SMEs see sense in the cloud

While an increasing number of smaller businesses are recognising the promise offered by software as a service (SaaS) and cloud computing, BT is leading the way in bringing the benefits of both to the SME marketplace.

The current economic climate has been the backdrop against which many firms are taking a long, hard look at their own business and financial activities.

Areas such as cost-control, productivity and the impact and return on investment of sales and marketing activities, have all come under scrutiny across all types of business organisations whether multi-site enterprise or single entity SoHo.

What is becoming ever more apparent is that businesses of all sizes are now paying a great deal of attention software as a service and cloud computing, allured by the advantages they provide. Significantly, that includes smaller businesses.

"Business applications delivered as software as a service are really well-suited to the needs of the smaller business," explains Chris Lindsay, general manager for BT business applications. "It removes the need for upfront capital investment as well as upgrade costs. It also means small businesses no longer need to manage and support business applications in-house, helping them to reduce costs, eliminate complexity and increase flexibility."

He adds: "Business applications help to improve productivity and efficiency of business processes, something that many businesses can benefit from, and when delivered as Software as a Service the inherent risk and delays associated with traditional software deployments just don't exist."

Productivity boost

"The important thing is that with either, all you need is an internet connection and a computer with a web browser and away you go. A world of sophisticated and productivity-enhancing software platforms, tools and applications are available to you quickly, easily and affordably. Smaller firms get the empowerment traditionally enjoyed by larger enterprises."

BT is seen by many as a pioneer and an innovator in the SaaS and cloud computing space.

For example, earlier this year the company signalled its entry into the enterprise cloud services market by launching Ribbit for Salesforce. This service enables mobile voice communications to be linked directly with Salesforce CRM systems.

It means that sales teams and other users can benefit from dramatically improved productivity through having their voicemails converted into text, their notes added to customer accounts quickly via the voice-to-text application as well as a range of other efficiency-stimulating functionalities.

"BT was the first provider to integrate mobile voice services with Salesforce CRM through a cloud computing platform. Ribbit for Salesforce is a powerful productivity tool for salespeople. And because it's delivered as a cloud computing application, it means businesses large or small can use it to make the most of every customer opportunity."

Prospects identified

BT has also teamed up with a number of highly regarded SaaS providers in order to offer its own customers some of the most cutting edge software products on a SaaS basis. The company has delivered a world first by partnering with these providers to offer to customers a complete end to end service through one relationship and contract.

For instance, the company has partnered with US-based Genius.com, whose e-mail marketing solution helps sales agents to identify the most promising prospects. BT now offers this service under the name BT Smart Marketing.

"The service fits in well with the NetSuite and Sugar CRM deals we announced last year," says Lindsay. "And that's ideal because strategically, we're looking to provide customers with fully integrated CRM solutions that they can deploy on a SaaS or cloud computing basis."

"Ribbit is a core part of our cloud computing strategy and businesses of all sizes can expect more and more of the applications we provide being Ribbit-enabled."

While the current business climate has led to many smaller firms looking to lower operating costs and search for new opportunities for growth, BT, as a leader in the cloud computing space, is nicely positioned to offer a way forward. By helping SMEs to exploit the potential of online applications and services BT is showing the way towards a bright future for smaller business.

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