Computers have changed the way we do business forever. If a company is to compete in the modern world, it must keep up with that latest technology with the help of an IT support service provider. The internet offers many solutions to help a business cut costs and become more competitive. It is possible for people from locations all over the world to collaborate in real time as if they were in the same office. That begs the question, does a business need an office at all?

If it is part of a factory or retail establishment they do, but what about a business that provides digital services to other companies, for example. They could save a fortune on rent, business rates, and energy bills if their employees switched to working from home instead. AWS connect is a great option for enterprises to connect to the dominant cloud platform, with a global reach and a strong range of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offerings, have a look at the online rep management.

I’m sure you can see the advantages of such an arrangement, but you may have no idea about how to set it up. Here is how to convert your business to the a hosted private cloud and become more competitive than you are now.

Equipment

To begin with, you must install all of the equipment that your staff need in their home. Some employers ask that they supply it themselves, but that is bad form, in my opinion. Here is a list of essential items that they are likely to require.

• Desktop Computer. It is a vital piece of kit, and your should not skimp on the cost. Production will suffer if the machine is slow or breaks down regularly. It should feature a quad-core Intel i5 processor and 4gb of ram at least. Multiple monitors make work efficient; provide two as a minimum number.
• Printer. You get what you pay for with printers. Here is A Guide to Choosing the Right Vinyl Printer For Your Business! Even though your business is entering the ether, there will be times when your staff need to print documents and letters. You may also consider investing in uv flatbed printers for your digital printing needs.
• Scanner.
• Telephone.

Software

A lot of the software you need to run your business efficiently is available for free online. You must realize that the providers can withdraw it at any time though, so I suggest that you install it on your machines too. Here are my suggestions for essential programs.

• Word Processor. You can’t do much without word processing software these days; it replaced the typewriter a couple of decades ago.
• Spreadsheet Software.
• Network Software. Everybody needs to collaborate in real time
• Database Software. Your workers might need to connect remotely to a server in the cloud; their machines must be able to communicate with it.
• Optical Character recognition software. You will need to convert all of your paper documents into editable digital copies. The programs can read and present them to you in digital format more reliably than ever before. It is a subject that many people fear, but it isn’t that hard to do. Learn more about OCR document conversion through online tutorials. It is essential for a cloud-based business.
• You may also need data governance tools to improve the security of any business data you will store in the cloud.

Moving to the cloud isn’t easy, but if you do so in logical steps and test the systems well before you disconnect your existing ones and shut the office, you should have no problems. Many have done so before you and they are reaping the rewards. Can you compete with them if you remain in an office?