In 2018, a journalist predicted that by 2020, nearly seventy-five percent of the workforce would work remotely. While the future he envisioned likely looked substantially different than our current reality, here we are. The majority of the global workforce has left the office. And forward-thinking organizations are realizing the benefits of cloud computing for remote work.
Consider a typical workday for a member of a marketing team. In the course of the day, she will likely conduct video conferences with team members and external consultants. She might work with a colleague to edit a presentation for next week’s executive meeting. And she will share documents with the writing team.
In a cloud-enabled organization, this employee will complete all of those tasks in the cloud. In fact, her work can continue almost as if she had never left the office. But even organizations that have not fully migrated to the cloud can still reap the benefits of cloud computing for remote work.
With Microsoft 365 and Teams, for instance, work groups can collaborate easily and securely, with minimal load on the IT department. Moving hundreds of employees from the office to home overnight requires no additional equipment. And remote workers have access to data and apps in the cloud even if they cannot access servers at the office, providing business continuity.
Easy to Access and Share Files
When organizations store files in the cloud, employees can access those files from any device and any location. This applies to cloud-based applications and software, as well. For instance, when a team uses Microsoft 365, all team members automatically have the latest software updates.
Additionally, Microsoft 365 makes sharing and coauthoring documents easy. Colleagues can work simultaneously on a document and never have to guess about the location of the latest version. And because Microsoft Teams includes fully-integrated instant messaging, video conferencing and whiteboarding, collaboration has never been more productive.
Reduce Load on IT
Traditional methods of offering remote access can place a heavy load on already-stretched IT departments. But moving employees from the office to home in the cloud requires no additional hardware, no updating of individual computers or servers. The cloud provider handles all software updates and much of the security burden, as well.
Instantly Scalable
Unlike traditional remote work solutions, the cloud imposes no limitations. That is, with a traditional solution, moving hundreds of users offsite all at once could strain the system due to bandwidth or capacity limitations. Working in the cloud means that you can add or remove users and storage almost instantly. And since you pay for what you use, you control the budget.
Ensure Business Continuity
With no one in the office regularly to watch over the servers, the risk of downtime for on-premises solutions increases. The risk heightens when an unprecedented number of remote users overwhelms the system.
However, one of the significant benefits of cloud computing for remote work involves business continuity. No matter what happens at the office – hardware failure, fire, natural disaster – work in the cloud continues, unaffected.
Carry the Benefits of Cloud Computing for Remote Work into the Future
Someday, we will find ourselves looking at the COVID-19 crisis in hindsight. However, other challenges will arise, whether natural disasters or the need to utilize employees who live far away. Using the lessons from 2020 to plan for inevitable disruptions will enable organizations to continue work seamlessly, regardless of the situation.
Whether you need to migrate some of your operations to the cloud temporarily to weather the current crisis, or you decide to tackle a full cloud migration, Messaging Architects has you covered. From Microsoft 365 migration to cloud security and more, we have the tools and expertise to ease the way.
