The cloud adoption phase for many Dallas-Fort Worth small businesses has ended and now they’re trying to optimize their cloud environment and remove cloud waste.
Just adopting cloud tools isn’t enough to be digitally optimized. The way you use the cloud has to be efficient and include the right tools for an integrated and productive workflow.
Blissfully’s report on 2020 SaaS trends found that companies were suffering from cloud waste. This includes spending more on cloud subscriptions, but also churning through more apps and suffering from a wholly unoptimized cloud situation.
Some of the surprising cloud use statistics were:
- Overall cloud spending was up 50%
- Cloud waste is doubling year-over-year
- Companies churn through approximately 30% of their apps per year
What’s the reason for the doubling of SaaS waste? There are a few different converging factors:
- Companies not having a strategic cloud plan
- Business owners and executives with an “app of the month” mentality
- Companies adopting tools that don’t integrate and share data easily
- Use of apps from too-young companies that then end up closing down
Ways to Mitigate Cloud Waste & Optimize
Survey Employees On All Apps Being Used
Business owners and managers can get into trouble with their use of the cloud when they make decisions without consulting the users that will be using those tools on a daily basis.
An important first step in streamlining your use of the cloud is to understand what applications employees are currently using and how they rate them.
This survey serves three key purposes:
- Understand which apps are helpful to staff and which aren’t.
- Find duplicates of SaaS features and gap areas.
- Uncover the use of shadow IT, which are apps employees use that you may not know about.
Some of the questions to ask on a cloud application survey include:
- What tools do you use in your job?
- Which 3 apps could you not do without?
- Which 3 apps would you like to see replaced?
- Where do you see gaps in cloud tool features?
- What apps would you like to see our company using?
Review Apps for Redundancies & Integration
When you choose a new application for your business, there are several factors that go into that decision. This includes the design and usability of the desktop and mobile app, whether you have the features you need, and cost.
Another important consideration you should factor in is how easily the app integrates with your current tools. One more is whether this application is duplicating any features you have in existing apps (that you may or may not know about).
Just because an app does messaging better than a larger app you have, that includes messaging, VoIP, and video calls, doesn’t necessarily mean you should add it to your workflow.
Factoring in the productivity cost of another app is important. Having to toggle between different applications can waste up to 32 days per year in workplace productivity.
You want to review all the applications currently being used at your business with a goal of removing redundancies and improving your ability to share data easily between apps.
Consider All-in-One Platforms
All-in-one platforms like Microsoft 365 or Zendesk, can streamline your use of the cloud by integrating several tools in a single cloud subscription.
Benefits are that apps natively share data, eliminating the need for a “middle man” app like IFTTT. Apps also have a similar user interface, which reduces the need to switch between completely different menus and feature capabilities.
If you are currently using a tool like Microsoft 365, take a deeper look at your subscription to see if it includes apps you may be paying for from a third-party. Such as OneNote or Microsoft Forms. Uncovering unused apps inside a platform you already subscribe to can reduce your overall SaaS spend.
Go Through a Thoughtful Cloud Transition
Once you’ve identified the apps and features your employees are telling you they like and need, and have identified any all-in-ones that you either already use or could transition to, create a cloud transition plan.
You want to work with a professional, like Leverage IT Group, to ensure you’re not missing any critical functions and to ensure that a transition to a streamlined cloud workflow goes smoothly.
The entire process with include:
- Employee training
- Testing of the new workflow in advance of complete transition
- Migration of data and automations
- Proper offboarding of cloud tools you’ll no longer be using
- Security configurations of new accounts
- Ongoing employee support to ensure a successful transition that is sustained
- Development of cloud use policies to control shadow IT
Get Help Optimizing Your Use of SaaS Tools
Leverage IT Group can help your DFW area business go thorough a cloud use assessment so you can reduce cloud waste and reduce costs for your SaaS tools while improving your productivity in the process.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Call (469) 458-0559 or reach us online.