{"id":35635,"date":"2024-06-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/small-businesses-look-larger-in-the-cloud\/"},"modified":"2025-03-13T06:18:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T13:18:51","slug":"cloud-services-for-small-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/cloud-services-for-small-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Cloud services for small business\u2014why cloud computing is essential"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a small business owner, you\u2019ll already understand how efficiency and cost-effectiveness are vital to your operation. What you may not yet know is how cloud services for small business can help you in both areas\u2014and in myriad ways.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Technology has always played a part in keeping costs down and productivity up, and no matter what type of small business you have, the rise of cloud computing and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/solutions\/office\/call.html\">cloud-based phone systems<\/a> has proved to be a particular boom for businesses. With small companies, in particular, benefitting from the way cloud servers, hosted software solutions, and related technology boosts productivity, enables automation, and improves workflows.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a time when more people are working remotely, operating a cloud server for small business and using other cloud-hosted solutions has obvious advantages for connecting your employees wherever they may be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s take a look at exactly what we mean by cloud services for small business, what types of cloud services there are, and the benefits offered by the best cloud providers for small business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Click the links below to read ahead:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#cloudserviceforsmallbusiness\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are cloud services for small business?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#cloudcomputing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does cloud computing do, exactly?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#benefitsofcloudcomputing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main benefits of cloud servers<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#cloudcomputingsavesmoney\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How cloud computing saves you money<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A modern communications system needs to be much more than phone calls and file sharing. It needs to provide workers with a better way of doing things.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>\ud83d\udcb8 <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A modern communications system needs to be much more than phone calls and file sharing. It needs to provide workers with a better way of doing things.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"download-form-widget standart-download-form\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/email\/smb-mobility-flexibility.html\" data-id=\"69d6a9d510997\" id=\"69d6a9d510997\">\n\t\t<button tabindex=\"on\"  on=\"tap:69d6a9d510997.toggleClass(class='open')\" class=\"open-modal-download-action download-form-button\" type=\"submit\">Download it now<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-body\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-content\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-title\">Keep your finances on lock when you're working from home. Download the free guide to learn how <\/div>\n<form class=\"download-form SMB\" method=\"post\">\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Full Name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"text\" name=\"fullname\" placeholder=\"Full Name\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"text\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"email\" autocomplete=\"on\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"email\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"popup_form\" value=\"1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"Lead_Entry_Source__c\" value=\"RC Blog\" class=\"download-form-input\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"download-form-submit\" type=\"submit\" data-dl-element=\"button\" data-no-auto-dl=\"true\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\" data-dl-name=\"Get it now\">Get it now<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<button on=\"tap:69d6a9d510997.toggleClass(class='open')\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\"  class=\"download-form-modal-close\"><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-thank\">Enjoy!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"what\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><\/h2>\n<h2 id=\"cloudserviceforsmallbusiness\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are cloud services for small business?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve all heard people refer to \u201cthe cloud,\u201d but it\u2019s worth outlining what the terminology means.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Essentially, small business cloud solutions are any digital services hosted and made available via a cloud-based server. They store your company\u2019s data, programs, and apps on that remote server instead of a hard drive or local storage device, allowing them to be accessed online from anywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These cloud-applications for small business and other resources can, therefore, be retrieved by any employee with an internet connection, on any device\u2014from a Mac to an Android smartphone to a Linux desktop to a Windows laptop\u2014from anywhere in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cloud services for small companies are called that because the material is stored remotely in a virtual space, which is best visualized as a \u201ccloud\u201d. It\u2019s an umbrella term that covers various types of cloud-based software for small business and related services, in areas such as cloud storage, cloud hosting, and cloud backup.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A cloud service for small business can also refer to solutions from email to ecommerce hosting, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/video-call.html\">video calls<\/a> to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/office\/features\/voip\/overview.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VoIP phone services<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and accounting to data analysis tools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chances are, you\u2019ve already used some apps from cloud service providers for small business yourself\u2014here are some common categories and products you might recognize:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">File storage<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dropbox\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Drive<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">OneDrive<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Communication<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RingCentral: An AI-powered business communications solution\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hosting<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amazon Web Services (AWS)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digital Ocean (including WordPress)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Microsoft Azure<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adobe Creative Cloud<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flow<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evernote<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"do\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><\/h2>\n<h2 id=\"cloudcomputing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does cloud computing do, exactly?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, that gives you an idea of what cloud services are and which of your existing business tools fall under the umbrella. In which areas precisely can these solutions hosted on cloud-based servers for small business make an impact, though?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cloud storage<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It wasn\u2019t so long ago that hard drives, memory cards, and USBs seemed the height of modern technology. There are many pitfalls to storing information in a physical way, however, especially for small businesses. For example, mobile devices used by remote workers might get damaged, lost, or stolen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another issue is that data is only accessible from the device on which it\u2019s stored, meaning it\u2019s not available to those working remotely. Similarly, data held by large servers in dedicated data centers can only be retrieved by logging in to the corporate network.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These problems can be avoided by using a small business cloud server or other cloud storage solutions. The way it works is that a cloud storage provider offers fixed-size server space to clients, who use it to store data of varying types.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not only do you get full accessibility, you won\u2019t have to worry about information being lost on a mobile device. In some cases, too, you can benefit from near unlimited storage capacity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some users maintain all apps and data on a public cloud, such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS). Others, meanwhile, use a hybrid model, keeping some information on private servers and the rest on the cloud.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to set up a cloud server for small business<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you do go down the hybrid route for cloud storage, you\u2019ll want to know how to implement your private cloud-based server for small business. Fortunately, it\u2019s typically quite simple:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Define your business needs &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure you know precisely what you need from your small business cloud server. Think about the size of your business, the data you need to store, and any security or compliance considerations.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Choose the right cloud server provider &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a precise understanding of your needs, you can select the best cloud server provider for you. Make sure to consider things like uptime, customer support, scalability, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sign up with your provider &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most providers of the best cloud-based servers for small businesses make it easy to subscribe. Make sure you select a pricing plan or model to suit your business and its budget.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Configure your server &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve subscribed, you\u2019ll get access to a control panel or dashboard to configure your small business cloud server. From there you can manage things like operating systems, software applications, and more.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cloud backup<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might think it\u2019s enough to save backup copies of important files to a hard drive, but imagine if something wiped out both your computer and the hard drive at the same time! That could be a total disaster for a small business with no other disaster recovery plan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where cloud backup comes in as another example of vital cloud services for small businesses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also known as online backup or remote backup, the system automatically makes copies of your files or databases and stores them in the cloud. This way, the information remains safe and accessible even if your equipment fails or is lost or stolen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cloud backup services such as Carbonite Safe and SpiderOak One use industry-standard encryption to protect your data. Meanwhile, cloud service providers like RingCentral protect your data with automatic backups and SSL encryption, among other <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/trust-center.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">enterprise-grade security<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> measures.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be more cost-effective to use a cloud backup service than an in-house data backup operation. The cloud is scalable, so even as a company\u2019s data grows, it can still be backed up\u2014but organizations should be wary of increased costs as data volume increases.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cloud hosting<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cloud-based hosting provides virtual server space for each user, rather than the traditional web-hosting method of using physical server space. A network of connected servers hosts your website or app, giving you increased flexibility and scalability.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where traditional web hosting can only provide limited bandwidth, cloud hosting can be adjusted to accommodate high volumes of traffic or seasonal demands. Even more importantly, downtime is rare, because multiple servers are handling each hosted site.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are both huge advantages for smaller businesses, which can\u2019t afford to lose customers due to slow connections, hardware failures, or lengthy downtimes. Especially as downtime costs small businesses an estimated <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pingdom.com\/outages\/average-cost-of-downtime-per-industry\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$427 per minute<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another bonus is that with cloud hosting, pay-as-you-go pricing is common. Businesses pay only for the resources they actually use, instead of paying the flat rate usually charged by traditional web hosts:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-56501 size-large\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Article-Image-1_Cloud-Services-for-Small-Business-1024x582.png\" alt=\"Visual representation of cloud hosting; an example of cloud services for small business\" width=\"1024\" height=\"582\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Businesses can choose between shared hosting and dedicated hosting, and you will need to figure out which is the most suitable option for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shared hosting is where the service provider hosts pages for multiple websites from a single web server. It\u2019s the most economical option because the server\u2019s operating costs are distributed across multiple users, so it\u2019s attractive to small businesses with a limited budget.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the disadvantage is that your website may experience slowdowns because you\u2019ll have a smaller amount of bandwidth at your disposal. The fact that other sites are using the same server also presents a slightly higher security risk, which is something you have to weigh against the pros.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dedicated hosting delivers the entire server and its resources just to you, meaning less delay, more bandwidth, and precise control. Of course, the trade-off is that it\u2019s more expensive.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"benefitsofcloudcomputing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"core\"><\/a><br \/>\nThe main benefits of cloud servers, software &amp; other virtual solutions for small business<br \/>\n<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might think that only large global businesses need cloud computing, but it\u2019s especially suitable for smaller companies and startups. That\u2019s because small businesses often don\u2019t have the capacity for storage maintenance or the budget to cover hardware maintenance costs. They\u2019re also more likely to rely on remote workers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be expensive and insecure to keep data on-premises, but the best cloud software for small business means you don\u2019t have to buy, set up, and look after expensive information management technology and infrastructure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll also have peace of mind, knowing your precious data is as secure as it can be. This is particularly important for small businesses, which could be ruined by a catastrophic data loss.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s not all, either, cloud server and software benefits also include the following:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It makes data more accessible<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a big one\u00ad\u2014cloud computing means you and your employees can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/5-ways-to-make-data-more-accessible-to-every-department\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">access the data and programs you need<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from literally anywhere, as long as there\u2019s an internet connection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is invaluable to a small business without a physical workspace, and it\u2019s also useful for workers who are temporarily away from the office.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Employees can check their email on any computer or device, store and edit files, and use the programs and applications they\u2019re familiar with. The technology even optimizes cloud computing for mobile apps.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we said earlier, cloud computing also enables users to back up their files so that they are immediately available in the event of a hard drive crash.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It gives you multiple ways of communicating<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When all or most of your employees work remotely\u00ad\u2014they may even be scattered across the globe in some businesses\u2014it can be difficult to maintain a sense of cohesion and connectivity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cloud computing addresses this by making the same real-time data and programs available to everyone, meaning physical distance doesn\u2019t hinder efficiency or company unity. Project management is made easier, and there are benefits for online training, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">File sharing and syncing helps maintain consistency between employees and departments\u2014especially when it comes to job sharing or shift working\u2014as an employee can pick up a task right from where their colleague left off.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such seamless communication and collaboration is made possible by the best small business cloud solutions. RingEX\u00ae is one such cloud solution that helps you manage all your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/communication-channels\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">communication channels<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like messaging, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/free-conference-call.html\">conference call services<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/solutions\/small-business.html\">business phone systems<\/a> in one place to help teams and businesses communicate more effectively:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"rc_custom_video\"><a class=\"rc_custom_video__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtu.be\/9xaL89hYeFs\">\n\t\t            <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi_webp\/9xaL89hYeFs\/maxresdefault.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rc_custom_video__media\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/9xaL89hYeFs\/maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t            <\/picture>\n\t\t        <\/a><br \/>\n\t\t        <button class=\"rc_custom_video__button\" aria-label=\"Play video\"><svg width=\"68\" height=\"48\" viewBox=\"0 0 68 48\"><path class=\"rc_custom_video__button-shape\" d=\"M66.52,7.74c-0.78-2.93-2.49-5.41-5.42-6.19C55.79,.13,34,0,34,0S12.21,.13,6.9,1.55 C3.97,2.33,2.27,4.81,1.48,7.74C0.06,13.05,0,24,0,24s0.06,10.95,1.48,16.26c0.78,2.93,2.49,5.41,5.42,6.19 C12.21,47.87,34,48,34,48s21.79-0.13,27.1-1.55c2.93-0.78,4.64-3.26,5.42-6.19C67.94,34.95,68,24,68,24S67.94,13.05,66.52,7.74z\"><\/path><path class=\"rc_custom_video__button-icon\" d=\"M 45,24 27,14 27,34\"><\/path><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t        <\/button>\n\t\t    <\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if you need to step away from your computer, you can still talk to your colleagues and clients. How? Well, the RingCentral app has a feature that lets you flip a call from your computer to your phone\u2014without interrupting the conversation:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56576\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Article-Image-2_Cloud-Services-for-Small-Business.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1900\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not only that, you can also conveniently switch a call from being voice-only to a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/video-call.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">video call<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014for those more complicated conversations that need some face-to-face time:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44978\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Call-to-Video-GIF.gif\" alt=\"flip from Call to Video\" width=\"375\" height=\"812\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It lets you work together, from anywhere<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve touched on this already, but it\u2019s worth underlining just how beneficial cloud services can be for remote working in small businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With access to data from any smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop, there\u2019s no need for employees to be at the office in person. This eliminates the need for commuting, so you can save time, cut costs (either for the worker or for the boss who pays their travel expenses), and reduce pollution from traveling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using the cloud also means that if and when the company hires new staff, there will be no need to purchase additional personal computers. Instead, a new unique login would be set up for each new employee. Business owners can help set up new users, and help them onboard\u2014right from their mobile devices. Easily add or remove users as needed in a matter of a few minutes during busy seasons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, employees themselves no longer have to worry about the security or storage capacity of the devices they use, especially with the encryption tech used by RingCentral. And having fast, easy access to everything they need will help them get the job done quicker and feel happier about doing it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/remote-work-playbook.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42323\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/remote-work-playbook.png\" alt=\"remote-work-playbook\" width=\"1024\" height=\"364\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It lets you scale and grow more easily<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your business might be small at the moment, but hopefully it will grow! And if you\u2019re thinking about scaling up, it\u2019s much faster and more cost-effective to do so using the cloud.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, as we said in the previous section, any new staff will simply require login credentials to be added to the network. Your cloud service provider may charge a fee for adding new users, but this will be small compared to the cost of setting them up with a new computer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the growth of your business necessitates software with additional functionality, cloud service providers like RingCentral can also organize this quickly and seamlessly for a nominal usage fee.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s more cost-efficient<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The nominal extra fees mentioned above are part of what makes cloud computing so cost-effective for smaller businesses. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you use cloud software, such as a small <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/lp\/small-business-phone-service.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">business phone service<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the software\u2019s updates and upgrades are all typically handled by the cloud service provider. That saves you a ton of time because you don\u2019t have to deal with the upkeep and maintenance of these tools.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"cloudcomputingsavesmoney\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cost of a cloud server for small business: Or how cloud computing saves you money<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s all very well, you may say, but what\u2019s it going to cost my business? Good news, in general, cloud services for small businesses actually save time and money. Here\u2019s how:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It reduces the hardware space you need<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An in-house server would take up a lot of space, not to mention costing money to build and maintain (plus the associated concerns about security).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the best cloud server for small business, the hosting company owns and maintains the required hardware, so you won\u2019t have to make space on your premises. This is especially good news for smaller businesses or those without a physical workplace.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You will also save a ton of storage space on desktops or mobile devices, which is handy when the amount of data you need to store is growing constantly. Cloud storage services mean there\u2019s no need to plug in bulky external hard drives or easy-to-lose flash drives.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It makes your team more flexible and mobile<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cloud\u2019s benefits for remote working mean you could dispense with the need for premises at all\u2014or run a smaller office with hot desking (where multiple employees may be using the same desk during different shifts). Either way, there won\u2019t be so much expenditure on office furniture, rental fees, business rates, and utility bills.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many companies also encourage employees to use their own mobile devices these days, and this fits perfectly with the fact that cloud services are accessible from any device\u2014as long as security measures are taken into account, of course.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without cloud computing, organizations would likely require a large IT department to manage installation, configuration, maintenance, and security of programs and applications. This would certainly be a struggle for small businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It saves you time\u2014and effort<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Efficiency saves time, and saving time saves money. As well as giving all employees easy access to stored business data, there are a range of cloud computing services that make everyday tasks so much quicker and easier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From cloud email services (such as Gmail) to cloud-based versions of existing software (like QuickBooks accounting software) and cloud-based PBX systems (such as RingCentral\u2019s), you\u2019ll have swift access to the latest and most efficient business products and innovations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The labor-saving benefits of cloud services will often be enough to offset some of the additional costs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It boosts productivity<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A more efficient system has positive knock-on effects for employee <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/how-to-increase-productivity\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">productivity<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, as there\u2019s no time wasted in waiting for web pages to load, documents to save, or emails to ping through.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cloud computing also enables you to upgrade software more quickly, because software companies can sell and install their products digitally and remotely rather than via discs or flash drives. Using the latest versions will definitely increase productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many employees are happy to work remotely, as the no-commute, work-from-anywhere atmosphere can improve their work\/life balance. Staff can be recruited from anywhere in the world\u2014so you could have virtual outposts of your business in different time zones.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sounds complicated? Not at all. It simply means that key employees such as your sales team, web maintenance team, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/contact-center.html\">contact center<\/a> can be available 24\/7 and connected on the same cloud system so your teams can achieve MORE (think of it like a digital HQ!).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s more, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/apps\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">integrations,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like the more than 300 pre-built by RingCentral are ideal for boosting productivity still further. You can integrate RingCentral\u2019s collaboration tools directly into your CRM system, for instance, to remove all that pesky app-hopping and automate tedious tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cloud services for small business can help you punch above your weight<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A cloud server for small business or a related virtual software tool is a future-proof investment that can optimize, protect, and grow your small business. Carry out thorough research into the various cloud service options available, so that you can pick the right fit for your company.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To find out more, including how RingCentral may be able to help your business outstrip its rivals, get in touch today.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading h2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FAQs<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are cloud computing services for small businesses expensive?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the contrary, they\u2019re often more affordable than running your own servers in-house. That\u2019s because you don\u2019t have to purchase or maintain expensive on-premises infrastructure. You also only generally pay for the services you need, so it\u2019s an efficient way to allocate your resources. What\u2019s more, many of these services are billed per user, meaning you can easily scale up or down quickly as necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading h3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How secure are cloud computing services?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In general, they\u2019re very secure. That\u2019s because the companies providing these services know how crucial digital security is to their clients. Many provide high-end encryption and other top-tier security features as standard, so you\u2019ll have the peace of mind of knowing all your data is safe from unauthorized access.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a small business owner, you\u2019ll already understand how efficiency and cost-effectiveness are vital to your operation. What you may not yet know is how cloud services for small business can help you in both areas\u2014and in myriad ways.\u00a0 Technology has always played a part in keeping costs down and productivity up, and no matter &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":45222,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17901],"tags":[725,110,112,114,99,1342,229,749,296,177,103,896],"class_list":["post-35635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-leadership","tag-business-owners","tag-business-phone","tag-business-phone-service","tag-business-telephone","tag-business-voip","tag-cloud-companies","tag-cloud-computing","tag-cloud-technology","tag-ringcentral","tag-ringcentral-fax","tag-ringcentral-features","tag-smbs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v19.3 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Cloud Services for Small Business: Cloud Servers, Apps + More<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cloud services for small business are tools and functions hosted virtually. 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