Forbes estimates that by 2020, 78% of businesses in the United States will have fully adopted cloud computing. That’s nearly double today’s estimated number of around 40%.

Ready to learn how your business can take advantage of cloud computing? Here are the three most popular cloud applications used by small businesses around the world today:

3) Communication and Collaboration Apps (Skype, Twilio, etc.)

Skype is one of the most popular cloud applications in the world today. Microsoft’s popular communication application can now be used for all of a business’s communication needs. Your employees can use Skype to easily communicate and collaborate, sending files to one another. You can call landlines and mobile phones (for a small fee). And you can have face-to-face video chats with clients without ever needing to leave your respective cities. Fully implementing Skype (or another cloud-based communication platform of your choice) is a guaranteed way to save your business time and money. Other popular applications include Twilio and Tropo.

2) Online Backup Apps (OneDrive, Spanning, etc.)

The internet was created because governments and universities wanted to protect their knowledge from nuclear disasters by storing it in a place where it couldn’t be destroyed: the internet. Today, cloud backup applications are helping businesses do something similar. Online backup applications like Spanning make sure your business’s data is always retrievable. These services automatically backup everything from SalesForce data to Microsoft Office information. Spanning is just one of countless options available to small and medium business owners. Many SMEs will be perfectly satisfied to use basic cloud storage options like OneDrive, DropBox, or Google Drive.

Ultimately, a good cloud-based backup app will make sure data loss crises are survivable. It’s 2015: businesses have no excuse for losing data in this day and age.

1) Cloud-based Accounting Software like QuickBooks

QuickBooks and Quicken have been around for much longer than cloud computing. However, the new cloud-based QuickBooks is easily one of the world’s best cloud-based accounting software programs for SMEs. Track expenses on your smartphone and manage invoices from your desktop computer. Let employees keep track of their hours and automatically add those hours to payroll. From creating VAT returns to setting budgets for your business, cloud-based accounting software like QuickBooks can save you countless hours of hard work at the end of every payroll period, month, and tax year.

Ready to Discover the World’s Best Cloud Applications for Small Businesses?

Let Leverage Technologies & Systems help your business take full advantage of modern technology. Leverage builds technical systems that achieve measurable goals for clients. Maybe you need cloud-based email communications or a project management platform that seamlessly integrates into all categories of your business. Cloud-based applications are opening new opportunities for businesses just like yours.

Learn more about Leverage Technologies cloud services and contact us to discover how your company could be missing out on major technological opportunities.