You will be hard-pressed to find a business owner that isn’t preoccupied with growing their business. But how do you go about it? You can grow through acquisition, you can invest in better equipment, larger premises or add staff, or you can update your IT with an investment in cloud computing.

The latter of these initiatives might not be the most obvious route to growth for many businesses, but it does seem that SMEs are cottoning onto the potential growth opportunities that the cloud can bring.

New study shows businesses aware that cloud boosting growth

A recent survey of medium sized business in Scotland, carried out by legal firm Morton Fraser, found that a whopping 77 per cent said they considered cloud computing to offer the biggest opportunity for growth, among new technologies.

The pollsters talked to 750 decision makers across the country, all of whom worked for companies that employ at least 50 people. It is businesses of this size that can, perhaps, expect the biggest growth opportunities from a move to the cloud. 

Alongside cloud computing, the decision makers questioned also said that they thought tech such as AI, biotechnology, robotics and data analytics (which the cloud can help with of course) were all also routes to growth.

Don’t get left behind

Iain Young of Morton Fraser commented: “Regardless of sector, Scottish businesses are embracing a digital future as a variety of innovations are viewed as an opportunity for growth by the mid-market.

“Now, more than ever, digital connectivity is critical for Scottish businesses to grow and digital innovation is a natural next step for businesses seeking to make the most of that connectivity.”

He added that, although some businesses still view technology as a potential threat to growth, that most are coming around to the fact that businesses generally benefit from a forward-looking approach to tech. He did, however, add that it is vital to invest in upskilling workforces and adapting business models to mitigate the “potential negative impacts of innovation.”

In light of these findings, it really is the right time to start considering a move to the cloud if you have not done so already, but it’s important to ensure you are network-ready for such as move. 

Research from IDC found that cloud computing spending is expected to increase at more than six times the rate of general IT spending next year. It added that by the end of the year, nearly three quarters of enterprise software and infrastructure will be aimed at cloud based systems, so don’t get left behind!