from years ago. Accessing those documents is necessary from time to time and having them readily available without them getting in the way of your day to day tasks is the way to go.

Being prepared is one of the most important things you can do as a small business. Moving to the cloud and away from paperwork is the best way to protect your assets in the face of disasters large and small.

Have you moved to the cloud recently? Share your tips for a smooth transition in the comment section.

Ready to move your scheduling and time tracking to the cloud? Sign up for Homebase’s free employee scheduling, team communication, and time tracking to keep your bases covered around the clock.