The growth in the cloud computing sector has been phenomenal in the recent past, and there are no reasons why the trend won’t continue in the future as well. After all, cloud computing offers several benefits to businesses when they move their operations to the cloud. But if you want to get the most out of the cloud computing revolution, you need to make sure that you move your business operations to the cloud the right way. There are some common mistakes that businesses tend to make while moving their business operations to the cloud.

When you plan to move your business operations to the cloud, one of the most important things to consider is the process of selecting the cloud service provider for your business.

If you want to avoid these common mistakes, then you are in the right place. Let us take you through some common mistakes that you need to avoid when you select the cloud service provider for your business.

But before getting there, let us try to understand what is cloud computing and the benefits it offers?

What is cloud computing and why is it beneficial to businesses?

According to TechTarget, “Cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. These services are broadly divided into three categories: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The name cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that’s often used to represent the Internet in flowcharts and diagrams.”

Moving your business operations to the cloud has several benefits. Some of the cloud computing benefits are:

1. Cloud computing is cost-efficient
2. It offers adequate data security
3. Cloud computing is scalable and flexible
4. Cloud computing allows mobile access to corporate data
5. It offers data security
6. Cloud computing allows complete visibility and control over your data.
7. It gives you a competitive edge

6 top mistakes to avoid when selecting the cloud service provider

According to Gartner, worldwide public cloud revenue is expected to grow by 17.3% in 2019 to total $206.2 billion, up from $175.8 billion in 2018. There is no doubt that cloud computing offers several benefits, but you need to make sure that you avoid these mistakes when selecting the cloud service provider:

1. Don’t think that all clouds are created equal – When moving your business to the cloud, you need to understand that all cloud providers and cloud platforms are not created equal. When you plan to migrate your operations to the cloud, you shift a lot of responsibility and trust in your service provider. Hence, it is imperative for businesses to do their homework properly. 

   Different service providers offer different features, pricing plans, network uptime, customer support options, and high-level application integration. That is the reason why you need to do your homework properly. You need to satisfy yourself on all the fronts before finalizing your service provider, and you should do it carefully.

2. Not reading and understanding the SLAs correctly – Whether you are a start-up or you have been in business for a while, you know it pretty well that getting into a contract is the starting point of doing business between two entities. Getting into a contract is important because it is a legal document which both the parties have to adhere to and fulfill. 

   Likewise, the Cloud Standards Customer Council has an SLA or Cloud Service Level Agreement for network-based platforms. It is important for you to carefully go through the points that are mentioned in the SLAs so that you know what is in store for you. You get to know what exactly your service provider will offer you, and what that means for your business. 

   For example, it is important for you to know the service provider’s disaster recovery plan in case of a data breach

3. Don’t relax on the security front – With security breaches on the rise, it is important for businesses to know what is on offer on the security front. It is a mistake to assume that your service provider has foolproof security in place and that nothing untoward can happen to your business. It is vital for you to learn in detail about the security measures that have been put in place by your service provider. 

   You should have complete knowledge about all the security features that are there, access control, and the level of privacy that your service provider is offering.

4. Not knowing your bandwidth requirements – Poor accessibility and sluggish performance is always a concern for cloud computing platforms. But even more worrying is that sometimes systems work perfectly in order and at times they buckle under pressure. There are several reasons for this up and down performance, which include incompatible platforms, and increased network load, and changing or updated systems. It is therefore important for businesses to know in advance what their bandwidth requirements would be, and whether the service provider can fulfill them or not. 

   Another concern which you should know about is the latency issue. Latency is the delay that is typically incurred in the processing of network data. Latency could also lead to transmission delays and processing delays. It is, therefore, important for businesses to know whether the service provider they are planning to engage with has latency issues or not.

5. Not factoring in your future requirements – Everything changes with time (and it should be for the better). You grow as an organization, your customers change, and your products and services also change with time. Hence, you need to make sure that the service provider you plan to engage with offers up-to-date platforms and tools so that you don’t lose the competitive edge. 

   Therefore, make sure that there is room for you to grow, more so if you have to use new and different applications. Your service provider should provide you the resources you would need a few years down the line for the smooth functioning of your organization. Hence, you need to factor this in at the time of getting into an agreement with the service provider.

6. Not knowing about a secure backup plan – Though cloud providers have an optional backup service, in most cases, it is not included in the subscription. You need to have clarity on the backup plan before it hampers the functioning of your organization. Even if there is a backup system in place, you need to make sure whether it meets the legal and regulatory requirements. For example, hedge funds and investment companies need to store long-term and lengthy archives of their data.
   Hence, it is important for you to find out whether your service provider has a secure and reliable backup plan in place or not.

If you want to move your business operations to the cloud and are looking for a reliable, trustworthy, and secure cloud hosting provider, then you should get in touch with vStacks Infotech now. You can contact us for shared hosting, VPS hosting, and/ or dedicated hosting. Our cloud servers are fast, secure, and we can offer the bandwidth that will suit your business.

Changing consumer behaviour, growing expectations and easy access to information have necessitated organisations to automate services and personalise communication. Businesses big or small, whether selling products or services know the value of delivering good customer experience to their patrons pretty well. CRM is a tool that allows you to serve your customers effectively.
CRM or customer relationship management helps you not to lose focus when it comes to customers – be it existing or future. It assists you in acquiring new customers and reminds you to take care of those who are loyal to you. Also, it helps improve customer retention and increases revenue for your organization. Moreover, a CRM system provides a 360 degree view of your business which makes it highly popular among businesses.
A CRM system provides you all the data you need to make a workable strategy which helps you in retaining your customers. It also streamlines your business operations and improves employee efficiency, thereby increases productivity of your organisation.
And, when you strategize to combine the power of a CRM software with the unlimited benefits of cloud you get a potent platform which takes your customer’s satisfaction to the next level.

What is cloud CRM?

According to Gartner, by 2020 a corporate no-cloud strategy would become as rare as a no-internet policy is in today’s time.
Irrespective of the size of the business cloud computing has changed the landscape of information technology. Organisations having reservations earlier are now ready to move to the cloud without any inhibitions.
A CRM platform hosted in the cloud is referred to as cloud based CRM. It means that the CRM software and hence the company’s data exists in the cloud, which is delivered to the users through the internet. Since the customer data and organization’s information is stored in the cloud, it becomes easier for the employees to access relevant data from anywhere and at any time.

Why you should shift to the cloud?

It is easy for big businesses to adopt new technologies as they have the wherewithal, both in terms of money and manpower to embrace and implement them. But, when it comes to medium and small businesses having limited resources it makes sense to pick and choose only those tools that provide value for money in the actual sense.
When a CRM system is hosted in the cloud it gives your employees unprecedented access, provides unparalleled security to your data and all this at unmatched affordability. It opens up incredible opportunities of increasing your profit margins.

The benefits of cloud based CRM

The best part about cloud based CRM which weighs heavily in favour of businesses is its ease of deployment and cost. Organisations do not have to dig a deep hole in their pockets to install a cloud based CRM system. Whether you have ten employees or you have over hundred employees, a cloud based CRM system has the capability to fast-track your growth story.
Here are some of the main benefits of a cloud based CRM system:

1. Ease of use – You can start getting the benefits of the cloud and CRM from the word go, all you have to do is make up your mind that your organisation needs a cloud based CRM system. It cannot get simpler than using cloud CRM. As soon as you purchase a software package you can log on to your computer and start using it without the headache of maintenance or upgradation worries. The vendor you purchase your cloud CRM from is responsible for all the maintenance work and also offers free upgrades, as and when required.
2. Unmatched affordability – Medium and small businesses are wary of investing huge amounts on one single purchase as they are more comfortable with regular instalments. And, cloud based CRM with pay-as-you-use model suits them just fine, getting cutting-edge technology at affordable price is a bargain no smart owner likes to miss out on.
3. Seamless accessibility – You just need is an internet connection for the cloud CRM to work wonders for your organisation, both for employees in the offices and those in remote locations. Whether you are travelling for fun or business, you are at your client’s doorstep or in a party, if there is an urgent requirement all you need is internet connectivity and you can get the relevant information from the cloud CRM. From a laptop and tablet to your smartphone, you can access your company’s database on any device you feel comfortable on.
4. Flexibility – Another great reason for you to move your operations to a cloud based CRM system is flexibility. Without worrying for the future, initially you can opt and pay for the functionalities that help you in your present day operations. As your business grows, your requirements change and you need more advanced features. A cloud based CRM can easily be upgraded to suit your growing needs. You don’t have to keep on investing in IT infrastructure.
5. Dependable security – Vendors providing cloud based CRM system take all the necessary precautions so that security is not compromised. Strong passwords and multiple step verification ensure that data breaches are successfully averted at all times.
6. Matchless reliability – Even the best of systems can crash leaving you high and dry unless you invest in costly redundant systems. This does not make much of a business sense, especially in case of small enterprises. Cloud based CRM system has changed that with automated backups and redundant servers. With an uptime of 99.99% there is practically no downtime and constant backup means no data loss. Hence, a cloud based CRM system gives you matchless reliability.
7. Increases productivity – In a cloud based CRM system all the information is stored at one place and employees can access it from anywhere and at any time. This gives them the flexibility to complete their work even after office hours increasing the productivity of the organisation.

If your business needs a customer relationship management – and there is no reason why you do not require one – cloud based CRM is the way to go forward. Start using eZnetCRM to take care of all your present and future customers with a CRM system that is based in the cloud.
Easy to navigate, cloud based eZnetCRM is cost effective which provides a complete overview of your business. It improves efficiency and productivity of your workforce that increases the overall revenue of your organisation.