Face-to-face contact, brainstorming, notepads, long meetings, and a centralised office atmosphere were all part of corporate collaboration in the past. Today, largely accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is about fostering comparable levels of involvement and collaboration without the constraints of a single place or physical proximity. Cloud collaboration technologies have enabled and popularised this move forward.
Read on as we discuss how cloud computing can improve employee collaboration and productivity with the rise of remote working worldwide.
1. Security
Organisations can outsource cloud cybersecurity to external IT specialists like MSPs, who have adequate cybersecurity training and can provide businesses with improved security. These enhanced security features can encourage more communication and file sharing between team members or employees in a company, as they tend to enjoy peace of mind while working on online projects. This is especially helpful for at-home or remote workers who have to share files with their colleagues in the office.
2. Efficiency
Cloud technologies reduce the time it takes to perform corporate tasks throughout the day. For example, several cloud-based applications can make indexing and searching for files more straightforward and effortless, allowing employees quicker access to their information. Employees can be more productive and efficient every day with less time spent on each task. In other words, with the use of the cloud, company staff can get more things done in less time.
3. Connectivity
Cloud computing makes it possible for employees to connect like never before. Before the cloud, team members working on a project still needed to check their emails and messages on external applications constantly. The cloud minimises the time spent checking emails and messages because everything is already integrated into a single location. Now, a team can already get projects done in real-time and collaborate more easily through a simplified, live platform.
4. Scalability
As businesses change and expand, so too will their IT requirements. Alternatively, if a company has to scale down its operations, its IT storage needs have to follow through. Luckily, with the help of cloud computing, it is now easy for companies to increase or decrease their cloud space depending on their business needs. Cloud computing allows easy scalability, thus enabling companies to upscale or downscale as their circumstances change.
5. Talent Acquisition
Aside from the usual increase in security, efficiency, connectivity, and scalability, working over the cloud also enables companies to attract more outstanding talents. This is mainly because using the cloud means a company can employ remote employees from anywhere globally. This expanded talent pool then brings in more creativity, fresher insights, and enhanced collaboration to the organisation.
6. Decreased Downtime
Disruptive and costly downtime and data loss incidents are common with traditional in-house or onsite IT. These incidents usually result in lost productivity, sales, and even customers. With cloud computing, a company can reduce the possibility of these incidents occurring because its IT department or MSP provider can remotely monitor the cloud around the clock and fix any issues with minimal delays. With fewer delays, the chances of lost productivity are also low.
7. Competitiveness
Before cloud computing came, only big companies used to have a competitive edge in the corporate world because they had technologies that small or mid-size businesses could not afford. With cloud computing, any company can now access technologies generally affordable for large corporations only. This gives businesses using the cloud a competitive advantage against other SMBs that do not utilise cloud technologies.
Conclusion
The coming of the COVID-19 health crisis and the rise of remote work arrangements have indeed ruled out the old ways of corporate collaboration. Nonetheless, thanks to the constant innovation of cloud technologies, collaboration and productivity enhancement in business continue to be possible despite the challenges. This cloud collaboration provides endless benefits not just for large companies but also for small and mid-size companies.
If you wish to gain a strong background in cloud technologies, consider signing up for a course that teaches you everything you should know, particularly about the most crucial component of the cloud: security. At BridgingMinds, we offer a variety of IT security courses in Singapore, including the EC-Council’s Certified Cloud Security Engineer (C|CSE) course that helps you get ready for a career working with the cloud. C|CSE classes have officially started, so catch up now by enrolling in our upcoming courses!
