The Unexpected Benefits of the Cloud

We recently came across a great article on the Forbes magazine website that discussed some of the benefits of cloud computing.  By now, we have all seen tons of articles that talk about all of the excellent things that cloud computing can do for your business – we’ve even published a few such articles ourselves – but we really love the Forbes article we found because it offers a fresh look at the benefits of cloud computing and makes some very valid points that most of the articles extolling the greatness of the cloud thus far have missed.  Below you will find a few excerpts from the Forbes list of 5 Benefits of Cloud Computing You Won’t See in a Sales Brochure:

More flexibility to get into new businesses.  What holds back new the pursuit of ideas among entrepreneurs and large organizations alike?  Time and money, or the lack thereof. Say you want to design and test a new product line. With the available of on-demand cloud resources, new configurations can be up and running within hours or minutes, so that helps reduce the time element. On-demand cloud resources provide the way to try out new ideas without extreme investments in supporting systems. This allows shifts in business focus to be made fairly quickly.

Ability to duplicate or adopt successful business processes others have hashed out. One of the fears about cloud services is that they’re homogenized, built to the lowest common denominator, and thus leveling the playing field for all business customers. At the same time, cloud services are based on the collective learning and input of customers, and new customers immediately are exposed to processes, formulas and interfaces that are well-tested and proven to deliver the best business results. This is the kind of education you can’t even get at Harvard Business School.

More tech savvy in the executive suite. These days, in a hyper-competitive global economy, the advantage goes to organizations that are adept at leveraging the latest technology resources. To get there, they need the leadership and guidance of their CIOs, CTOs and other technology leaders. You don’t want these executives’ time saddled overseeing maintenance of in-house IT systems — in fact, statistics regularly show that up to 80% of IT budgets are tied up in routine maintenance. Cloud frees up IT executives to think and act strategically. IT leaders provide the insights needed to select the right technology resources for the business, be they from the corporate data center or from an outside service provider.

Find these benefits compelling enough to want to move your company to a cloud solution? The Vested Group is here to help! We have offices in Dallas, TX and Tampa, FL ready to answer any of your cloud computing questions.  We can set up a demo or discuss our unique Phase Zero offering, designed to make the most of your cloud computing planning and analysis efforts.  Learn all about the benefits of cloud computing by contacting The Vested Group today!

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