{"id":2523,"date":"2017-09-12T09:00:54","date_gmt":"2017-09-12T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=2523"},"modified":"2026-01-21T08:03:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T13:03:31","slug":"elephant-cloud-ignoring-obvious-competitive-advantage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/elephant-cloud-ignoring-obvious-competitive-advantage\/","title":{"rendered":"The elephant on a cloud: Are you ignoring the obvious competitive advantage?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTechnology & Innovation<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe elephant on a cloud: Are you ignoring the obvious competitive advantage?\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Keir\t\t\t\tKeir Thomas-Bryant<\/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\n\n

There\u2019s no shortage of talk advising businesses to move to the cloud. However, as they say, talk is cheap. Who wants to adjust processes and methods that have worked for years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet the cloud is here. The potential for improving the quality of service for your firm is so massive and unavoidable that for any accounting practice that hasn\u2019t yet made the switch, the cloud becomes an elephant in the room \u2013 although perhaps this is better expressed nowadays as an elephant on a cloud!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much longer can you ignore the elephant on the cloud? As your customers’ trusted business advisor<\/a>, how much longer until you lag behind their rapidly evolving needs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t panic! With a little homework, the process will be simpler than you might think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transformation <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe files and emails I need are on my computer back at the office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly all of us have been guilty of offering this apology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cloud is designed from the ground-up to make this impossible. With the cloud, everything is accessible from virtually everywhere, at all times, and via a wide variety of computing devices such as phones and tablets as well as traditional desktop computers. Everything is shareable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no more need for lengthy meetings to hand-off paperwork to your team, or follow-up meetings to discuss progress. All your team needs is right there in the cloud. Often you can integrate into your client\u2019s cloud accounting software too, massively reducing time and cost overheads, and giving an \u201calways on\u201d view into data. You and your team are an everyday advisor to your clients \u2013 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analyze your client list<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not uncommon to worry about how exactly you might make a move to the cloud<\/a>. It\u2019s also perfectly understandable to have concerns about how a switch might affect your business and your client relationships in the short term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The surprising reality is that it\u2019s all about basic planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe advice that I always give to accounting professionals is to analyze your client list,\u201d says Elaine Clark, Managing Director of an award-winning online accounting firm. Elaine built her firm\u2019s success with the cloud, even designing a cloud system of her own to meet her and her clients\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt first [accountants] may look at their client list and think: \u2018I can\u2019t move to the cloud, it\u2019s too big of an operation,\u201d continues Clark. \u201cBut my advice is to break your list down and consider which clients are going to be more open to moving to the cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever, to do this you\u2019ve really got to know what you want to do within your practice. Yes, you\u2019ve got to look at your clients, but you\u2019ve also got to look internally at your practice and how you will structure yourself to run a digital practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five steps to move toward the cloud<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Switching a business to the cloud is simple when broken down into five stress-free steps that can form the foundation and blueprint for any firm\u2019s strategy. Here\u2019s a summary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Do your homework<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Pick the perfect clients<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Open-up a discussion<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Get the training you need<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Train your staff<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    With the cloud you\u2019ll notice an increase in collaboration across teams, gain easier access to data and a more immediate understanding of your client’s needs. These are just a handful of benefits that gained by using cloud-based solutions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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