Small businesses face scarcity in IT resources and are at a big disadvantage when compared to their larger peers. However, they too have as many requirements as the large companies. It is virtually impossible to address these challenges with in-house infrastructure. due to the prohibitive costs involved. Thankfully, SMEs can leverage the power of the cloud to offset these disadvantages. Cloud technology has made it possible to move desktop applications that are used regularly to servers hosted elsewhere. All applications ranging from simple software like MS Office and other simple productivity apps to more complex applications like accounting, tax, graphics, video editing, GIS, analytics, CAD software can be accessed in the form of a Desktop as a Service application.
Here are some benefits of using cloud technology like Windows Virtual Desktop for small businesses:
Increased productivity
Cloud technology brings with it the flexibility for employees to work from anywhere, at any time, with any device of their choice. It is for this reason that small and medium businesses are increasingly using the cloud to progress their business. Most of the desktop applications can be accessed with virtually any device like Windows PCs, Chromebooks, Android and iOS devices. More importantly, the user experience is consistent regardless of the device type with similar functionality. So, your productivity is the same regardless of the setting you are working in.
Data privacy and security
As with any other technology, cloud systems faced severe flak from experts who doubted its safety and reliability. Yet, if the number of Office 365 migration is any indication, this theory has been completely debased. Enterprise Mobility and Security systems that are designed to protect data on the cloud is robust and secure. These meet the most stringent of compliance standards that are available in the market today. Cloud service providers must get certified before they offer their services. It is hardly surprising that the environment created by cloud service providers is significantly more secure than their on-premises counterparts. They provide data backups and maintain redundancy to ensure 99.9% uptime of data.
Minimized IT costs
Small businesses do not need to maintain a lot of IT infrastructure to avail of the cloud facilities in the form of Desktop as a Service. In most cases, all they need is an internet connection and a device to access the internet. Studies have often found that the IT infrastructure costs can be cut by as much as half by moving to the cloud. Unsurprisingly, even large enterprises are outsourcing many of their IT requirements to third party providers to cut down on costs.
Enterprise-level backing
The cloud is where the future of tomorrow’s potential is. Large companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are making large investments to expand their portfolios, diversify their product lines and gain a larger market share. Microsoft, for example, offers Office 365. This is a subscription service that gives users access to different applications based on the plans they choose. There are Enterprise plans like Enterprise E3 and Enterprise E5 for businesses with over 300 users while the Business plans should suffice for smaller companies. These applications help meet companies their business needs with tools for messaging and collaboration among others.
IT expertise access
All businesses, whether large or small, grapple with the challenges thrown by the IT requirements to run successfully. In most cases, there is a requirement for dedicated staff to handle these challenges within the office premises. With the cloud technology, all the tasks, and processes including setup, migration, onboarding, deployment, and operations can be managed by third-party experts who need not be in the location or on the company payroll. They can still assist organizations to maintain and scale the operations of the organization as per its requirements as and when needed.
If you are considering moving your desktop applications like MS Office, QuickBooks, Photoshop or any other such software to the cloud, do get in touch with a reliable service provider like Apps4Rent who can provide round-the-clock assistance via phone, chat, and email.
