A Christmas Carol in the Cloud

Around the holidays, we are often reminded how important it is to give, and graciously receive good will. One story that sparks these thoughts is Charles Dickens' classic tale, A Christmas Carol. For those of you who are not familiar with the story, Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy, shewed miser gets visits from the three spirits of Christmas after he believe that Christmas is no better than a day of wasted profits. Scared out of his wits by the legacy he would leave behind if he didn't change, Scrooge's transforms into a generous and caring man, literally overnight. This story has been told several different ways over a century, but the premise is still the same, profits aren't always what matters most.

In order to make that determination, however, you need to be in a position where your business operates at consistent profitability. Many small businesses spend every cent of revenue (and often more than that) to keep their business up and running. This kind of dedication to the dream of a running a sustainable business in today's tough marketplace is refreshing, and demands competent professional assistance. Like Scrooge, you may need some help to ascertain the processes that will result in the operational efficiency needed to sustain a level of profitability you need to keep your business goals moving forward.

For the modern business, technology plays a substantial role in this process. Finding the right solutions to boost your company's workplace efficiency is not as easy as it may seem. At Preferred, we believe that in order to do what's best for the people that depend on your company, you need to cut out the redundant costs that keep your business from seeing optimal success. Often times, it is a lack of organization that hamstrings a company's ability to grow.

The cloud is a great resource for company's to cut costs and improve efficiency. Initially, cloud computing solutions were expensive, but as they become more and more prevalent, the solution providers had no choice but to decrease the cost of their offerings, making them more affordable for small businesses to take advantage of. There are solutions for all types of business computing such as:

• Email
• Communications
• CRM and ERP efficiency software
• Productivity software
• Mass data storage
• File sharing
• Infrastructure hosting

With all types of computing capabilities delivered for business, though the cloud, there is sure to be a solution that can work for your organization. Two of the most attractive variables of cloud computing are :

• Mobility: Your computing can be delivered to you from any computer with an Internet connection and that convenience is billed as an affordable monthly flat-rate.
• Flexibility: Pay for the computing you need and add and subtract from solutions as you use them, presenting small businesses and start-ups with enterprise-level computing without having to deal with the enormous capital outlays normally reserved for such an endeavor.

Chances are that if Scrooge was able to cut costs while keeping operations running smoothly, he probably wouldn't have had to be scared into finding the error of his ways, and thus been more amenable in helping the Cratchits with Tiny Tim's unfortunate situation.

At Preferred, would like to extend a happy holiday season to you and your families. Since we couldn't function without our clients and partners, we are humbled every day to have the opportunity to work with some of the most wonderful people in the Chicagoland area.