There are many advantages in setting up your business on the cloud (some of them can be found here). According to a study of over 800 cloud decision makers and users by IBM in 2013, the cloud’s strategic importance to business users was expected to double to 72% by 2016. The study also found that companies using cloud applications on a broader scale are more likely to reinvent customer relationships, use cloud-based analytics to derive insights for better decision-making and encourage deeper collaboration, which makes it easier to leverage on experts’ knowledge wherever they are.
These are the reasons why we at Justlogin have moved towards cloud-based systems in all aspects of our business. If you’re also thinking of moving your business to the cloud, here are some steps to help you get started:
1. Identify core business functions
Think about what work functions are present in your business. We at Justlogin, like many other companies, have a couple of main functions like Sales, Marketing, Finance, and HR. Some other functions we have that are specific to a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company, includes software engineering and technical support. Similarly, your company might have its own typical work functions depending on your industry.
2. Identify key work processes
After identifying your core business functions, think about the key processes within these functions. This will give you an idea of what kind of cloud software you should look out for. Here’s an example of how you can go about making your list.
Sales
Nurture leads
Sales pitch/demonstrations
Marketing
Maintain social media sites
Send eDMs
Organise events
Finance
Bookkeeping
Billing
HR
Payroll
Leave management
Time and attendance management
Claims management
3. Do an Internal software audit
Now that you have an overview of all your key processes, it’s time to do an internal audit. Are these processes all conducted manually? Have you already implemented some kind of software? Is the software working well for you? Look for the weak links and areas of improvement. These are the areas where you can potentially use new cloud software.
4. Research cloud software that suits your needs
At this point, you would already have an idea of what work processes can be automated and migrated to the cloud. Based on this, you can now start your research on the right cloud software that will suit your needs. There’s a lot out there, but here’s a useful tip – try matching the software to your key work processes. Here’s what we’ve done for our own processes here at Justlogin:
Stay tuned to our next blog to find out more about some of our top cloud picks and why we love them.
5. Pay for what you need and get started!
Cloud software usually runs on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. This means that payment is on a subscription basis and the fee is dependent on how much you’ll be using it.
For example, for Justlogin’s HR applications, fees are based on the number of users. For Mailchimp, the email marketing tool, fees are based on the size of your mailing lists. This way, you only pay for what you use, making it a more cost-effective option versus traditional solutions. Being on the cloud also means that it is really easy to get started. Most cloud applications can be set up within the day, with little to no hardware setup required.
We hope that the steps we’ve outlined here will help you get started in setting up your business on the cloud. There are a lot of benefits to be reaped and there’s no time like the present to optimize your business!
Interested in trying out our Cloud HR software? Sign up for the free trial!
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