With so many businesses moving data storage and services to the cloud, it’s easy to feel as though you’re missing out on perks that can lead to increased productivity while also cutting costs. However, there’s a lot to consider when moving a business to the cloud. So how do you go about it? Here are some things to consider before you make the leap.
Pros and Cons
The first step is to consider the pros and cons of moving your business to the cloud. You’ve probably already heard the pro–ubiquitous access, which simplifies management and administration, in turn cutting the overall costs of your business. But, with this ubiquitous access comes some hazards business owners should be wary of. With all your data and functionality coming directly from the cloud if the internet connection goes down so does your business. Until the connection is restored, you and your business would be in the dark, causing a horrendous inconvenience for any business.
Another thing to consider is that all your data will need to be moved from your local servers to the service you choose. This means you’ll have to put a lot of trust in the cloud server you choose as it will be their security that keeps your data and overall business safe. It can also be difficult to change services once you’ve moved your business to one specific cloud service.
Contact Centers
While businesses of all kinds have been using the cloud in some capacities for a while, contact centers are finally making a large jump to specific cloud services that specialize in contact center cloud support.
Aspect Cloud Contact Center has a variety of options for call centers that can streamline efficiency and boost productivity. With their Zipwire option, you’re provided with user-friendly agent and supervisor desktops which include Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. The Hosted option gives you market-leading multi-channel interaction management. With this option, you can modernize and add functionality to your contact center with Aspect Unified IP 7.3 and Aspect EQ Workforce Optimization. While these are just a couple of options Aspect offers, there are more to ensure you can find the service that best fits your needs.
What other Businesses are Doing
Rightscale.com, a blog devoted to cloud management and cloud management trends has published a survey tracking the recent use of cloud services among businesses. They found that hybrid cloud usage (in which businesses use both on-premise data storage, as well as cloud services) is the preferred method with 82 percent of businesses polled. The survey also found that 88 percent of businesses are using public cloud services while 63 percent are using private clouds. Sixty-two percent of enterprises revealed that central IT makes up the majority of cloud services expense decisions, and 43 percent of IT teams are offering self-service cloud portal services.
These numbers are staggering, considering in 2014 only 74 percent of businesses polled said they used hybrid cloud storage. With so many businesses utilizing cloud services for some aspect of their company, it doesn’t seem like a trend that is likely to fade. With the jump of nearly 10 percent of businesses integrating cloud use to streamline their transactions just last year, it may be necessary for your business to hop on the bandwagon.