Cloud Technology Is Nothing New, But Disruption Resulting From Covid-19 Showed The Importance Of Having Key Services Available Online.
Last year, the world experienced volatility as we have never seen. Business leaders had to adapt at a moment’s notice, and stability was hard to come by. I have hope that in 2021, we will see a return to normalcy, but the road ahead remains unpredictable. Many have doubts about making investments in certain resources or infrastructure. However, there remains one business trend that is certain to stay strong and thrive in 2021: cloud technology services.
It’s no mystery why SaaS providers have emerged as a success story from 2020 and are poised to play an even larger role in the coming months. Cloud technology can give companies freedom and flexibility; workers are not restricted to a specific location, and critical functions can be securely performed from anywhere.
As the economy rebounds and businesses plot their next move, cloud technology should almost assuredly be a constant through it all. Business leaders need to know why everyone is bullish on SaaS in the coming year and whether or not they should take a leap into the cloud.
SaaS To The Rescue
Cloud Technology Is Nothing New, But The Disruption Resulting From Covid-19 Showed The Importance Of Having Key Services Available Online. During remote work, a number of SaaS standouts like Zoom and Slack kept teams in contact. Other business services that have not been obvious SaaS candidates — like a private branch exchange (PBX) phone system — suddenly became opportunities for cloud migration.
The success of cloud technology last year has now paved the way for SaaS to have its most impactful year yet. According to a report from Forrester, “the pandemic turbocharged the market by mid-2020, and Forrester now predicts that the global public cloud infrastructure market will grow 35% to $120 billion in 2021.”
The main factor in this growth is the ability of a SaaS solution to be used across a remote workforce. Companies that already used cloud technology had a much easier transition than others who had to play catchup. As business leaders plan for uncertainty in 2021 and beyond, having “work from anywhere” capabilities is a major factor in choosing SaaS solutions — but it’s not the only factor.
Cloud Technology Delivers Agility
Would SaaS be so important this year if the only benefit was the ability to work remotely? Not necessarily. What many know and more are discovering is that cloud platforms offer even more value because they can give businesses agility. SaaS solutions don’t come with expensive hardware or installation fees; instead, they are relatively easy to integrate and onboard. That is essential to businesses that want to stay agile.
Cloud solutions also stand out for scalability. Cloud computing co-founder Gurprit Singh explains in an article that “cloud services have eased scalability of organizations since it not only provides readily-available infrastructure but also the ability to scale it fast.” This is an integral consideration for businesses going into the year ahead: the means to grow quickly if necessary without overextending your investment.
In this situation, the flexibility of SaaS platforms can be very advantageous. For example, for those working in performance marketing who have always focused on web leads and have not required an inbound call solution, finding a SaaS solution that has an option for call tracking and attribution could be a major advantage should the time come when you see a growth opportunity in inbound calls.
This is a key point for businesses that want to take advantage of the possibilities of SaaS: looking not just at current operations but what the right platform can help you achieve in the future. Having the capability to pivot as needed — without time-consuming and costly updates to homegrown or legacy systems — is incredibly important for businesses that are cautiously optimistic going into 2021.
The best way to imagine these possibilities is to perform research on the topics and solutions that matter to you. After narrowing your search down a few key players, it costs nothing to set up a demo to learn how each solution can specifically benefit your operation.
Long-Term Business Efficiency
For all the benefits of remote access and scalability, the cloud technology advantage that captures the attention of many CEOs and founders the most is its impact on the bottom line. Companies that suffered losses over the past year are eager for solutions that streamline their operations and get them a better return on their investment. On these points, SaaS can deliver.
Cloud solutions can give businesses access to tools that analyze data and use automation to improve processes. Singh succinctly points out that “cloud vendors provide cost-effective cloud analytics services for setting up data warehouses, real-time analytics, visualization, resulting in substantial time and cost savings.”
With a simplified day-to-day approach and value from data analytics, cloud technology can give companies a framework that can sustain them long beyond the unusual circumstances of the past 12 months.
All this considered, it should come as no surprise that SaaS can be seen as a juggernaut of economic activity for the months ahead. Cloud solutions can offer the remote flexibility that will help businesses navigate the unwieldy end of the pandemic while also providing them with scalability and cost-savings that will extend well beyond 2021.
This news was originally published at Forbes.