Want better collaboration? Think cloud. For many companies, making sure all employees are on the same page and have access to the same materials is often a time-consuming process: Multiple emails, SMS messages and physical meetings are necessary; and if project revisions or resource allocations are required, they can throw timelines into chaos as managers attempt to fan out this information over traditional messaging channels. 

As reported by Business.com, however, the cloud fundamentally changes this process and can increase employee productivity by up to 400 percent. Why? Because files in the cloud are accessible anytime, anywhere by any employee with the proper access permissions. This means that employees working remotely, while on business trips or from a satellite office, are never out of the loop. Moving to the cloud also empowers a move away from physical documents to accurate and searchable digital copies. The result? Employees don’t waste time hunting down a single file or missing document.

Communication

How do your employees communicate? Chances are they’re using a combination of traditional phone service, email and physical faxing to get the job done day after day. It’s now possible to roll all of these functions into a single service known as unified communications (UC). By leveraging the cloud for voice-over-IP phone service, you can keep desktop handsets but do away with public switched telephone networks (PTSN) and make sure all employees have access to an identical, streamlined email client.

Making the move to cloud faxing, meanwhile, not only improves the efficiency of document transfer, but as noted by MSP Mentor, can significantly increase security. Here’s how: 

• Desktop and stand-alone fax machines store a copy of transmitted images on hard drives that are rarely overwritten. Documents in the cloud are sent and then deleted.
• Once drives are full, the contents of physical fax machines are often printed in hard copy, creating a potential security breach. No physical copies are required in the cloud.
• There’s no guarantee that faxes sent to your office will be picked up by the right person unless that person is standing next to the machine. Cloud solutions let you send documents directly to the intended recipient.
• Most faxes over PTSN aren’t encrypted – meaning they could be intercepted and read. Cloud services offer robust and adaptable encryption.

Security

Network security is a key concern for companies of all sizes – malware or brute-force attacks could mean data loss, system failures and damage to consumer trust. Although stand-alone security products continue to occupy a large portion of the technology marketplace, it’s often difficult to reconcile complex IT needs even using multiple licensed solutions. In the cloud, security is not only unified, but native to the concept – since cloud providers effectively stake their reputation on the ability to keep your data and network safe. Often, this takes the form of virtual private networks (VPNs) for all outgoing and incoming traffic; in addition to "zero-knowledge" models that ensure only approved personnel from your business have access to stored information – and since providers don’t have the keys to your data, it’s impossible for them to accidentally allow entry or provide it to a third-party without your permission. Bottom line? If you spend less time worrying about security, you’ve got more time to focus on other, revenue-generating projects.

Scalability

While using your own network hardware gives you increased on-site control, there’s a drawback: Scalability. If you need more storage or increased compute power, you’ve got two options – double-down on cabinet density or spend on new servers to bridge the gap. In addition, you’re on the hook to manage the life cycle of your physical hardware, meaning regular maintenance and replacement are required to ensure maximum performance. Since you rent rather than own cloud servers, however, you’re not responsible for their care or long-term stability. Instead, you’re able to scale up – or down – storage and compute needs as required. Better still? You only pay for what you use. The result is increased cost efficiency, since you don’t need to account for sudden hardware failure and a big CapEx hit.

Flexibility

Flexibility is another key benefit of the cloud. Maturing technology and infrastructure have made both public and private options viable for companies of all sizes. What’s more, hybrid clouds are now a solid choice for companies hoping to balance the need for security and ease of access. For example, you can use a public cloud to host app testing environments, along with non-critical processes that eat large amounts of local server performance. Leverage private clouds to store consumer information, HR data and ensure compliance requirements such as PCI DSS are met.

Focus

How much time do your IT pros spend troubleshooting user issues and putting out technology fires? Legacy systems are prone to ongoing, often systemic issues, especially as companies look to merge new technology with existing infrastructure. Making the move to the cloud can eliminate many of these problems by creating a uniform environment for applications, platforms and processes, in turn giving IT the ability to focus their energy elsewhere. The choice is up to you  – it’s possible to tap providers that take care of virtually all IT troubleshooting, or you can leverage a firm that works with your IT to find long-term solutions to common IT issues. The big benefit here is that IT efficiency enjoys a large increase, and technology pros can shift their energy to revenue-driving business projects rather than simply chasing minor flare-ups time and time again.

Want to boost efficiency and improve productivity? Consider the cloud for better collaboration, communication, security, scalability, flexibility and focus.

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Author Bio:

As U.S. Chief Operating Officer at Esker, Steve Smith is responsible for all operations in North, South and Central America. Esker is a global leader in document process automation, helping organizations around the world automate their manual business processes and increase their workflow and productivity