There are a lot of small- and medium-sized businesses in Sydney that are still skeptical about the benefits of taking their operations to the cloud. Many businesses cannot afford the rates of an IT consultant who can thoroughly guide them through understanding which parts of their operations can actually be made more efficient by using cloud-based solutions. This lack of access to experts or IT Solutions providers in Sydney makes it harder for small businesses to make the right investments to grow their business in a digital era. But how can small businesses shift the attitude from uncertainty to conviction when it comes to embracing the cloud as the new standards of operations?
- Start with small and easiest processes before moving to bigger processes.
Consultants usually come in and tell the business owner to take the whole of operations onto the cloud. This ultimately shocks the already-busy business manager and makes the task seem too daunting. But this shouldn’t be the case. Businesses can start with small processes, such as creating a file-naming system (if it doesn’t yet exist) and applying this system in organizing files from at least the past year and bringing that system into cloud storage. There has to be a timeline for the cutover so that the whole team observes, practices, and operates within this new cloud-based file storage. Once this is done and files have been fully ported over to the cloud, then the business can start considering other bigger tasks such as getting accounting onto the cloud, or generating invoices online, and so on and so forth.
- Have a testing phase of at least three months.
The common mistake for small business owners is jumping onto the cloud and trusting that everything will run smoothly as the consultant “promised”. But, the attitude towards cloud-based systems will always affect how it will be used, and will thus result to some challenges and adjustments along the way. The right attitude will call for keeping an open mind in the next three months as the business gets more used to operating in the cloud. Keep a system to record challenges faced and how it was resolved. Hold a weekly catch-up to talk about these little issues because it is important to share these experiences with the rest of the team to shorten the learning curve in using cloud systems. Do this in the next three months and small business managers will see that this interaction with processes and technology will be almost like normal and that the practice will be accepted as knowledge sharing instead of problem solving in the long run.
- Treat this as investment, and not a cost.
This is one of the most difficult shifts that small businesses have to understand as a first step into the cloud. This operational cost is not a cost but an investment. Business longevity is determined by how well systems are in place, and having cloud-based solutions reduce risks of operational breakdowns and technical slowdown. When these risks are avoided, savings are incurred in the long run. The investment does not show results overnight. It is like an asset that accelerates business growth throughout a longer, observable period.
Shifting to the cloud may be daunting and scary for small businesses but with the right Sydney IT Solution providers and partners, it should be efficient and easy. Talk to us today to see how the cloud can take your business further.
