As strange and quirky as it can get, with time and the measured pace of technology improvements, everything a company had to do with buildings full of assets is now reduced to web browsers, mobile phones, tablets, and online collaboration. Slowly, networks managed by companies aren’t as large and pervasive as they used to be. Today, we manage more data centers and networks for vendors who provide functional tools for businesses instead of managing networks for businesses or corporations themselves.
With time, thanks to the rise of cloud computing, businesses don’t have to invest in hardware, software, and data centers (and all the auxiliary equipment that comes with managing a full-fledged datacenter). Instead, businesses pick and choose vendors who’d do all the heavy-lifting leaving businesses to focus more on business functions instead of the IT infrastructure that helps these business functions stay alive.
See how some crucial business functions transformed:
Finance and accounting
Having shown the maximum amount of resistance in moving to the cloud, hundreds of vendors launched products backed up stocked-up vendors that deal with finance and accounting functions on the cloud for businesses to plug in to. Companies such as INTACCT, FreshBooks, and even NYSE’s Capital Markets Community Platform have moved to the cloud. Plenty of vendors exist today who can take your financial processes, auditing, and accounting online.
Social Communities and Engagement
First, there was the birth of a new, powerful media for consumers: social media. Following that, there was – and still is –an increasing number and instances of communication online about companies and brands that users get into. So it was inevitable that companies get a foothold into this conversation, community engagement, and social chatter which could take a brands name or a company’s reputation north or south, depending on how good your products are and how well you respond to community conversation, feedback, and questions.
You have solutions on the cloud that help you manage this better, of course: Social Enterprise from Salesforce.com, Radian6, Nimble, and many more vendors now provide solutions to streamline social media conversations for businesses.
CRM
Managing customers towards profitability has always been an important aspect of running a business. Businesses, however, don’t have to depend on unreliable spreadsheets to keep track of customers. Spreadsheets aren’t particularly good at tracking leads generated, how these leads are nurtured, etc. They could be lost, stolen, or corrupted. CRM solutions are aplenty in the market today. Starting with free CRM solutions to powerhouse CRM solutions such as Salesforce.com and SugarCRM are leading the roost with hundreds of other solutions.
Cloud computing holds promise not because it’s a fancy new thing to hit the technology grapevine; it’s a phenomenon because it changes the way you do business, forever.
What’s your pick? What are your favorite solutions on the cloud?