Cost Savings With The Cloud
I frequently get asked by MSPs, “What do I tell my clients about the cost savings with the Cloud?” There are many, but here are a few: no capital costs, pay-as-you-go services, increased collaboration, and increased productivity.
No Capital Costs
The Cloud transforms IT from a capital expense into an operating expense. So your clients don’t have to make large investments. This is because using the Cloud is a pay-as-you-go model and can also be categorized as a service expense rather than a capital one. A small business can write off the costs of cloud solutions in the year they were used rather than depreciating them over 3 to 5 years as they would a capital expense.
The Cloud allows them to take advantage of cost savings compared to the total cost of ownership for pricey in-house hardware. They can forego the capital and operational expenses associated with hardware purchases, maintenance, and replacement. If they need to add storage quickly, doing this in the Cloud is easy. They don’t have to purchase any equipment which saves them money.
Plus, there’s no need to purchase software outright and worry about updating it and purchasing licenses. With Software-as-a-Service solutions in the Cloud, they pay on a subscription basis for only what they use, and nothing more; and the software is automatically kept up-to-date and patched for reliability and security.
Pay-As-You-Go
The Cloud follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model. Your clients only pay for what they use. This includes compute power and licenses. This is much like the way they pay for a utility.
The Cloud provides predictable budgeting. Your clients will benefit from paying a flat monthly fee for cloud services. Software as a Service (SaaS) options generally let them choose subscriptions, so they only need to pay for what they need. And whether they need 10 GB or cloud storage, or 100 TB, they’re covered.
Some seasonal businesses scale back services during slow times. If your clients do this, they can also scale back the cloud solutions they use by simply removing user seats. When the busy season approaches, they can add them back. Plus, if their business is just starting out, they can start small and scale up as required easily.
Their business will be more competitive when they use cloud computing solutions. If they run a small business, they can access enterprise-class technology that larger companies use but at a more reasonable price.
Increased Collaboration
The Cloud gives your clients’ employees access to files and documents from anywhere with an internet connection. Is their team spread out all over the place? This is so often the case nowadays. They may even be working with people from other countries. Now, anyone your client authorizes can have access to documents and information.
Documents stored in the Cloud are updated in real time, so everyone has access to the most recent versions. And, they can work from any device or location as long as they have an internet connection.
No more emailing documents back and forth or wondering which version of a document is the latest. Their employees will have access to Their files whenever they need them.
Workers can sync data, information and files on their computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. This is critical to ensure work is completed on time and on budget.
They can also reduce their overhead costs due to less need for space in their office with the Cloud’s remote access capability. The cost to rent commercial property continues to rise. Why have to constantly expand office space or move because they are growing when their employees can work remotely with the Cloud?
Increased Productivity
Software deployment durations times are reduced, and the Cloud also offers greater uptime. And cloud computing will enhance their operational efficiencies so they can deliver services faster.
Automation with machine learning plays an enormous role in optimizing workflows and predicting problems before they occur. With workflows based in the Cloud, they can automate or semi-automate many processes to save costs:
- Use analytics to predict problems before they arise.
- Automate and monitor work and maintenance schedules.
- Optimize logistics and prevent equipment and resource losses by tracking them in real-time via the Cloud.
- Track and optimize work-in-progress on sites using sensors that monitor downtime.
- Monitor and track staff performance.
No more relying on traditional paper-based workflows. The Cloud provides opportunities for them to be partially or entirely digitized. This allows for paper-free and instant communication between your clients’ home offices, field offices, managers, subcontractors, vendors and partners.
- They can track work by the location, day and hour.
- Material shipment information is available in real-time and at a moment’s notice.
- Invoicing software in the Cloud syncs with accounting software to avoid duplication of efforts.
And with a cloud-based CRM system, they can keep track of contact information and communications, and ensure that their customers’ requests are being addressed. This provides managers, sales reps, and marketers quick access to essential customer data to ensure requirements are being met.
No matter if they’re traveling to another country, or just across town for a meeting, when their files are saved in the Cloud, they can work from them anywhere and remain productive. And, when they return to the office, they can pick up from where they left off.
So as you can see, your clients will benefit from a number of cost-savings with the Cloud.
For more answers to common questions that I’ve been asked, visit cloudservicesformsps.com.