Cloud n Mobility
  • Home
  • Applications
    • Cloud App Selections
  • Services
    • Business Consulting
    • Business Intelligence
    • Computing Services
    • Mobile App Development
    • Online Marketing
    • Software Solutions
    • Website Development
  • Blog

Is Your Computer Data Safe?

10/27/2015

0 Comments

 
With many applications becoming more cloud based today, cloud storage due to ease of accessibility, low cost and high reliability are one of the first applications to get implemented. While the file sync and collaboration features provided by companies like Dropbox, Google, Microsoft and others can enhance productivity, this opportunity does not come without risk.

Most of the IT decision makers agree security is one of their main concerns when it comes to cloud-based services. If you’re a small business owner you most likely think along the same line as the IT pros. However, it’s fairly well understood that most cloud service providers implement and manage considerably better IT security controls than on-premise implementations.

The argument in favor of using the cloud to store information sounds good, but one might ask why do we hear so much about data breaches? The real issue is we’re dealing with more of a business process problem than an IT problem. Without action many business owners will likely encounter some form of a computer virus or malware impacting their business operation in the near future. Businesses just need to put security processes and procedures in place to ensure a sound business future.

Here are some suggestions to get started:
Establish a company policy on computer usage.
Provide periodic cyber security awareness training for employees
Implement a comprehensive plan to secure mobile access to the business computer network.
Make sure all computers are running a good anti-virus program.with automatic updates.
Enable the firewall on all computers.
Periodically backup all computer data.
Generate a disaster recovery plan.

If we can be of assistance, visit our website www.cloudnmobility.com or just Contact us
0 Comments

Cloud Adoption Can Improve Customer Satisfaction

9/12/2015

0 Comments

 
While the growth of cloud based social marketing and customer relationship management (CRM) applications is aimed at growing the customer base and increasing customer satisfaction, the benefit derived from cloud adoption is far reaching.

Many studies find that improving customer satisfaction is a top customer focused priority. We know that the key to improving customer satisfaction is providing great customer service. However, when it comes to making the commitment, management is hesitant about allocating precious resources due to the perceived high cost. Business owners can feel more confident about making the investment now that the value of delivering such an experience has been quantified by a recent study. Peter Kriss (2014), in Harvard Business Review online, retrieved from  https://hbr.org/2014/08/the-value-of-customer-experience-quantified/

An important takeaway from the study shows the benefit of delivering a great customer service experience.

  • Customers with the best past customer service experiences remain loyal and spend more over time.
  • Revenue improved in proportion to the increase in customer satisfaction..
  • By minimizing the source of customer dissatisfaction, the cost to serve customers is reduced.


Businesses that have moved some applications to the cloud and plowed those associated savings back into improving customer service.have benefited. And, with the many low-cost or free cloud based applications available today for improving customer service, businesses need to make the commitment. Improving customer service has to be one of your best business investments.
0 Comments

Free Cloud Services for Your Small Business

8/14/2015

0 Comments

 
Note: Some service providers may limit available features. 

Storage:  
Google.com/drive: Drive provides you with 15 GB of online storage.   
Onedrive.live.com: Microsoft storage with 15 GB of storage is a natural for 365 users. 
Box.com The Personal plan offers 10 GB of free storage. Box is a business favorite. 

CRM: 
Insightly.com: Including  project management for up to 2 users. Good integration. 
Zoho.com/crm: Free for up to 10 users. Scalable with good reporting features. 

Productivity: 
Google.com/Docs: Web-based office suite with sharing and real-time collaboration.  
Evernote.com: Very popular application. Syncs across platforms and devices. 

Data Analytics: 
IBM.com/analytics/watson-analytics/: East to use the service. Limit on file size and storage.  

Project and Task Management: 
Zoho.com/projects: Extensive features with Google Apps and Dropbox integration. 
Asana.com: Good for team management on simple projects. 
Trello.com: Project management tool that makes collaboration easy. 

Accounting: 
Waveapps.com: Here you'll find all the core accounting functions that a small business needs. 

Other Business Services: 
Hootsuite.com: Manage and track up to 3 social media profiles. Very popular 
GingerSoftware.com: Contextual grammar and spell checker.  
Ifttt.com: ifttt stands for If This, Then That. Build connections on the Web. 
Skype.com: Text, video and voice communication over the internet. 


0 Comments

How small businesses benefit from data analytics

8/4/2015

0 Comments

 
We see articles about big data almost every day. We live in a data centric world and the amount of data collected is doubling about every two years. But only well funded companies can afford to hire data scientists or business intelligence experts to extract knowledge from data, allowing for better business decisions and an improved customer experience.  

Every business has a need for data and the insight that can be extracted. For the small business owner today, the task is bringing data together that had been overlooked in the past. With a growing number of modern, easy-to-use applications, the small business owner can collect and analyze data in developing better solutions to serve today's customers. Unfortunately surveys have shown that a large portion of these owners either lack the expertise, money or time to make use of these tools.  

A simple approach is to implement an effective CRM application. The recent trend of vendors incorporating actionable analytics, which helps companies understand customer needs and manage relationships better, is gaining momentum. Today free and low-cost CRM analytics and reporting tools take data from multiple sources (phone, email, social media, etc.) and turn it into insight.  

For our recommendation of top rated free and low-cost CRM vendors, visit the application selection page of our website www.cloudnmobility.com
0 Comments

How to get more customers

7/11/2015

0 Comments

 
Expand your customer base with a mobile-friendly website. Sounds like an easy solution, and it is. You may be one of the many millions of business owners who are losing opportunities every day if you have a website and it’s not mobile-friendly or you just don’t have a website.

The fact is mobile technology is a global phenomenon. Google recently confirmed mobile search has surpassed desktop search. And, as Google announced last April, websites that are not mobile-friendly may see a significant decrease in mobile traffic from Google search.

If you’re upgrading your existing website, your current webmaster should be able to help. Should you need to build a new mobile-friendly or responsive website, just remember the tips to building a website offered in our previous June 2015 blog.

It’s widely reported that about half of mobile phone users in the U.S. use mobile devices to perform local searches and most of those local searches convert to purchases. You may have even observed some of your customers comparison shopping. Isn’t it time you get on the bandwagon?

A good way to start is to develop an overall mobile strategy if you don’t already have one. There have been a number of recent good articles (i.e., one from SearchEngineLand.com) on developing an effective mobile-local strategy to acquire and keep your mobile customers.

0 Comments

Tips for Building your Small Business Website

6/7/2015

0 Comments

 
After Google announced earlier this year that starting April 21, 2015 mobile-friendly would be a ranking factor in mobile search results, website owners started to pay attention.

If you already have a website, Google has a free mobile-friendly test tool at: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/ to check if your site is mobile-friendly. If you haven’t already started now is a good time to review your website plans.

With the growing popularity of everything mobile, business owners need to have mobility in mind when planning to grow their business. If you’re planning on updating your site or building your first one, here are some guidelines to follow:

Start with the right approach:
A good place to start is to make sure your website is built using the responsive design approach for the best user experience across all viewing devices, i.e., smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktops. If you choose to DIY there are many CMS (Content Management System) choices. The most popular CMS today is Wordpress, however your need should dictate the choice.

Own the URL:
Don’t be held hostage by allowing someone else to own the website address for your business. It’s very easy to register a website address with many registrars providing assistance. However, managing your DNS (Domain Name Systems) requires a good understanding of the fundamentals. If you’re not well versed in the above area make sure your provider offers assistance.

Host the website:
Same concern as above applies here. Hosting sites are inexpensive and most provide good support. You may need to learn cPanel for managing your hosting service but tutorials are available. Business email addresses (i.e., john@mycompany.com) are normally included. Again, make sure your provider offers support to fit your needs. One of our favorites is HostGator.

Provide good content:
Google rates content very high so if you’re not good at writing and don’t understand how to use keywords or what SEO is all about, enlist the services of a good content writer.

Utilize internet marketing services:
You may be already using some of the social media services but how effective have they been? Maybe you should consider looking into using some outside marketing services. There’s more to internet marketing than Facebook posts. For a good start try writing monthly blogs. You may not only develop a following but that’s a good way to keep your website content fresh which Google likes to see.

Plan for ongoing support:
A good website development plan is not complete without considering ongoing support. Make sure to factor in your schedule/budget room for periodic updates. Build it and forget it just won’t work.

It you don’t have the time or don’t feel comfortable about a DIY project, contact us support@cloudnmobility.com for assistance.  We can recommend service providers offering quality services to fit your budget.
0 Comments

Your Small Business Can Win Big

5/3/2015

0 Comments

 
This year the Small Business Administration designated May 4-8 as National Small Business Week. With about 28 million small businesses in the U.S. employing roughly half of the working population, as cited by Forbes, it's fair to say this business sector is a major player in the U.S. economy.  

Shopping local has gained ground as consumers work to improve their community. However, most consumers shop local because they believe small businesses deliver better customer service. That's fine but in this competitive environment attracting and keeping customers engaged can be challenging.  

So, what's the small business owner to do? Chances are you may already have the answer. The Millennials are entering the workforce by storm. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Millennials make up about 25% of the workforce and by 2020 will grow to more than 40%. Most Millennials are tech savvy, innovative and optimistic. And, Millennials favor working in the less restrictive small business environment. Just give them a sense of purpose, keep communication open and encourage innovative use of technology. 

Now, go ahead  use this new talent to do things customers want like, offer frequent shopper loyalty programs, provide internet marketing (i.e., social media, email, SMS), offer more competitive pricing, broader product offerings and more convenient business hours. 


0 Comments

selling to the informed consumer

8/9/2014

0 Comments

 
It’s probably no surprise but in this connected era most consumers have done some homework as part of the buying process. Let’s call them the informed consumer. So as a small business owner how can you get your slice of the pie? We suggest don’t buck industry trends. Today brands and marketers are increasingly placing a strong emphasis on content marketing.

What is content marketing ?

It’s consistently developing relevant, valuable and useful information or content for your target audience that will keep them engaged throughout the buying cycle. And, after the purchase one needs to foster long term relationships while building new connections.

Where to start?

Dealing with today’s informed consumer requires a different approach from the standard advertising methods of yesterday. Content marketing can take a number of different forms including customer success stories, articles, emails, SMS, newsletters, blogs, reports, webinars, live events etc.

Whatever the approach, follow these guidelines:

  • If you’re an expert, or very knowledgeable in your field, let your customers know it
  • Provide relevant information for your current and potential customers
  • Engage your customers in a personal way
  • Educate, help and foster trusting relationships

Before you jump into this approach you need to develop an overall marketing strategy taking into account resources, dissemination strategy and monitoring methods.

If you need assistance with your marketing plan we have knowledgeable professionals ready to provide the level of service desired. Just contact us at cloudnmobility.com

0 Comments

Mobility solutions create value

7/21/2014

1 Comment

 
Microsoft has made it very clear; mobile first, cloud first. And, with the recent Apple/IBM announcement the importance of mobility can’t be ignored. So, has your business adopted mobility yet?

Implementing an integrated mobility solution can yield benefits that span the entire company impacting the organization and roles of resources within the business. Opportunity for leveraging the existing infrastructure to maximize business potential is evident. Just be sure to understand your business requirements. While implementing mobility has its challenges, smart businesses will see how instituting a mobile strategy can free their workforce to create value in many innovative ways.

Some of the benefits include:
  • Improvement in service delivery
  • Increased customer satisfaction
  • Secure management of mobile resources
  • Better mobile experience for employees
  • Greater collaboration among employees
  • Productivity improvement
  • Competitive advantage

By implementing the right applications, devices and business processes, benefits like those identified above can be achieved.

Getting Started:

Develop a plan:
Set realistic goals and look for specific ways mobile solutions might boost your bottom line.  Perhaps increased collaboration (one of the biggest benefits of mobility) would lead to better and faster results.

Security:
Develop a BYOD policy. When employees access your business network via mobile devices a multi-level security strategy is essential. All mobile devices accessing the company network should be password protected, encrypted and you may want to include multi-factor authentication. Educate employees about what type of data should be stored on their devices should their device be lost or stolen.

Accessibility:
Make sure your employees have seamless access to remote data when they need it. Remotely storing your data in the cloud lets employees access data from multiple devices 24x7.


If you need a little help we partner with experienced providers who have the knowledge and experience to get you going. Just contact us at CloudnMobility.com

1 Comment

Moving to the cloud the easy way

7/7/2014

 
Just about everybody in the business community has heard about the cloud. While government and large corporations have made commitments to this new movement, small businesses have been slow to adopt the cloud. As with any new technology there are many questions and areas of concern for the small business owner to wrestle with. Naturally the promise of providing customers a better user experience and saving a little money along the way sounds good. However, how to go about the move has left many business owners seeking advice. Without the resources of large companies the typical approach usually involves a little research, asking friends and talking with other business owners.

We have a better way!

To help the business owner understand the benefits and pitfalls of adopting this new technology we’ve established a service to help small business owners migrate to the cloud.

How we do it!

We have a growing network of experienced professionals who personally meet with clients (when possible) to understand their business and identify areas where utilization of current technology can increase revenue, reduce expenses and boost profit. To provide requested business services we partner with many high quality companies and carefully screened select professionals.

Key to this approach is the business owner has one individual to call for questions and/or coordinate service.

If you need more information about our company or services we offer, visit our website at www.cloudnmobility.com.

    Author

    We’ll try to provide helpful information for the small business owner  moving  services to the cloud.

    Archives

    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    August 2014
    July 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Services

Mobile Apps
Cloud Applications
Desktop/Mobile Websites
Internet Marketing
Software Solutions

Company

About us
Privacy Policy
Refund Policy
Pricing
Our Blog


Support

Contact us
Support
Partner program
Terms of Use


Visit us at:
CLOUDNMOBILITY.COM
Copyright  © 2013   |  (714) 655-2320  |  Support@cloudnmobility.com