Resources from Unified Communications

Cloud Benefits Extend Well Beyond Cost Savings

By Susan J. Campbell
TMCnet Contributing Editor

The arguments in favor of the cloud-based solution have long focused on the cost savings, flexibility and the opportunity to gain access to unified communications functionality that the typical small business couldn’t afford in a capital investment. What tend to get overlooked is the benefits you can realize among the workforce.

A recent Fusion blog stressed the potential to use software-as-a-service solutions to support innovation, increase productivity among the team and even create a happier work environment. The company suggests that by the end of 2016, 62 percent of businesses will be using cloud apps and IT teams can look forward to an environment they don’t have to spend all of their time managing. This allows for time to be spent on innovation.

451 Research (News - Alert) asked 269 organizations to share how hosted applications were shifting the role of IT within their operations. More than 60 percent of IT administrators reported that they spent less time doing configurations, daily maintenance, upgrades and backups thanks to cloud applications. Roughly 90 percent reported that cloud-based applications enabled their IT teams to focus more on innovation.

Another 40 percent of respondents said they also acquired a better understanding of finance, marketing and human resource productivity needs through the process of integrating hosted applications within existing IT systems. IT professionals no longer needed to spend the majority of their time learning how particular technologies addressed specific business problems. This allowed them to expand their focus and deliver greater value.

Likewise, there are a number of ways that cloud applications can improve unified communications and workforce productivity. The greatest impact, however, tends to come from two key features: ubiquitous data access and collaboration. In the former, workers have the opportunity to access information and tools from any device, regardless of location or time. To address the latter, unified communications tools enable personnel to discuss projects, coordinate tasks remotely and share documents.

According to Fusion, employees making use of cloud applications report having greater satisfaction in their jobs. For one thing, hosted applications delivery greater flexibility. When the American Sociological Review studied how 867 IT workers reacted to greater control over the responsibilities of their jobs, researchers noticed after 12 months there was a decrease in burnout, less stress and an increase in role satisfaction.

These reasons alone point to how cloud applications can help deliver improvements within the organization. While some may come for the lower cost, they’ll likely stay for the improved atmosphere within the corporate environment.