Posted by Maya Pillai

Traditionally, the word “entrepreneur” is associated with men. Times have changed and there are many women entrepreneurs today. With the advent of the Internet and its technology, there are equal opportunities for both men and women who have entrepreneurial skills. However, it is up to you to tap the power of the Internet. Whatever may be the nature of your business (online or offline), if you are ready to tap the essence of the Internet it will not only boost your business, but also will prove to be very
cost effective. In the present scenario, a technologically focused approach to business will be the key to success. According to a research from Gartner, a consulting and analysis firm, the worldwide cloud computing market will reach $150.1 billion by 2013.

“I know that there are men who promote men and trust men more than they trust women.” On the Internet, it is different. “It is less reliant on the old boys’ network,” This is what Jessica Moore and Alexia Inge, the founders of Cultbeauty.co.uk have to say respectively about the advanced features of Internet technologies.

Not many women entrepreneurs are comfortable with the Internet technologies.
Businesswomen should be aware that cloud computing is the latest business trend and is currently the key component of many small/medium/large businesses’ flexible work arrangements. It is worth mentioning that online storage and Internet-based software are the newest business movement to leverage the workplace efficiency.

“Cloud computing really is accessing resources and services needed to perform functions with dynamically changing needs. An application or service developer requests access from the cloud rather than a specific endpoint or named resource,” as defined by Cloud Computing Journal notes.

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Cloud Computing Makes it Easier for Women Entrepreneurs to Conduct Business

The women entrepreneurs must understand that whatever the nature of the business non-IT or IT, you take your business to great heights by introducing cloud computing. Cloud computing allows women to work from home.  Here are few reasons why doing business on the cloud will help lower the barrier for you.

Cost Effectiveness – For instance, if you are conducting business on a shoe-string budget, you will not be able to upgrade your software and hardware from time to time because it is simply not feasible. However, if your business uses cloud technology, you will be using the upgraded version of the software because the cloud vendor will take the responsibility of upgradation. By conducting business on the cloud, you will be able to afford services such as real-time communication, file-sharing, sales tracking, advertisement campaigns and many more.

Anytime and Anywhere Accessibility – Remember, if the nature of your business requires you to travel frequently, traditionally, you would have to carry your paper files or the external storage devices that contain the required files with you. Cloud-based services are available for you always. All that you need is a good Internet connection, a laptop, tablet or a mobile phone.

Cloud-based Service is Quantifiable – As a businesswoman, you would keep an eye on the amount spent on software upgrades. It is high time you realized that software upgradation is a thing of the past. When you are conducting business on cloud, the cloud vendor will upgrade the services and it will be made immediately available to all users. Not only that cloud-based services are scalable, you pay only for the services that you use. You can upgrade or downgrade the services as per your business requirement.

Real-time Collaboration – Cloud computing allows you to compete with business houses run by men and also with multinational corporations. Real-time collaboration is possible with cloud computing. The documents that are stored online can be accessed by anyone involved in your business. You can also set access privilege to the online files and this allows the users to work with only information pertaining to them. You can also reach out to resources across the globe. You can employ quality people from around the world, thereby making your business cost effective and efficient.

Before you get started with cloud computing, get the opinion of a reputed IT consultant who has hands on experience in enterprise-wide cloud computing. You should evaluate the functions that operate best in the cloud and the one that is within your budget. Discuss the security protocols and back up plans with your service provider. Remember, cloud computing is as much for women entrepreneur as for businessmen.