It’s About Time for Your Construction Company to Jump into the Cloud!
We are close to entering an era where the quality of infrastructure will be more about cloud infrastructure than physical infrastructure. With companies pushing more and more of their data on the cloud, there still remains a large population that hesitates to shift their business on the cloud.
Where does this reluctance come from?
It comes from the fear of losing the company’s data and invasion of its privacy. It is natural to have such insecurities. But that should not stop you and your company from progressing by using the same old traditional methods of data management. ‘Cloud security is unsafe’ is probably the biggest myth that refuses to die. In reality, storing data on-premise and on your own servers isn’t the best way to protect it. The greatest form of defense comes in the form of strong governance, strict access rights, and diligent data monitoring, all of which can be deployed with cloud storage.
There’s still a lot yet to be comprehended and implemented about cloud security by companies. The biggest advantage that a cloud platform gives its users is its adaptability to frequent changes and diversity. Working on the cloud not only saves your time but also provides mobile solutions to the business users.
Now comes the question of using the cloud to promote your construction company’s growth. Bigger projects mean higher complexities and that demands greater micro-management. The API services (Application Program Interface) on a cloud brings localization into the solution making it user-friendly and time-saving at the same time.
Related Read- Construction Industry and its Adaptability with New Technology
What makes cloud computing affordable?
To shift the business to cloud-computing, the deciding factors to assess its affordability for business are the ease of use and upkeep. A private server infrastructure, apart from its initial setup cost, is accompanied by the subsequent maintenance costs and personnel costs. These overheads that cannot be overlooked. In business as there are no set markers for any company to predict its growth, in times of losses these overheads can become a stumbling block; For instance, a workforce of X personnel requires adequate infrastructure setup; if the profits of the business are in a descending fashion, the maintenance overheads for the server infrastructure becomes a burden.
Whereas, cloud- computing comes with the ability to do better business in a scale-able manner, by expanding and contracting the cloud-computing capacities as required, in the same scenario. The upkeep & support is taken care of at the cloud service provider’s end, hence making cloud setup a feasible choice. Evidently, as agility and low cost, both are inherent characteristics of cloud computing and automation is the foundation for them both. There’s no way to achieve one without the other because both require automation, and it’s their combination that makes cloud computing a disruptive revolution.
Apart from data accessibility, the cloud also provides time tracking solution to keep a check on the progress of projects. Solutions that allow business users to be more agile is what makes your company different. The construction industry is becoming more and more demanding each day. And with that sort of demand, you need speed and more business mobility and more insight to drive the business. While you are going global with your company, you need a durable interface that facilitates better communication and asset management solutions. When you are connected on a cloud platform all of this becomes just a piece of cake.
In the conventional work environment of construction companies, not everyone gets access to the data. If you’re an employee, you get access, if you’re not an employee, you don’t get access. This hinders the opportunity to collaborate with other companies. The intellectual property of a construction company’s data does not lie in its drawing, RFI or document data. Rather, it lies in your cost and how you control the cost. Your deals and negotiations with your contractors and sub-contractors- that’s your real data.
Summing Up:
Cloud gives you the liberty to expand your business reach and opportunities. Along with that, it portrays your company to be open-ended and transparent while keeping its security intact. Shifting to cloud even partially will give you the experience of faster and hassle-free management. The construction industry needs serious upgradation to survive the coming times and this is the perfect time to do it! Thus, it’s time we jump to the cloud.
