There has never been a time in history when the sending and receiving of information were as inexpensive. In fact, when you think about it, scarcity has been practically eliminated in the world of information
And, given that most entrepreneurs are doing something knowledge or information based, the growth in IT has been a great leveler. It has never been easier for startup companies to gain a competitive edge over their larger rivals. But, much of that success comes down to their ability to implement sound IT solutions. So how should the humble entrepreneur be using IT?
One of the significant developments in computing over the last six years or so has been the cloud. In 2016, we’re finally seeing all the promise of this exciting new technology coming to fruition. Cloud computing is essentially a platform that allows you to access your company IT resources anywhere. You can access them in the office, on your mobile and even at home. The ubiquity of the platform is made possible by the fact your data is stored externally on a server; just connect to it using an internet connection.
Businesses have been flocking to cloud computing. According to Goldman Sachs, the market has grown sixfold since 2008 and is expected to double again in the next four years. Clearly it’s offering something important to businesses, but what?
Well, for one, it provides mobile computing. Most businesses aren’t solely office-based. Throughout the working day, people are moving between locations and traveling to clients. While they’re out of the office, their schedule might change. In the old days, they would have been updated by a phone call. Then the administrator would have had to update a timesheet and do a load of extra ancillary work.
Cloud computing allows firms to use a single, integrated program that does all of that work automatically. The saving on labor costs is enormous.
When companies outsource their IT to a cloud company, they also tend to enjoy better IT support. Because a specialist company is managing the IT, they tend to have better monitoring and more reliable systems. In the past, businesses had to deal frequently with the scourge of downtime. But, thanks to technologies like remote monitoring, cloud computing is preemptive. Often, problems are solved before you even realize there was an issue.
The saving for businesses can, therefore, be enormous. No longer do they have to maintain their in-house suite of servers. No longer do they have to hire specialists to keep the whole operation running. And no longer do they face volatile maintenance costs.
Finally, new collaborative IT tools have benefited the humble entrepreneur.
The cloud allows people to work on projects together, in real time, in disparate locations. In fact, the tools available over the cloud often make working together easier than if the person was sitting right next to you.
All told, it means that the costs computing are coming down. And for entrepreneurs, this means it’s far easier and cheaper to get their product to market.
Photo by Dai KE
Milo Senalle
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