The introduction of Amazon to the Australian marketplace in late 2017, coupled with the global pandemic, greatly accelerated the growth of cloud usage, where more than 40% of all workers are still contributing at least some work hours from home as of May 2021.
Microsoft reported seeing two years’ worth of growth in customer use of its cloud services during the first two months of the pandemic, specifically its video teleconferencing platform.
So it’s no surprise to read the Australian Bureau of Statistics report noting that 55% of all businesses reported use of paid cloud computing services in 2019-20. This is a 13% increase over 2017-18.
In today’s digital landscape, the cost-savings benefits of cloud computing are many, but the key benefit is the reduction in capital expenditure on physical hardware to offer a service or capability which a business needs.
In addition, implementing cloud-based solutions is also a boon for efficiency in both small and large enterprises, particularly since 75% of Aussie workers told PwC they’d prefer to continue working remotely some of the time. Employees need to be able to share and access files from anywhere, allowing greater agility, collaboration and flexibility. Existing cloud-based tools can make this happen, enabling organisations to reduce up-front technology costs. This means it’s easier to scale as the business grows.
Australia’s rate of cloud adoption is increasing
Increased use of cloud-based solutions benefits individual companies as well as the entire economy. In 2019, Deloitte Access Economics estimated that the “adoption of cloud services by Australian businesses has resulted in a cumulative productivity benefit to the economy of $9.4 billion over the last 5 years.”
It’s hard to envision such a big number. What do such savings look like at a small- to medium-sized enterprise? It might reveal itself in saving rent on physical, commercial space when switching from in-house data servers to cloud-based services. There might also be reduced IT costs owing to time saved — there’s no need to pay staff to do updates — as well as actual savings owing to less need for in-house IT staff. Indeed, cloud-based solutions are proliferating so quickly because they are easy to start up and scale up. Plus, the necessary redundancies are built in.
Become a generally nimbler small office
That’s Small Office, Home Office. Whether you’re a solo startup working out of your home office or small retail shop, implementing technology which doesn’t require physical hardware will save not only on the initial outlay for equipment but simultaneously provide service and support for the capabilities and services you need to run your business.
At its core, the cloud provides tools for increasing the ease of collaboration and management. And studies show they work. A 2019 Deloitte survey found that 78% of cloud services users reported increased productivity at work. Businesses that reported benefits estimated the average productivity increase to be around 29%.
Businesses that use these services better equip their employees to have access to information they need to make data-driven decisions. A 2021 Deloitte survey noted that businesses that utilise cloud-based services are more likely to store, analyze and implement data-driven decisions.
How to integrate printing with the cloud
You may think that Printers are the one piece of technology that sits outside of your cloud ecosystem. This is no longer the case, there are tools like Microsoft’s Universal Print or PaperCut’s Hive platform which allows you to connect, manage and use your Print devices anywhere: the main office, a colleague’s home or any combination thereof. If you’re an IT manager, you can now easily connect Printers in different locations to the same cloud ecosystem.
This essentially reduces the need for on-premises print servers. In this way, it will help reduce the associated operating expenses associated and relaxes the IT administrative burden. Freeing up much of your budget and time.
Brother offers elegant solutions for companies seeking to fully migrate their print infrastructure to the cloud. Partnering with a Managed Print Services (MPS) provider can help organisations reduce the time they spend managing their printer fleet. Office managers can also track usage trends, always with an eye on the bottom line.
If you haven’t considered Cloud Printing or Cloud Print Management reach out to our specialists, contact us today. Let’s talk.
