In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about moving business operations “to the cloud.” One of the nice things about using the cloud in terms of solutions for your business is that it requires less hardware for your business, and it makes it easier to manage most of your business functions from anywhere.
If you want to improve your business with a little help from the cloud, here are 5 solutions that might work for you:
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1. Amazon ElastiCache
Disk-based databases can slow your business web site down when visitors are looking for information. Amazon ElastiCache reduces this problem. This cloud-based solution allows your site to work faster, and it promotes scalability as well. Quick, cloud-based retrieval can mean the difference between a frustrated customer and one who is happy because your business web site is moving at a brisk pace. This is one of the most important solutions for your business, if you want to make sure your web site is fast.
2. Incapsula
One of the problems that business web sites face is the fact that loads can be unbalanced. If the traffic overwhelms a server, your site can go down for some customers. This is a quick way to headaches and lost clients. Incapsula offers cloud-based traffic distribution and load balancing so that traffic to your business web site is always sent to a viable web server. This reduces down time, and helps ensure that your clients can find your site -- and what they are looking for -- almost anytime.
3. Sales Cloud
Built on the Salesforce1 platform, Sale Cloud offers your business a way to generate leads and close sales, no matter where your team is located. This cloud-based business solution also provides you with reports and instant information about what’s happening with your sales. Boost the ability for your business web site to perform sales functions, and improve your ability to interpret the results of your actions, and do it without bulky programs taking up disk space.
4. dinCloud
Looking for a virtual desktop? You can connect your whole business operation, and manage it from anywhere, with the help of a tool like dinCloud. Some of the offerings, include webHVD, makes it easy to stream video, and ensures that you can video conference without any hitches. This type of virtual desktop solution for your business can mean that you don’t have to install client software, or continually update it.
5. Box
A few years ago, I published a book with co-author Robyn Tippins. Our publisher uses Box as a document sharing and backup storage solution for its business. I’ve found Box easy to use, and it’s a great way to backup important documents.
As a business, you know that you need storage. Unfortunately, backing up your business records and other important documents takes up space. The cloud can clear up some of that space, so you don’t have to use valuable disk space. Not only that, but a good backup storage solution can also allow you to easily share documents. This cuts down on paper, and it means that people in different locations can access the same information.
Bottom Line
Even though there are some concerns about the cloud, the reality is that it makes it easier than ever for businesses to succeed -- especially small businesses with an interest in keep costs low. You might not be able to afford to buy your own servers, but the right cloud-based solutions for your business can allow you to store, retrieve, and manage your important business documents and functions. Plus, the right cloud-based solutions can also keep your business web site up and running, no matter the circumstance.
If your business isn’t utilizing the cloud, now is a good time to consider your options, and see if a cloud-based suite of solutions might work for you.
