While the cloud has long been associated with the ability to reduce costs and improve efficiency, small enterprises have only just begun to fully adopt the technology. Those who have, however, are seeing a variety of benefits beyond cost-effectiveness. The cloud is having an impact on business processes in almost every industry and is allowing organizations to perform risk analysis, improve customer service and create new streams of revenue.
"I think eventually every business has to have somewhere in its portfolio and go-to-market approach a range of cloud services," said IBM's Midmarket Business General Manager John Mason in an interview with Forbes. "This is changing the landscape for small and midsize businesses by allowing them to focus on their own innovations and making them more competitive with larger, established companies."
A recent report by consulting firm Emergent Research found that small businesses are in fact adopting the cloud at a faster pace than ever before. According to the study, SMBs utilizing cloud services are projected to grow from 37 percent currently to 80 percent over the next six years.
Harness the benefits of the cloud with FoIP
When deciding what cloud-based technology is right for a certain organization, it's best to consider devices that will give businesses the best return on investment in terms of offering multiple applications and benefits. Fax over IP is a good example of this, as it can be utilized in many different fashions. Companies often don't realize their fax machines can become cloud-enabled, but FoIP uses the Internet to send messages and utilizes the cloud for storage. While FoIP's main use is for communication, it can also help to create a cloud-based archive of records that have been sent and received through the service and increases enterprise mobility, security and collaboration.
Documents sent with a fax-over-IP service can be delivered to an email address or any cloud-enabled printer, making it as convenient as email but more secure. FoIP service providers like FaxCore maintain dedicated servers for each client so businesses don't have to worry about managing their own network or the hassle that comes along with it.
Adopting cloud technologies can be an involved process, but starting with technology that is familiar to the company can help to make the transition simple and smooth. Enhance enterprise communication, collaboration and compliance efforts with a proven FoIP solution from FaxCore. Contact FaxCore today to learn more about their 'Partly-Cloudy' fax solutions.
