Thursday 23 May 2013

CLOUDING FOR SMEs

....."We are in a world where use of mobile & internet technologies is profoundly rampant,creating a bigger room for all type of businesses to embrace the services being offered.That doesn't go away without touching on our SMEs:the most neglected category in our business sector yet the implications they bring is unmatched for.Given the rate at which technologies grow & change, would it be feasible for SMEs to invest so heavily on those technologies? Does it make sense to invest on expensive software,hardware,human resources & updates at a time when they are still finding their feet?Some will give an obviously “NO” answer factoring cost as the major hindrance to enjoying the much fast,easy,secure and reliable platform to doing business on.As SMEs,we shouldn't refrain from this amazing services fearing from high costs. Cloud computing is a technology through which firms host their data or entire network to a third party, saving them the expense of buying and maintaining network infrastructure.Here is a link(www.openbusiness.co.ke.) with a demo that shows how a cloud-based business application tool works with ease,the fastness it offers,security measures put in place for safety and the affordability it gives to SMEs who have been sidelined for a long time. So why should SMEs use cloud computing? Lower hardware & IT costs: Instead of having to invest millions on hardware, software & human resource to run them not to mention attendant costs like power etc, business should simply purchase cloud computing (CC) services to cater for all their needs while running their day to day errands in the business world. Add capacities: Say you own a server & your business gets featured on television or gets positive responses on Facebook. People will naturally want to visit your website. Chances are that your server may crash. However, with cloud computing, these capacities are added on so your website is available to users all the time. As a business you can also add or remove resources depending on the demand. For example, accounting, auditing & tax-based applications work more during closure of financial year. These services can be given priority over other services. Flexibility: Most CC companies offer a pay-as-you-use facility. That is, you only pay for the services you use. Imagine the savings!A good example would be OpenWorld Ltd which has designed a business management tool that caters for all type of business set-ups in Kenya through their module sign-up packages. Cloud computing companies normally offer software based solutions, or a set of applications or even hardware that you might require to run applications.