Posts

3 Top Benefits of Outsourcing via the Cloud

The cloud has opened up numerous opportunities for today’s businesses, allowing even the smallest start-up to compete against corporate giants. As a business considers outsourcing tasks to contract workers and third-party providers, the cloud opens up even more possibilities. Here are three major cloud benefits your organization should consider before beginning an outsourcing project.

Real-Time Collaboration

Outsourcing has the potential to save a business money and improve efficiency, but poor communication can derail an entire project. Cloud collaboration tools like Basecamp and Google Apps for Business give organizations the ability to communicate with outsourcing service providers in real time, saving valuable time that can keep your projects on track.

Accessibility from Anywhere

The cloud makes it easy for professionals to connect and collaborate, whether they’re in an office on a PC or on the road on a mobile device. For both employees and outsource service providers, this provides a level of convenience a business wouldn’t otherwise have, opening up the ability to work on projects and get status updates on the go. With cloud collaboration tools, professionals always have access to the latest version of a document or file, reducing the risk of two employees working on the same file separately.

Security Control

Without having to adjust security settings, businesses can also give outsource workers the ability to log in and see only the information they need to see to do their jobs. This gives businesses the peace of mind of knowing their sensitive work data will remain safely behind firewalls, accessible only to the full-time employees who have access.

As your business grows, you’ll likely find you’re working with outsourcing service providers more often. By using cloud-based collaboration tools, you’ll be able to streamline the process, making it easier for your team members to communicate and work in coordination with third-party providers, even if they’re on the other side of the world.

Sprint Joins Up with Google Apps for Business as Reseller

googleappsBoth Sprint and Google are interested in capturing more of the business market and, thanks to a new partnership, they’re one step closer to reaching that goal. A new partnership has Sprint agreeing to be a reseller of Google Apps for Business, Google’s suite of apps designed specifically for business users.

Sprint Sells Google Apps

Under the deal, Sprint will make Google Apps for Business available to users of devices on its network. The Google Apps for Business suite includes Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Sites. When used over Sprint’s network, businesses will have seamless access to these popular productivity tools.

This is the first time Google has teamed up with a wireless carrier for its software. For Sprint, the news is a big one as the company continues to try to battle giants AT&T and Verizon. Last year alone, Sprint lost 2.2 million subscribers. In addition to its partnership with Google, the company is also reportedly in talks to purchase T-Mobile.

The Enterprise Market

Both Google and Sprint are aiming to capture the enterprise market, with businesses increasingly searching to increase their mobile device usage. Sprint plans to charge the same rate Google charges for Google Apps for Business, which is $5 per user per month for Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Docs. For mobile access to Google Apps with unlimited cloud storage, businesses will pay $10 per user, which also includes 30 GB of storage and additional services.

This option can bring full functionality to the business environment, with businesses now able to contact Sprint directly to get the mobile devices they want. Instead of having to work with Google to get each app loaded on every device, businesses can work with Sprint to have the full suite of apps loaded as needed, making the process easier and less error-prone.