Whether you’re an established organization or a scrappy young company trying to make it in the current market, there’s no doubt that the enterprises of today face immense challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced companies to reimagine everything from their day-to-day processes to the way they sell their products and services. 

Among the biggest changes in the past year is the increased rate of digitization in nearly every sector. In a survey of almost 900 executives, McKinsey found that companies had sped up their rate of digital adoption by as much as three to four years. While many of these new solutions have been implemented as a result of the pandemic, respondents overwhelmingly said they expected new technology to continue to be implemented even after life returns to “normal.”

One of the most effective ways your organization can be ready for the digital future is by adding cloud capabilities. With the cloud, you and your team can collaborate from anywhere in the world and spend more time making business-related decisions instead of worrying about server capacity and other IT headaches. Migrating to the cloud also helps you prepare for the future, with easier solution implementation and the ability to add space as you grow.    

1. Make remote work possible — now and in the future

While “remote work” may have been the buzzword of 2020, it’s not going away once it’s safe to return to the office. According to a 2020 Gartner survey of company leaders, 82% of businesses plan to allow their employees to work remotely even after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided — either with a fully remote setup or a hybrid plan. Remote capabilities give employees the flexibility they crave and allow businesses to recruit top talent from around the world, regardless of where their offices are. If your work-from-home plans were established hastily at the beginning of the pandemic and never updated, it may be time to rethink them.  

With cloud capabilities, it’s easy to make remote work an integrated part of your business processes. When your data and software are on the cloud, team members are able to securely gain access no matter where they are or what device they’re on. This stands in contrast to the old days of installing software on a set number of workstations or only allowing access on the office internet network. 

2. Added speed and flexibility

A big advantage of any cloud migration effort is the rapid addition of new capabilities with a cloud-based model. Having the flexibility to pick and choose software solutions until you find the right one — rather than undergoing an extended adoption process before realizing you’ve made a mistake — is a long-term money saver. SaaS solutions also mean faster implementation, as each comes without the hassle of network installation.

As the past year has proven, business processes can change in a heartbeat. Shackling yourself to outdated software may mean more time spent dealing with delays and limited capacity. 

3. Spend less time on administrative tasks

Whether you’re racing to bring a new product to market or are in need of new sales leads, organizational efficiency is everything. According to McKinsey, decluttering excess tasks to allow employees to focus on the work that matters most is one of the top ways to improve work processes and effectively respond to market demands.

Cloud computing, if done right, supports these goals. When you work with a cloud service provider, you remove many of the most laborious IT tasks from your plate, such as maintaining server infrastructure. Cloud capability also allows for easy access to solutions that can speed up your internal processes and remove time-consuming and repetitive administrative tasks, leaving more time for strategic and value-adding activities.

4. Easy scalability as you continue to grow

Whether 2020 was a year of increased profits or an opportunity to go back to the drawing board, 2021 is the perfect opportunity to reset and build for long-term success. Wherever you’re headed next, working on the cloud will give you the flexibility you need to add or adjust space as you grow. This kind of scalability is ideal for growing, changing businesses. Whatever your business needs to reach the next level cloud computing means you can be confident that the infrastructure is in place to make it happen.