The cloud might be a great new data storage resource for SMBs to get more done during the workday, but it’s far more than that. Uses for the cloud are constantly evolving to adapt to a shifting online environment, and it’s now an indispensable tool for the serious modern business. The cloud is changing the way businesses handle their data and information, but it can do so much more.

Cloud services are growing more common to the world of small and medium-sized businesses, to the point where almost all businesses take advantage of the cloud in some way, shape, or form. However, a business’s specific cloud needs vary, and the same solution doesn’t work for everyone. Still, there are a few notable qualities that most SMBs want for their cloud in 2016.

The technological landscape of the office environment has evolved significantly over the past few years, especially in terms of technology that fosters inter-office collaboration. What could only be accomplished by sitting down together in the same room, can now be done remotely through the use of video conferencing and VoIP technologies. It’s a true golden age of business technology achievement, and if your business isn’t fully leveraging your communications technology, you’ll quickly fall behind.

A few short years ago, it seemed like one of our primary missions was to educate the public on the benefits of cloud computing. Now, almost everyone uses the cloud (whether they fully understand it or not), and, they’ve developed expectations on what the cloud should do. If a cloud service isn’t meeting these expectations, then consumers will find another one that does.

Most companies are moving to the cloud in hopes of revolutionizing the way they maintain their mission-critical data and applications. Despite this fact, there are some businesses that don’t know the first thing about cloud computing, or even the different kinds of cloud offerings that can be chosen from.