If you’re fortunate enough to run a business that has expanded into multiple locations or run a business with multiple branches, protecting them all can be a challenge.
You either have to manage each site individually and assign responsibilities across the estate or invest in more expensive systems that can manage multiple locations.
Or do you?
What if there was another way?
What if you could allow each location to run their own business their own way while being able to maintain oversight and ensure each branch was fully protected?
That’s where the cloud comes in.
Cloud solutions offer a range of advantages for multi-branch businesses but we’ll outline just a few.
Cloud desktops
Rather than every branch having their own computers running individual versions of software and operating systems, wouldn’t it be good if everyone was the same?
That’s exactly what happens with cloud desktops.
Staff use hardware in branch as usual, but rather than using a local operating system, they connect to the cloud and use a cloud version.
Every staff member has exactly the same version of Windows or MacOS. Each can be customised to suit their role and install software as required by the business.
But each will always be up to date with the latest security fixes and patches. All will be securely backed up and will always be available.
No need for each branch to manage their own It or for you to try to manage each branch.
Cloud storage
Depending on how you run your business, sharing data between branches can become problematic.
Data synchronisation, encryption, storage security and access policies all need to be carefully managed.
You can either do all this ad-hoc using consumer cloud storage or go all the way with business-class storage.
Or you could turn to the cloud.
You can easily use cloud storage with business-class encryption, secure access policies, password and two-factor authentication and seamless synchronisation from anywhere in the world.
Cloud backups
How do you run your data backups now? Does your POS or inventory management system take care of it for you? What about your desktops or laptops?
Do you manage each branch individually? Or have an overall backup solution that takes care of everything?
Backups were one of the key drivers in the adoption of the cloud, and for good reason.
The ability for multiple sites to be able to securely back up data over secure connections using industry-standard encryption was too good to miss!
Unified communications
How do staff communicate with each other between branches? Do they phone each other? Call on mobile?
Wouldn’t it be great if staff could chat, email, or use a single phone number to connect them wherever in the country, or the world they were? Whether they were using mobile or landline?
That’s just one of the many features unified communications brings.
It’s as if every branch were in the same building. Everyone can be reached, everyone has a single number and everyone can be contacted from anywhere.
Cloud solutions for distributed businesses
Solutions that offer all this and more sounds expensive, right? Not so. Cloud solutions can actually be cheaper over the long term than most other options.
Lower hardware and software licencing costs. Lower security and administration costs. Lower data storage and call costs and much lower up front costs too!
Don’t just take our word for it though.
Contact one of our team and we’ll show you just how much a cloud solution can do for your business!