Web design is as much an art as a science, but it has a firm foundation in the movements of the tech industry. And the big trend in tech is clearly cloud. Cloud storage and apps and other services increasingly dominate the IT conversation, and you may be wondering where your company fits in. Here are some of the most relevant ways cloud can change the wed design space.
Access to Scalable Storage
Image via Flickr by Digital Markketing
Design assets are not always small in terms of storage use. High-resolution photos, raw audio and video files, and other components of your projects all take up space on storage devices. If you are storing all your work in-house, this means expanding your external hard drives with alarming frequency. Not to mention, the concurrent problems with tracking what file is where. With a cloud storage solution, you’ll be able to scale up your storage any time you want, and trim it back down when you no longer need it.
Working From Home
Designing is a process that often requires creative surroundings. The nicest office building in the world can sometimes feel restrictive to the artistic temperament. But relocating the work space to home carries some problems with it, including that of gaining access to the files necessary to do the work. With a cloud storage company, however, you can easily get whatever you need from work in terms of documents and resources through easy applications on any of your devices. If your home workspace is properly integrated into your work space, you’ll be just as productive as you would be in your cubicle — maybe even more so!
Outsourcing Expertise
Maintaining a healthy IT infrastructure requires a business to outlay a lot of money, and this is especially tough on small and medium-sized companies. Web design firms, with a relatively small employee roster and physical space, are a prime example. By outsourcing the hardware to a cloud service, your company keeps your physical plant reserved for the most vital equipment. Moreover, the securing of important data rests on others who are specialized in that field, keeping you from needing to spend quite so much in in-house security. It’s no wonder that companies from 1–1000 employees are more likely to go cloud than larger businesses.
Easy Delivery
Bringing presentations and finished products to the client can sometimes be a tricky process, especially if your client is not too IT savvy. Getting files to move between devices and platforms using older, physical media transmission methods is fraught with difficulties for the unwary. With sharable cloud storage solutions, however, ferrying the files to where they need to go is often simply a matter of dragging and dropping. No more worries about file sizes precluding e-mail transmission, or trying to use online download services to move stuff around; instead, simple apps and interfaces let you move the information without worry.
If you are quick to master the advantages of the cloud for your web design business, you’ll be at an advantage against late adopters. So hurry up, and jump on the train before you are left behind.
