5 Ways to Use the Cloud to Reduce Cost & Risk

As central Massachusetts and the rest of the country begin the process of reopening the economy, many companies are looking for ways to lower their operating costs.

Technology is being relied on more now than ever before – it’s helping keep businesses running using a remote or scaled-back workforce. Additionally, companies have taken on added risk by having employees work from home. Cybersecurity protections at the office don’t always translate to a remote workforce, leaving businesses more susceptible to a breach or ransomware infection.

36% of organizations surveyed have experienced a security incident caused by a remote worker.

Cloud solutions offer a unique opportunity to reduce your overall technology costs, improve worker productivity, and reduce your security risk. It just takes knowing the best ways to use them to your advantage.

Save Money & Increase Security with These Cloud Solution Strategies

With cloud solutions, you don’t have to sacrifice capabilities in order to lower costs. With strategic use of the Cloud, small businesses have the ability to operate a digital infrastructure that is just as secure and dynamic as that of enterprises.

Use the Cloud to the fullest and reduce your risk and costs with the following tactics:

1. Consolidate Communications & Data

One way that digital security can quickly get out of hand when you’re using a remote workforce is if you don’t have a cloud strategy in place to capture communication and content.

Employees may be saving data to a personal PC that’s not properly protected or updated with security patches. Sales teams can be communicating with clients in a variety of ways that aren’t captured in any centralized company location.

This may cause:

• Data loss
• Inability for team members to access important data
• Security risk
• Incomplete communication trails

You can improve both document and communication security by using a cloud platform designed to keep everything in one place. For example, Microsoft Teams (currently being offered for free) allows teams to use it for real-time messages, voice and video calls, to capture email trails, and for document storage.

By keeping all your data and communications together, nothing is lost, everything is accessible to those who need it, and you’re able to reduce your risk of data loss or compromise.

2. Do a Cloud Solution Review & Strategically Streamline

While companies were initially learning about and adopting cloud technology, many went “all in” and ended up with more cloud services than they needed.

The average company uses 16 different cloud applications for their business processes. Those per user/per month subscription costs can really add up over time.

By taking the time to do a cloud solution review, you can weed out redundancies in app functionality and get rid of applications you don’t need or that employees find difficult to work with.

Doing strategic streamlining of your cloud solutions can significantly lower your monthly subscription costs while actually optimizing efficiency.

3. Switch to a Cloud-based VoIP Phone System

If you haven’t done this already, there’s never been a better time to upgrade from a landline-based phone system to a cloud-based one.

VoIP has been significantly improved over the last 15 years. Call quality is no longer an issue and companies find they gain multiple features by using an internet phone system.

Cost savings are significant because there is no expensive hardware to buy or expensive maintenance. Estimated savings are more than 50% on overall phone costs.

Plus, you have the ability to keep your phone numbers and answer your phones from anywhere and from any device, which is an especially important benefit when everyone is working remotely.

4. Keep Remote Workers Secure with Device Management

It’s not easy to manage an office full of desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices and ensure they’re secure. It’s even harder when those devices are spread out across several employee homes and may include personal devices being used to access business data.

A simple way to administer and protect all those endpoints is by using a device management solution. A cloud solution like Microsoft Intune can be used to protect both company-owned and employee-owned devices without being invasive.

Device management apps help separate the business and personal areas of a device and give administrators the ability to:

• Remotely apply updates and security patches
• Grant or revoke business app access remotely
• Lock a lost or stolen device
• Push through new company software
• Keep track of device access to business data

5. Implement Integration & Automation

Many employees spend unnecessary time doing manual tasks such as re-entering data from one cloud app into another or sending a notification about a lead or client to a sales team member.

These are activities that cloud automation can handle for you with just a little integration between cloud services.

• Adding automation can save you money and reduce risk by:
• Automating notifications
• Freeing employees to work on more business-driving activities
• Reducing data integrity issues/keying errors
• Improving your customer communication and follow up

Need Help to Streamline Your Use of the Cloud?

The cloud solution pros at Cleartech Group can help your business uncover cost savings and efficiency improvements within your cloud infrastructure while also reducing your risk.

Contact us today at 978-466-1938 or reach out online.