14.04.2017

Working without walls – taking your business out of the office

Freedom and flexibility are two keywords for working spaces in 2017. The other two are digital workspaces. It’s no co-incidence that both terms are a result of each other. The search for more efficient and more cost effective work practices can be found in the cloud, and in turn this allows greater scope for employees to work autonomously, flexibly and creatively. 


It’s not just company work culture and employees that will be transformed through a digital workplace. This is also crucial to a firm’s overall business strategy. According to research firm Gartner, in a report published in March 2017, digital business will, by 2020, make up just under 40% of an enterprise’s total revenue. 

Cloud vs. traditional office

With the advances of cloud computing, it’s possible to do away with traditional office spaces altogether. Co-working is now a viable option for all companies, and not just start-ups and the self-employed. Some of the perks include not being tied to a lengthy lease. Landlords prefer to sign up businesses to leases that are between three and seven years on average. Office furniture, IT infrastructure and employee amenities are all taken care of by someone else. This cuts out a lot of overheads such as utility bills, and there is no need to employ an office manager or front of office staff, for example. 

Use only the space required

It also means that a business only needs to rent the exact desk space it needs. Should more people be required down the line, or if business is seasonal, then the business isn’t paying for unused and unwanted empty office space. This is an important cost saving for many businesses looking to be as financially efficient as possible. Around 95% of businesses in the UK are small to medium sized enterprises. 

Co-working isn’t so much a trend as a change, an evolution in the way that working has changed. While some businesses have confidentiality issues that will always require their own private space, for many a fixed infrastructure simply isn’t necessary. The option to allow employees to work remotely from home is increasingly seen as a positive way to attract the best talent. When most of your workforce is working away from the office, it seems less logical to tie a business to bricks and mortar. 

Cyber security and big data

On the downside, detractors point to the lack of privacy, control over the workplace, and lack of confidentiality that comes with co-working. However the sophistication and high level of cyber security now offered via the cloud means these concerns are now largely irrelevant. 

Indeed, nearly all the software that might be needed to manage business data can be found on the cloud, and companies can make serious savings too. Kick starting the cloud computing revolution was a customer relationship management programme, which in one bold stroke eliminated the need for businesses to invest thousands of pounds in software, servers and databases, and on-site data warehousing. 

Finally, it takes your business out of its site. Many co-working spaces offer a theme or try to attract similar types of businesses. This allows for a great deal of collaboration and opportunities to network. For more information on how cloud computing could work for you business, contact us today.
Posted by: CloudScope Recruitment