Four Ways to Take Advantage of Cloud Computing Cloud computing has become the undisputed future of IT services. Despite a slow start and concerns over security, there is no competing with the cost, ease, and efficiency provided by cloud-based services as opposed to traditional, local physical systems. Today, we will take a look at four ways cloud computing can help your company improve productivity: access to global talent, improved business agility, better productivity, and reduced need for business licensing. Access to Global Talent The cloud covers almost the whole world, and your connection to it means that you are connected globally. This has forced companies to re-think their talent acquisition program to a more inclusive and adventurous style. Has your company had trouble finding a certain type of professional? There is no doubt that there are plenty of them out there, ready and waiting for a good opportunity that you can provide. The cloud provides an incredibly efficient way for your company to get in touch. With the many communication opportunities offered by the cloud, such as live video conferencing and instant messaging, telecommuting has become no barrier to international collaboration. Improved Business Agility The cloud is always hovering above you. A high-quality cloud provider delivers the computing power and services you need, exactly when you need it. This makes finding and deploying the appropriate IT solution a much quicker and easier process compared to the old route of having hardware delivered and fully installed. Finding and signing up for cloud services can take just hours. This can vastly speed up the time it takes to complete a project, letting you move on to new ventures more quickly. A great example of the flexibility offered by cloud computing can be seen in the healthcare industry, which is in the middle of a major government-mandated update of electronic medical health records. This requires a massive amount of patient information in paper filing systems to be digitized. The cloud will assist this effort and improve the healthcare industry in general by letting people easily and instantly share medical records with clinics and insurance companies around the country. In addition, making use of cloud services lets you change direction and drop or pick up new services with less money, hassle, and personnel involved. They also tend to give more options for compatibility between platforms. Better Productivity The cloud increases business productivity for many of the reasons mentioned above. These services are cheaper while providing the same level of support, so more time and money can be spent on important projects. This means that you can streamline operations and get more done with less – the golden road to success. Your services are available anywhere you go, at any time, so you can be productive whenever you want. They also usually offer a powerful monitoring program that gives you a top-down view of the entire operation. This lets you see an overview of how your projects are progressing, helping you to stay on schedule and within budget. You also have the control you need to tune-up any lagging processes. To top it off, cloud services require no maintenance on your part and don’t break down, freeing up money and employee time for productive tasks. Reduced Need for Business Licensing The switch to cloud computing means that businesses no longer need to worry about as many software licenses and contracts, as these tasks are handled by the cloud services. Licensing can slow down operations, but the cloud lets companies scale up without that particular concern.  In an increasingly competitive market, every cost must be well accounted for. Compared to the world of the cloud, license fees (which can include individual licenses for each access point) are quickly becoming something of a nuisance.