A key to success for every startup is the ability to maximize resources while minimizing overhead costs. One tool that has proven it can keep costs low and help a startup scale is the cloud. Startups that use the cloud or cloud computing are capable of managing large amounts of data, storing vast amounts of information, uniting a decentralized workforce and even offering cutting edge services. Fortunately for entrepreneurs, using the cloud is fairly easy to do.

During the global discussion “GIST TechConnect: Cloud Computing for Your Startup,” a panel of cloud computing experts discussed the attainability of cloud services for startups. According to the panel, using the cloud is one of the cheapest ways a startup can scale up while keeping costs low. The panel continued that cloud services are also not exclusive to tech-based companies and that, in fact, any startup can use the cloud.

“Getting to market, especially in a competitive landscape like the tech market, which is a place that we’re in, it’s essential to be able to get to market as quickly as possible and at as low a cost of overheard as possible,” said Tim Mullen, Founder & CEO of Intheon. “So being able to scale your business up quickly, with minimum costs and overhead is one of those advantages that cloud services do provide you.”

“I would also like to bring forth that the bigger advantage is also that the organization can really focus on the business needs and the business goals which they want to achieve, rather than creating and spending money for building infrastructure,” said Ujjwal Kumar, Principal Technical Evangelist at Microsoft Commercial Software Engineering. “The set of services which is coming out [of the cloud] is also incredible in terms of services like machine learning, cognitive services, which allows to build intelligent applications very fast and quickly.”

Kumar also explained that many cloud service providers, like Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, also have financial programs for entrepreneurs – which makes the cost to use the cloud almost nothing. These cloud computing platforms even offer founders courses on how to use the cloud.

Mullen added that not just tech startups can use the cloud. Cloud services can prevent critical data loss for any startup by providing a constant backup of company data to a virtual server. Mullen said startups can use cloud services to organize staff or help with workflow. Cloud services like Microsoft Outlook or Slack are created specifically to help decentralized staff stay connected and work together. Mullen said these are other the type of cloud computing services startups can use, even if the startup is focused in another industry.

The bottom line, the panel agreed cloud computing can help startups do a number of things and can offer founders a multitude of services. You can learn more about the cloud from the GIST TechConnect panel of experts by clicking here.

Photo Credit: Flickr | RawPixel.com