Description :
Because of advances in broadband connectivity, businesses can now access data speeds which in turn have created an on-demand culture. Services that are available on tap can help to reduce costs and also improve the type of features that a business can access, which has helped to level the playing field and give smaller companies a leg up in the process.
Most on-demand services available today are powered by cloud computing. While companies may find that their on-premises hardware lacks the capacity to handle complicated tasks, or is simply too expensive to be maintained at a level that will support the software required for growth, with the cloud these concerns are outsourced.
Cloud providers can offer all sorts of on-demand services to businesses, ranging from data storage and infrastructural expansion to software and app operation, all of which is carried out off site to save individual companies from having to worry about the expense of hardware, installation and maintenance of servers.
Because the cloud can flex to fit the needs of individual businesses, companies will only be paying for what they need and use. In the past it would have been necessary for firms to either go without the services they required or to invest in a future-proof, in-house set-up, which might not be exploited to its full potential for many years, thus reducing the overall efficiency of a company.
Updating and maintaining hardware was another burden that businesses would need to bear, but with the cloud this is once again under the remit of the provider's responsibilities in most instances. As such, there are multiple ways in which on-demand services are able to save money for companies that choose to adopt them.
Connectivity and the cloud are also helping businesses to stay in touch and cut costs in other areas that might initially seem unrelated. Web conferencing services are a particularly suitable example, because VoIP and video calls being made over a broadband connection can bring businesses together with clients and colleagues even if they are geographically distant.
While web conferencing and data-based communication are intrinsically cheaper than traditional voice calls on a minute-to-minute basis, there are other areas in which savings can be made. For instance, being able to hold a meeting virtually will save everyone involved from having to travel to a predetermined destination.
Travel is expensive and problematic for the environment because of the carbon it releases into the atmosphere. Time spent travelling can also be a drain on an individual's productivity, but if this can be eliminated via on-demand web conferencing services, everyone is in a better position. Wasted time is wasted money.
Digital communication, as with software and storage services that operate in the cloud, can become an on-demand boon because the physical and budgetary constraints that used to make telecoms expansion an untenable option for some companies are removed. Additional extensions can be integrated without the need for a complex or half-baked in-house exchange system and you can also cut down on the number of lines that are linked to a company because IP technology makes better use of the bandwidth available to deliver improved telecoms performance without the added expense.
The ultimate goal of on-demand services is to help business users become part of a more efficient, cost-effective world in which most extraneous expenses and unforeseen costs are eliminated. The only thing that is required of businesses is their willingness to participate in and migrate to this new approach, because those that do will put themselves at a competitive advantage while their less flexible rivals will be left behind.
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*by andreascy*
