The Power of the Cloud in the Time of Covid-19

The Power of the Cloud in the Time of Covid-19

Few technologies are better suited to meet their moment in history than the cloud during the time of Covid-19. Companies with the cloud in their arsenal before the pandemic have found it much easier to navigate through these uncertain times. Alternately, companies without a cloud to fall back on have struggled to keep their operations afloat amidst incredible uncertainty.

Why is cloud-based technology, particularly for core business functions like accounting and finance, so important during a worldwide public-health emergency? Because the cloud gives companies the qualities they need to survive disruptions and manage the unknown: accessibility, flexibility, visibility, and scalability.

The cloud doesn’t guarantee companies will make it through the pandemic – but without the cloud, survival becomes much more challenging. 

Leveraging Cloud Capabilities

Previously, many companies saw the cloud as appealing but optional. It was something they would like to have but not something deemed mission-critical. Now, in the middle of the pandemic, the situation is completely reversed. The cloud has been a lifeline for many companies – one they couldn’t persevere without.

As shutdown orders went into effect and companies dashed to find new ways of working, the degree to which a company operated from the cloud determined the success of the overall effort. In accounting, for example, teams with cloud-based tools at their disposal could access their data and applications from home for weeks on end. The office may have closed, but accounting largely didn’t skip a beat.

Beyond the ability to work remotely, the cloud empowers companies to adapt on the fly. When their computing assets travel with team members wherever they go, no one is out of the loop. Confidently making big decisions on short timelines becomes much easier to do once everyone has the same exceptional information at their disposal.

Maybe most compelling, the cloud helps companies make it through today and transform for tomorrow. Recent events have shown how the cloud makes companies resilient, helping them carry on in the face of anything – from a wildfire to a pandemic. As companies reconsider what they do in the context of Covid-19 and the “next normal,” their IT can’t be isolated in one location or otherwise limited in any way. Only in the cloud can IT evolve to become whatever a company needs – now and later.

The Shortcut to the Cloud

Essential as the cloud may be right now, migration can be a long and complex process. Instead of rushing to embrace the cloud and risking a rocky migration, and difficult learning curve, consider an alternative way to get there: outsourced accounting.

Outsourced accountants using a cloud-based financial management solution to handle data represent the best of both worlds. Clients gain the benefits of the cloud (mobility, visibility, flexibility etc), with none of the headaches involved with completing a migration themselves. 

Do you need to reach the cloud sooner rather than later? Ximplifi can help. Contact us to explore all the paths forward.