I’m a firm believer in working smarter, not harder. That’s why you’ve gotta love all the cool cloud computing tools that have popped up over the past several years. Now, I’m no expert, and there are certainly more tools than I have time to cover in a single blog post, but I want to share a few of my favorite software programs.
- Microsoft Office 365
You’re likely familiar with Microsoft’s lineup: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etcetera. But if you haven’t heard, Microsoft is rolling with the times by bundling all these tools into its Office 365 cloud-based platform. So no more installing software on your computer and only being able to access files where you created them. You can log into your profile and access that spreadsheet, Word document, or presentation from any device.
Need Another Reason to Try? Microsoft has been rumored to be increasing its number of wifi hotspots from 2 million to 10 million, and those hotspots are available free to 365 subscribers.
- DropBox for Business
There’s no need to have a computer with a ton of memory these days, since you can store just about anything in the cloud through DropBox for Business. Not only that, but you can share folders so your colleagues have access, as well as use security measures to protect your sensitive files from hackers.
Need Another Reason to Try? Now that DropBox is available as a Windows app, there’s not a mobile device that you can’t use it on.
- Google Apps for Work
Google has a way of simplifying everything you need into one easy package with its Apps for Work. With Drive, you can create and share documents. With Calendar, you can sync your meetings and appointments across all your devices. With mail, well, you can get swamped with email and access it on your phone, too.
Need Another Reason to Try? Google’s new app, Inbox, looks to be a game changer in terms of productivity. It’s reason enough to sign up for Gmail.
- Infusionsoft
I’m a longtime fan of Infusionsoft, which provides customer relationship management (CRM) and email marketing software for small businesses. I use it to manage my contacts and send emails to subscribers. It’s even got a mobile app version so I can take it on the go.
Need Another Reason to Try? Infusionsoft integrates with a lot of marketing tools you might already use, like Lead Pages, Zapier and Coupon Pop, so you get more bang for your buck bundling them together.
- SumoMe
If you’re looking to get more traffic to your site or more email subscribers, you’ll love SumoMe’s lineup of applications. Scrollbox helps you get more signups without an annoying popup box. Image Sharer encourages people to share the images on your site. And Content Analytics will help you determine if people are really reading your blog content.
Need Another Reason to Try? Even if you don’t feel like a tech genius (or even C student), you’ll be able to implement all of SumoMe’s products. Many are free, so you’ve got nothing to lose.
I’m sure I’m missing dozens of other great cloud computing tools. Which ones are your favorites?
Leave a Reply