It's the headline that never gets old.

"Cloud computing can revolutionise your small business."

But the caption can often seem as vague as the actual process behind it. This leaves many small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners in the lurch as to how they can integrate their existing hardware with more modern and agile solutions. A recent study by Deloitte suggested that while many Australian SMBs are left pondering the technological future of the company, the few that jumped on the opportunity are now leaps and bounds ahead of the pack.

Making the case

No one wants to encounter a bottleneck, whether it be driving during rush hour traffic or shopping in a store. Yet the speed with which many SMBs are growing, coupled by the sheer quantity of applications used by employees on a daily basis, has created a widespread issue of Australian companies not realising their full economic potential.

In fact, PricewaterhouseCooper's Geospatial Economic Model estimated businesses that don't adopt modern technology like hybrid cloud integration will leave roughly $49 billion on the table over the next 10 years.

"As a tech startup we know that investing in digital technologies is crucial to scale for the global expansion of Recomazing," Marc Cowper, founder and CEO of Recomazing, told Salesforce. "In today's environment no business can compete on a mass scale without a solid digital foundation." 

Roughly 57 per cent of respondents to a 2016 Deloitte small business survey reported having just basic or intermediate digital functionality in their day-to-day operations, with just 9 per cent having advanced IT integration. The financial divide between SMBs responding as having either basic or advanced technological capabilities was wide, with the latter characterised as being more likely to:

• Have a more varied foundation of consumers.
• Earn more revenue per employee.
• Contribute new jobs to the economy.
• Innovate within their products and services.

All of the aforementioned contribute in large part to the fiscal health of an organisation, yet Deloitte found that nearly 90 per cent of Australian SMBs have yet to leverage digital tools as much as they should. Many cited "inadequate skills" as a large barrier.

Taking action

Just as the engine propels the vehicle, cloud computing spurs innovation. It's not enough to simply introduce the latest applications and expect them to improve the business as a whole if there isn't a technological architecture in place to support them. Successful integration between the back-end and front-end of the company is key, but there seems to be two obstacles in the way; cost and knowledge.

With many organisations already heavily invested in their existing hardware infrastructure, moving to the cloud to accommodate growth and develop agility seems on the surface to be an expense that outweighs any benefit. Couple that with the fact an inexperienced IT staff could struggle with the transition, and it's easy to see why innovation is more foreboding than inviting.

The No. 1 tip Deloitte identified in its study of Australian SMBs is that the owners should gravitate towards the tools that are right for the business; but that doesn't always relate to technology. Managed cloud services are quickly becoming a popular option because of the experts that providers have at their disposal.

After initially reviewing an organisation's digital environment, consultants are able to identify which solutions – on-premise, virtual or hybrid cloud integration – make the most sense from an operational and financial standpoint. This gives SMB owners the technical experience they need for a decision on an area as important as digital infrastructure, as well as peace of mind on how the transition might affect the front-end of the business.

Getting the new engine for your company shouldn't be a hurdle. Contact an ANATAS representative today to find out more.