{"id":2319,"date":"2017-08-17T11:51:40","date_gmt":"2017-08-17T15:51:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=2319"},"modified":"2026-02-12T05:39:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T10:39:39","slug":"5-perks-connecting-data-cloud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/5-perks-connecting-data-cloud\/","title":{"rendered":"5 perks of connecting your data in the cloud"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/category\/strategy-legal-operations\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Strategy, Legal &amp; Operations<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t5 perks of connecting your data in the cloud\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2017-08-17T11:51:40-04:00\">August 17, 2017<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"5 perks of connecting your data in the cloud\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/5-perks-connecting-data-cloud\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/author\/flannerykeck\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/04\/KeckFlannery_headshot-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Flannery Keck\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/04\/KeckFlannery_headshot-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/04\/KeckFlannery_headshot.jpg 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Flannery Keck<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>You know that feeling when you haven\u2019t cleaned out your closet in a while? There\u2019s stuff you don\u2019t wear anymore, stuff you thought you\u2019d wear but never did, and a few items that you\u2019ve officially worn out but can\u2019t bear to part with. Well, I\u2019m willing to bet that your business tech gives you that same feeling. You have a lot of options in your tech stack, but somehow the information you need is still tough to find. It just seems like it could all be\u2026better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the good news: it totally can. Just like how a successful shopping trip and a little organizing can get your closet in great shape, it can be simple to get your business running better than ever. It\u2019s all about connecting your business data in the cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some of the perks waiting for you on the other side:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Improved financial forecasts.<\/strong> When you make a sales forecast based on information stored in multiple places, you\u2019re limited. But once you store your financial information in a cloud accounting solution, you have access to way more information, like exactly how many leads your company has generated and how much revenue is coming into your business right then. That means you can have greater insight for the future.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Better protected business assets.<\/strong> Today\u2019s products and apps are often personal choices. In many cases, only key users understand the quirks of a complicated product or app and how they are used to manage customer data. What happens if one of those key members of your company leaves? Their knowledge goes with them, and the information they leave behind becomes irrelevant or unusable. Instead, try connecting your data in one central, secure, accessible location like the cloud\u2014that way your business is protected from the effects of employee turnover.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fewer surprise setbacks. <\/strong>You shouldn\u2019t have to spend hours preparing a report in order to monitor expenses, see how sales are performing and determine if revenue projections are on target. And you shouldn\u2019t have to wait until the end of the month for reliable and current sales data. With connected data in the cloud, you can see all of this information at a glance and identify priority accounts, opportunities, customers that are at risk, and so on. Though connected data can\u2019t prevent those issues, it will take the surprise out of a setback against your financial targets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Boosted productivity.<\/strong> When your employees work together using the cloud, your entire company becomes smarter. For example, a sales team member may receive a call from a customer and then update information about this customer from the office. Later on, if another sales team member on the road is about to meet with this customer, they can review the new information using their mobile device. Both team members can collaborate on one account from any location, avoid duplicating each other\u2019s work, and become more productive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Higher profitability.<\/strong> A 2014 IDG report found companies with more effective data grew 35 percent faster. It\u2019s easier to identify sales patterns and cross-sell opportunities if you have an insight into the volume and value of trade in your business. You can spot customer tail-off and take measures to address this before the business is lost. And you can convert key performance data into easy-to-understand reports and identify opportunities to boost your company\u2019s growth. For example, if you know there\u2019s a delay in your existing inventory, your sales teams can concentrate on selling other products and services unaffected by this delay. Meanwhile, you can focus on improving fill-rates across the company. Together, you and your sales teams will grow your business.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to our Sage Advice Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get our latest business advice delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-ab515c6e-7e90-4c2f-a67e-113872516e8b\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"Working from home with tea in hand\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You know that feeling when you haven\u2019t cleaned out your closet in a while? There\u2019s stuff you don\u2019t wear anymore, stuff you thought you\u2019d wear but never did, and a few items that you\u2019ve officially worn out but can\u2019t bear to part with. Well, I\u2019m willing to bet that your business tech gives you that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[170,346],"business_type":[40],"lilypad":[],"context":[102],"industry":[52,58,55,54],"persona":[97],"imagine_tag":[231],"coauthors":[656],"class_list":["post-2319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-strategy-legal-operations","tag-business-strategy","tag-cloud-technology","business_type-small-business","industry-food-beverage","industry-nonprofit","industry-professional-services","industry-retail"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-us","author_name":"Flannery Keck","featured_image":"","imagine_tags":{"231":"Start up business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice US","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/101"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2319\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2319"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=2319"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=2319"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=2319"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=2319"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=2319"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=2319"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}