2014 is a polarizing year for small and mid-sized businesses. While some columnists are promoting risk-taking and fluid transitions from start ups to SMEs, others are cautioning against the events that led to the market crash of 2008 and the following recession. To be sure, small and mid-sized businesses will face major issues in 2014, even though many markets are trending up (the UK economy is predicted to grow by 2.4% in 2014). But cloud computing through Microsoft might be the best way to meet these big issues head on and overcome them quickly.
Mobility is Becoming Essential
Gone are the days when businesses (especially B2B) were expected to provide every employee their own computer and wireless plan (both on the company's dime). While equipment is a valuable asset to larger companies, small businesses often find equipment to be an inhibiting expense, especially in start up mode. Increasing mobility with a cloud computing solution will solve a variety of mobility issues for small and mid-sized businesses in 2014. Increased mobility allows businesses to:
- Empower employees to choose their own technologies, limiting training time on company devices.
- Meet more demands for employees to work from home or remotely.
- Give employees access to marketing intelligence, business intelligence platforms, and CRM through mobile devices.
- Leverage superior, on-demand work skills when the current workforce is unable to cope with workloads.
Mobile technology will only become more crucial for small businesses when potential new methods for accessing capital. For example, the SEC will unveil new rules that could allow small businesses to engage in crowdfunding techniques online, one of the many provisions outlined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012.
An Online Presence Will Be Obligatory
Beyond maintaining a professional website, small businesses will face other challenges in 2014. For example, small and mid-sized businesses will need to be more competitive in areas like online advertising and SEO to access the information and online customers to which they were accustomed in 2013. With the rise of the smartphone (and the associated data plans from most cell phone service providers), more and more customers are finding their products and services online.
The data behind running an efficient and cost-effective SEO campaign will require several tools, including task management systems provided by most cloud computing platforms. By maintaining the ability to work remotely, small businesses will still be able to tap into external resources that are not necessarily needed on-site.
Of course businesses will face a variety of challenges in 2014 that can be resolved through the use of cloud computing solutions. Some of the common problems businesses expect this year are:
- Increasing costs e.g. energy and travel
- Compliance and regulatory issues
- Transitioning from start up to SME
- Retaining and boosting competitive USPs
- Skills shortages
Are there any other issues you're fearing in 2014? Please share them with us in the comment section below.
