A year ago we ditched our server and moved our business to the cloud.

That’s a pretty big deal for the space we work in which is accounting and financial services.

The result- our small business is now more competitive, efficient and effective than ever.

Here are the benefits of moving our business to the cloud:

Flexibility– Our team has the ability to work from home, on the road or anywhere there is an internet connection. They are able to access files, apps and the programs they need to do their role while working remotely.

Cost savings– A physical server is costly to set up, run and maintain. On top of that is the added risk of the server mechanically breaking down.  Having all your files in the cloud reduces these risks and costs– if done right.

Our files are now stored on Google drive. We weighed up the different costs and options and chose this as the most suitable for our business because if we continued the old way,  we were going to wind up paying more paying for all of our services as a bundle.

Improved Workflow– migrating the business to the cloud forced us to sit down and  refresh our processes and systems.

Work with Virtual Assistants and freelancers seamlessly– Because our files are stored on Google Drive, we can provide access, to  necessary files only, to those we contract to work for us and we can track and monitor what they are doing.

Our advice to other small business owners thinking of migrating to the cloud is to consider the following:

Be prepared to manage your workplace culture during the transition phase. Introducing a new way of doing things will require your team to adapt and they will get frustrated when IT isn’t working as expected.

Test various platforms for storage to make sure you are picking the right tools for your business.

Invest in the right infrastructure- Good internet connectivity, high upload and download speeds were a must. Shop around and spend the money on good infrastructure. Don’t go into it half-assed.

Plan it out, ask your IT provider but don’t be surprised if they tell you to keep your old server because it will make their role of maintaining your old  server redundant.

Want more info on moving your business to the cloud? Check out our previous episode on SAAS products or get in touch

The post Episode 24: One year in the cloud appeared first on Take My Advice.