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How the cloud levels the playing field for small and midsize businesses

Mobility is no longer a future trend. It’s an undeniable fact of business today. Not only have mobile devices infiltrated our lives, they’ve brought a whole range of activities—previously limited to desktops and laptops—to our fingertips. More essential than ever, mobility is a powerful tool for startups and growing businesses to empower workers and connect with customers.

To succeed in this new cloud-first, mobile-first reality means more than just allowing your employees to bring their devices to work. Your mobility strategy needs to connect your people, data, and business systems in a way that enables sales growth, reduces costs, delights customers, and puts you ahead of the competition.

Components of a winning solution. Connected mobile solutions are more accessible to small and midsize businesses than ever before. To compete and win, here’s what you need as part of your mobile strategy:

• Remote access to business applications. Business happens everywhere. No matter where you are, you need secure access to your financial and customer relationship management data.
• Data analysis tools. The data you’re collecting from sales, finance, customers, and operations management systems is only as good as the insights you can glean from it.
• Business-class communication and collaboration. Effective collaboration relies on secure email, calendar, real-time communication (voice, instant messaging, and online meetings), shared workspaces, and internal sites.
• Content creation applications. Look for familiar, standard tools for creating documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and other business communication components.
• Storage and synchronization. Enterprise-grade cloud storage keeps your information protected, accessible, and synchronized across devices.

A solid mobile strategy starts in the cloud. Cloud-based business applications and productivity tools offer better economics, convenience, capabilities, and security while enabling your mobile and remote workers to achieve more. Customers, partners, and employees increasingly demand anywhere, anytime access to data and content—think mobile-first, cloud-first to deliver what they need.

All the right pieces come together. What should you be looking for in your cloud solution? Piecemeal solutions or consumer-oriented tools may offer compelling features, but the added complexity and greater risks can lead to hidden costs. To succeed, you need business-class performance, comprehensive capabilities, familiar and consistent user experience, and enterprise-grade security, all from a single, trustworthy cloud provider.

Take a guided tour to see how a cloud-based business solution from Microsoft can help you more effectively manage customer relationships, financials, and operations from anywhere. For more tips on developing your mobile strategy, be sure to read The Cloud as a Platform e-book.

Today’s business landscape is a far cry from that of only a decade ago. With the rise of mobile devices and cloud-based tools and applications, the way we interact with customers and manage operations has changed dramatically. New trends have emerged that can greatly impact the success of your business. Are you prepared to respond to these trends and turn them into a competitive advantage?

1. Keeping pace with a mobile workforce. Anywhere access to relevant business data (inventory, account status, purchase history) is the new normal—your customers expect it!
2. IT moves to the background. Gone are the days of making decisions based on what your technology can handle; business systems take a back seat to business outcomes.
3. The “Internet of Things.” Information is everywhere and is being used to spot patterns, trends, and buying behaviors. Are you tapping into data from all your appliances and devices?
4. Security across devices and the cloud. Loss or theft of devices can be crippling in today’s increasingly mobile workplace. Cloud-based protection keeps your data secure.
5. Ever-changing compliance regulations. While there’s no crystal ball to anticipate regulatory changes, a cloud-based solution is flexible enough to adapt quickly and keep you in check.
6. Digital natives move up the corporate ladder. Today’s workforce expects technology to support and grow with them, not to limit what they can offer to customers.
7. The age of data analysis. Collecting data is one part; understanding it is another. Harnessing your business data brings you valuable insights that help you get and stay ahead.

From challenge to advantage. Capitalizing on these industry trends is easier than ever before with powerful, affordable, enterprise-grade business solutions from Microsoft designed for small and midsize companies. The cloud is leveling the playing field, allowing businesses of all sizes to compete effectively and grow efficiently.

Gaining an edge in the cloud. Construction firm Antana reduced costs and boosted workers’ confidence by moving to a Microsoft cloud-based solution that automated formerly manual processes and increased the mobility and productivity of its salesforce. And WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems is using the Microsoft Cloud to power its rapid growth while strengthening company culture, boosting worker capabilities, and saving money.

Read the 7 Game Changing Trends for SMBs white paper to learn more about how Microsoft is helping small and midsize businesses turn these industry game-changers into a competitive advantage. And see how a business solution from Microsoft can help you grow sales, manage your financials, streamline your operations, and delight your customers.

Success often has to do with being in the right place at the right time (and being prepared when you get there), but there’s no reason to leave your business to chance. Rather than relying on disconnected productivity tools, limited accounting software, and isolated operations systems, trust the foundation of your business to a world-class technology partner with a globally adopted solution, and trust in the insights it shows you about your data.

Proven partner, proven tools. Microsoft business solutions connect people, processes, and systems across server and cloud, desktop and mobile device, in one complete, familiar, trusted solution to grow your business. With Microsoft and our global network of expert industry partners on your side, you get peace of mind knowing that your business solutions are proven, reliable, and easily grow with you.

All systems go. Bounce Foods needs to deliver on time every time, and know exactly what stock is on hand and where current costs are at any moment. The company has transformed how it works with a Microsoft business solution that helps them manage stock and supply, provides real-time financial reporting, and allows them to create a P&L for each customer. Whether they’re handling purchases, stock, sales, deliveries, or customer relationships, being able to make better decisions on the spot is a no-brainer—and technology is a key part of getting that done.

Insights for success. Understanding what customers want even before they want it isn’t luck, it’s insight that can come from data you already have. During their decades in business, GEARYS watched their customers’ expectations evolve in how they learned about and shopped for products, and they were determined to stay relevant and provide unrivalled service. GEARYS adopted a digital solution that helps them stay tuned into their customers and how they want to shop. And with the insights gleaned from their connected data systems, they’re now able to forecast purchasing trends so they don’t miss any opportunities.

Success isn’t an accident, it’s a combination of careful observation and precise action. Learn how to make technology a business advantage so you can intentionally be in the right place at the right time and take a guided tour of our solutions for small and midsize businesses

If you’re relying on basic accounting software or legacy systems that are hanging on by a thread, the holiday season and year-end can be a stressful time for you and your business. Disconnected applications and manually updated one-off spreadsheets can turn into a holiday break spent trying to decipher incomplete reports to get an accurate view of the year’s performance.

What if your accounting system could not only give you time back at year-end, but could also help your business run smarter and more efficiently all year long? How would your operations change with real-time visibility into your business performance? This holiday season, give your business the tools it needs to be more successful now and tomorrow.

Fewer limitations, more insights. Outdated or entry-level solutions aren’t equipped to keep pace with growing customer demand, business complexity, or the increasing need for flexibility and mobility. A business solution from Microsoft connects your accounting, inventory, sales, customer management, and productivity tools for a holistic view of your performance—one that enables real-time insights and tracks trends to help you make better decisions.

Set the stage for growth. With a comprehensive view of your business performance, you can easily generate reports to analyze inventory, sales forecasts and opportunities, and customer demand in greater detail. These deeper insights can arm your sales team to close more business, and can help you decide when the time is right to expand product offerings or enter new markets. Microsoft Dynamics for accounting and financial management and Microsoft Dynamics CRM help you transform business processes, creating experiences that lock in customer loyalty.

Time crunch averted. Deploying modern technology doesn’t have to be a lengthy and painful process. Microsoft business solutions are designed to get you up and running quickly, with a global network of partners and streamlined deployment services. Pullman Sugar used RapidStart Services for Microsoft Dynamics to beat their year-end deployment deadline and immediately began to see increased efficiencies in accounting and inventory management.

Download Cloud for Mobility and Productivity ebook to see how a business solution from Microsoft can give your business and your people the tools needed to do and achieve more. Take the next steps to get more time back during the holidays and be ready for growth in the New Year!