The cloud. It’s all the rage. And those of us working in the technology industry have been talking about the cloud for

IT managers used to express concern over cloud security, reliability, etc, but today, the cloud has proven itself a robust, efficient and cost-effective alternative to premises-based technologies. And while hosted solutions are adequate to meet the needs of any size organization, the cloud opens up a whole new world of opportunity for small and medium businesses that have traditionally been underserved when it comes to certain technologies – one of which is videoconferencing.

Below, we explore the top five benefits of cloud-based video conferencing for SMBs.

1.       Reduced Costs
Today’s enterprise-grade video conferencing systems are now available at a fraction of the price; there are a variety of services to choose from, including virtual rooms that can be accessed from your desktop, room-based systems that you can buy or lease, and even from your smartphone and tablet. This flexibility gives you the option to invest only in the technology you need, allowing your customers and partners to communicate with you by video at no additional cost.

2.       Reliability
Cloud-based video conferencing offers high-quality, always available video network without the overhead and complexities of managing it yourself. Built-in network intelligence and firewall traversal helps ensure you’ll have a reliable connection, regardless of network limitations.

3.       Scalability
You can now “buy by the drink instead of the bottle” without having to make large investments on video solutions. And as your business grows, your hosted video solution can grow with you. So invest in what your SMB needs now, and know that you can always increase your video usage later.

4.       Improved Productivity (and its green!)
Video conferencing has been improving the productivity of large companies for years. The ROI is proven and as we continue to make technological leaps and bounds, the demand and expectations from today’s tech-savvy populace, especially from SMBs, to be able to collaborate with workers, partners and vendors across distances in real-time is drastically increasing. By offering cloud-based video conferencing solutions, SMBs can still meet face-to-face without the need to drive to their location or step on plane – which also means that video conferencing has the added benefits of being a green technology that lowers your carbon footprint!

5.       Better Business Relationships
There’s no question that meeting face-to-face with people helps establish relationships and build rapport. Video conferencing allows you to meet “in-person” without having to travel. People who don’t use video say, “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” to those they’ve interacted with only by phone. But if you use video and you end up in the same room as your colleagues, all you here is, “It’s great to see you again!”

With video now moving to the cloud, SMBs can easily leverage cloud-based video conferencing to gain these five benefits that will ultimately increase collaboration and productivity, enhance relationships, offer demonstrated ROI and improve your business’ overall bottom line.

Have you tried out video conferencing or other technologies based in the cloud? If so, what benefits have you been experiencing? We’d love to hear your stories.