By: Punit Thakkar, CEO & Director, Shivaami
Gone are those days when it used to be the CIO who was primarily responsible for buying and implementing technology to help employees work more efficiently and to automate business processes. With digital transformation, the way organizations work today is changing. With broadband and ethernet technology, connectivity has improved tremendously over the past 5 to 10 years and now office solutions can be easily accessed and managed by employees themselves. With office solutions and upgrades easily available via the internet or through the cloud, life has become simpler for CIOs as well as employees.
It is not surprising that a large number of people are looking at migrating to the cloud bandwagon and the adoption is only likely to increase in the coming years. “A total of 33 % of office software users will be using cloud-based systems by 2017 according to a study published by Gartner. The firm estimates that there are currently approximately 50 million enterprise users of cloud-based office systems like Google Apps or Microsoft Office 365, but this only represents about eight per cent of all office system users worldwide (excluding China and India).”
Office in the Cloud makes it far easier for IT leaders to manage overall integration, security and mobility, while end users and administrators can stay focused on business. There is a plethora of reasons to go to cloud office:
1. Manage multiple platforms the smarter way
Cloud Office supports all platforms, from browser to smart devices (android phones, Apple’s iOS etc., to access, view, edit or share documents with ease. In addition, it’s simple to use and manage; thereby giving employees more time to focus on their work.
2. Connect better with customers and colleagues
If you have to juggle between important meetings or attend an important discussion while travelling or simply access some critical data while you are on the move, it can be easily done with just a click if you have cloud-enabled IT infrastructure in your organization. With cloud office, one can connect better with the customers and colleagues with a broad range of communication tools, from email and IM to social networking and video conferencing.
3. Create affordable and secure office
Price is certainly one factor that CIOs or CISOs look for. With low upfront costs and the flexibility to add users and services as needed, office in the cloud ensures attractive ROI for your business. Apart from reduced cost, cloud office also ensures security, stability, functionality, scalability, and productivity.
4. Intelligent apps for varied requirements
Cloud office comes with a set of intelligent applications and act as a feature-rich office that enables you to store and co-edit documents, manage projects, email correspondence and customer relations in one place. It can also be used for converting documents in different formats and changes/modifications can be made in any document regardless of format.
5. Easy to set up and manage
Going for office in the cloud is not that complex as it sounds. It’s easy to manage as it comes with powerful features/tools that help in finding documents, co-author documents, and also keeps files organized. Additionally, familiar/user-friendly applications and tools with cloud office help in keeping all the files up to date and easy access.
The above benefits clearly show that a cloud-based architecture can have a dramatic impact on how an organization implements IT services. The era of consumerisation of IT has begun, with users demanding access to their data, documents, applications, and communications wherever they are. Therefore, it’s time to understand the needs of the millennial workforce and adopt a cloud-oriented futuristic approach to managing your business.