Communications Technology: What to Spend in Tough Times

TAKING YOUR BUSINESS TO THE SKY

1. Wi-Fi Access – The growing availability of Wi-Fi networks has boosted the use of smartphones. This makes it easy for users to remotely access back-office applications including sales force automation and CRM systems. Quick, portable access to these systems offers the potential for improved employee management, increased productivity and an enhanced ability to give customers timely information.


2. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – More enterprises are adopting the Internet as an inexpensive and portable platform for making business calls. Calls can be made with phones specifically designed for VoIP or with ordinary phones that connect to an adapter that then links to the Internet. This means your employees can make cheap calls wherever they are able to get a hardwired or Wi-Fi connection to the Internet. Federal Communications Commission explanation of the phones and answers to frequently asked questions »


3. Cloud Computing – Cloud computing is a broad-based term that encompasses a variety of services or applications that are accessed over the Internet. They may be free, or paid for with a subscription fee, but your company doesn’t have to purchase any software. You probably use some cloud computing services if you have an e-mail service, such as Gmail or Yahoo, or upload photos on sites like Facebook. Your messages or photos are housed at a centralized location and can be accessed with any Internet-enabled device.

1. Software-as-a-Service. Essentially, your company rents hardware and software and the supplier maintains and upgrades it. SaaS services can range from Web-based e-mail to database processing, inventory control, customer relations management, and financial applications.


2. Platform-as-a-Service. Tools for developing software and applications are hosted on the provider’s platform. Some vendors do not allow customers to move the software they create off the platform.


3. Infrastructure-as-a-Service. The vendor supplies the equipment used to support a company’s operations, including storage, hardware, servers and networking components.

• It reduces and can even eliminate upfront outlays on hardware and software. This not only produces savings, it improves cash flow because your business doesn’t have to wait for a return on its investment. Cloud computing also eliminates the need to finance maintenance, support, upgrades, disaster recovery, back-ups and archiving.
  
  With clouds, your company generally pays as it goes. While there may be an initial investment, operating expenses rise only if your organization uses more of the cloud network’s capacity. So the costs of cloud computing are predictable. Cloud computing is flexible. Your organization can expand or reduce server and bandwidth use on demand. For example, if you have an upcoming online marketing promotion or your business is cyclical, you simply buy more capacity as needed.


• Cloud networks can be fast, which saves time and money. For example, your company can acquire the use of servers or software within minutes. Your business can also build a custom application in days or months rather than years. Cloud computing providers focus on maximizing performance and efficiency so the networks perform at higher levels of utilization than most enterprises could achieve alone.


• It’s green. Cloud computing consumes less energy by combining the operations of many companies. The networks generally use lean coding in their programming, which reduces the energy demands on processors.