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Ask our Expert
With Brad Andrews
Q
A
How can cloud computing
improve productivity?
Page 12
Productivity in the workplace is a very delicate
topic for which there are several schools of
thought. Some people tend to think that only
intrusive micro-management is the only way to boost
productivity while others might be more inclined to
take a more delicate approach by offering incentives.
Regardless of the exact approach you or your company
takes to stimulate productivity, you must not forget
about the role that technology can play in assisting
daily operations. For instance, it could be said that an
organization’s IT assets and resources play an integral
role in either aiding or inhibiting productivity. This
is largely because it is through IT that all inter-office
communications, file sharing, information logging,
data storage, and collaborative efforts are generally
organized. Since cloud computing is more or less
replacing / modifying traditional IT and incorporates
emerging technologies, it might be a good idea to
explore the ways in which it can help to boost general
productivity.
There are essentially three ways that cloud
computing (or any type of IT for that matter) can
impact productivity.
1. Utilizing known and emerging technologies
2. Encouraging employee growth
3. Improving communications
What makes cloud computing a more ideal candidate
(as opposed to traditional IT) for addressing these
three areas of concern is actually the technology that’s
driving it. For example, Cloud computing can make
use of virtually any type of application or software; an
app can be packaged along with other programs and
processes and then easily duplicated and copied.
In a traditional IT setup, a packaged set of processes is
not so easily transferred among individual users, not
only does this slow down the individual(s) performing
work, it creates more redundant-style labor for IT as
well. In other words, through cloud computing you can
more easily create your own software-based solutions
and deploy them instantly to as many users as needed.
Likewise, there are a dizzying number of individual
cloud-based services (email, online storage, and online
file transfer) which can be leveraged nearly instantly to
provide employees with on-the-spot solutions, thereby
eliminating searching and downtime.
Also, by granting personnel access to a library of
specific software products and solutions, you are giving
them a deeper sense of responsibility and creative
leeway to do their work. Protocols are great and often
extremely necessary to facilitate any type of organized
work, but it’s often impossible or unwieldy to provide
your employees with an “A to B” goal and then limit
their options for completing the task.
Quite simply, through cloud computing, a number
of different pathways to completion of any particular
task might open up. This freedom of choice creates