We hear about IT pain points on a regular basis. Cloud computing gives companies a new way of solving IT pain points via software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications that enable real cost savings, rapid time-to-benefit and access to ongoing technology innovation. Here are five of the most popular pain points we hear about from our small business clients and our recommended cloud solution(s) that will remedy the issue:
- Pain Point #1: “My email is not in sync across my devices. I just want my iPhone, iPad and MacBook Pro to be in sync. I waste so much time reviewing emails on each device!”
Solution: Google Apps for Business Gmail. It’s yourname@yourdomain.com and is stored safely in the cloud. You simply connect each device to your Google Apps account and the next thing you know, you can start an email on one device and finish it on another. You can also read an email on one device and it will show as read on another or better yet, delete or achive an email and don’t look at it again.
- Pain Point #2: “My email foldering system drives me crazy! I’m tired of spending time filing emails, there has to be a better way!”
Solution: Google Apps for Business Gmail & Salesforce CRM. Use a customer relationship management (CRM) application like Salesforce to give you and your company a 360 degree view of your contacts. Associate emails quickly and easily from Gmail to the record in Salesforce and archive the email. It will easily be referenced by you and your colleagues if need be. We recommend using Cirrus Insight for email association.
- Pain Point #3: “My calendars aren’t working for me. I want to get my work calendar, business colleagues calendars and my family calendars all in one easy to use spot. I feel disorganized.”
Solution: Google Apps for Business Calendars. Create and share multiple calendars with ease and sync across all your devices.
- Pain Point #4: “We have some files on our desktop, some in Dropbox folders and some sitting on our server at the office.”
Solution: Google Drive. Store all your docs in the cloud and sync them across multiple devices automatically. Share files or folders easily with colleagues or people outside your company. You control the security permissions.
- Pain Point #5: “My business phone comes across like I work out of my basement or something. I need something more professional when I talk to clients on the phone.”
Solution: RingCentral. RingCentral is a cloud based business phone system that provides the image of a large corporation but at a fraction of the cost. It allows you to work across multiple locations as if you were in the office down the hall. With unlimited extensions and calling within the US & Canada, it’s an obvious choice for most small businesses.
You don’t have to live with the pain of traditional IT. Switch to cloud solutions – you’ll be glad you did. To learn more about cloud solutions and services, visit our website at www.perpetualwest.com or call 1-877-388-6400.