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Turnbull’s vision for the Australian economy is one that is built on the “values of free enterprise, of individual initiative (and) of freedom” – where businesses embrace change and adapt to take advantage of evolving markets forces.

“The Australia of the future has to be a nation that is agile, that is innovative, that is creative. We can’t be defensive, we can’t future-proof ourselves. We have to recognise that the disruption that we see driven by technology, the volatility in change is our friend if we are agile and smart enough to take advantage of it.”

It is no news to business owners that when change is the only constant, it is organisations that can anticipate and quickly respond to new challenges and opportunities that will have the critical competitive advantage. And the cloud is a key enabler of the now essential need to be responsive and agile.

Businesses who leverage cloud infrastructure can jump on new ideas quicker, test new markets and business models, remain flexible in the way they service and communicate with their existing customers, and focus more on what matters most. We review four examples.

Leverage the cloud to thrive in the new agile economy

At Nexon, we have a growing number of customers who are using the cloud to actively embrace the new agile economy. Based on the experience of four of these customers, here are some examples of how the cloud can help you to:

1. Respond quickly and test new markets
By moving their entire IT infrastructure into the cloud, a call centre company has been able to expand their business in a way that was not possible before.

  • No longer limited by the expense of fixed network expansion, they have been able to target and seamlessly implement their strategy for new customer segments and new geographies.
  • A simple network connection is all that is required to open a new office and establish a trial. If the strategy works additional investment can be made, if not, the business can move on to other more profitable ventures.
  • Since moving to the cloud, the organisation has nearly doubled their contact centre workforce to meet additional business demand.

2. Reduce costs and invest in what matters most
A Queensland council has taken a local government lead in converting their existing, extended IT Support Desk to a smaller, specialised team focused on strategic projects. The shift to cloud technology has enabled the organisation to save costs and add more value to the rate payers.

  • Unlike other local government bodies, this council was able to avoid raising rates for its rate payers. They were able to share the cost savings with their customers, all while providing a greater level of service.
  • Smarter ways to connect have helped to enhance the customer experience. For example, the council has added a simple “call-back” function to its main number – allowing customers to get assistance when they prefer, rather than having to wait on the phone.  Additionally the council is now investigating new customer communication mediums such as web chat.

3. ‘Fit test’ new technologies
A legal firm invested in cloud services to find new ways to unchain the lawyers from their desk and to help them to see more clients.

  • The cloud gave them the ability to trial new and innovative collaboration technologies, paying only for what they consumed and without the prohibitive upfront costs.
  • The flexibility of the set-up allowed them to provide an extended trial period to their lawyers and to test how the new technologies aligned with their existing business culture and their existing processes. Armed with this insight, they are now ready to roll out the new ways of working to their entire environment.

4. Manage your IT with ease
A well-known Australian retail chain, with hundreds of retail stores, moved their entire communication environment to the cloud. Not only have they saved thousands in telecommunication costs, they were also able to implement smarter ways of managing IT across their many locations.

  • The cloud provides a simple, low risk platform to bring new technologies into the business. The retailer is adding innovative features such as contact centres and unified communications on a per user, per month basis – these can be turned off as simply as they are to turn on.
  • The ‘store in a box’ concept enables them add and subtract stores with ease and hence to manage their environment and enter new geographies with less IT overhead.

These are just four examples of the many Australian businesses who are leveraging the cloud as part of their strategic toolkit for the new agile economy. And many more are making the move.

When it comes to the cloud, the conversations we are having with our customers are increasingly shifting from the ‘why’ to the ‘how’. We can help you to visualise the benefits of moving your IT to the cloud or to plan the transition to the new environment. Contact us for a no obligation conversation, by phone on 1300 800 000 or email sales@nexon.com.au