How Cloud Computing Can Revolutionize the Non-Profit Sector?

It is beyond doubt that cloud computing is revolutionizing the non-profit sector too. There was a time when non-profits could not afford to invest in the IT infrastructure and the staff which is required to maintain it. But now with the emergence of the cloud computing any type and size of non-profit organization can use the latest technology and that too without worrying about the IT budget. After migrating to the cloud your non-profit organization can access the resources which the organization requires. Handing the responsibility of the IT infrastructure to the cloud service provider, the organization can now focus on the progressive features of robust applications.

Cloud computing can revolutionize the non-profit sector and here is how:

• Higher product variety- With the exciting features and latest technology, cloud computing has allowed the non-profits to enter the market with greater variety of products. The organizations now have the option of choosing advanced software to fulfill their needs rather than compromising with the existing software. Traditional software requires annual maintenance cost and also the upgrade charges. This software requires backup and also faces various security issues.

The Software as a Service (SaaS) offered by cloud computing offers a pay-as-you-go model which is generally monthly or early free, the organizations do not have to spend a lot on the software which they require.  Maintenance, backup and security are all managed by the service provider.

• Share the data, whenever, wherever- Teamwork is the key to success for any non-profit organization as this organization includes a variety of people like board members,  writers, stakeholders etc. who may not be present in the same place all the time. With the adoption of the cloud in the organization, the people can access any information which they require from any location. The non-profit organizations can also share and access the data efficiently and securely which also increases the productivity.
• Automatic upgrades- In the past, the non-profit organizations were not only required to pay a separate cost to update the software to the newest version but also needed to pay a license fee to use the software. But this is not the case if you are using cloud computing as the updates take place automatically and also ensures that you are always using the latest version of the software without any additional cost.
• Worldwide versioning- Versioning is a big problem if the software is installed locally. One non-profit organization might be using a particular version of the software, while the other organization might be using a different version and at times the software may not get accessed on the user’s computer if the computer is not upgraded.

Cloud computing allows all the customers and users to use one version of the software allowing them to access the same features, accelerating software improvement. The organization does not have to worry about which software is being used and when will the software get updated as the service provider is responsible for all these activities.

• Reduce the carbon footprint- All the non-profit organizations believe in keeping the planet green by reducing the carbon footprint. The cloud helps these organizations in reducing their carbon footprint as the cloud services which are hosted by the data centers are energy efficient as compared to the traditional IT infrastructure that most of the organizations use on premise. The cloud is energy sufficient as it requires fewer servers to construct and to be maintained and hence less energy is used.
• Unmatched scalability to achieve growth- The work of the non-profit organization is not predictable with the continuing variations in donations, volunteers and many other things. In order to manage the present needs the cloud offers an opportunity to the non-profit organizations to scale up or down so that they can manage the current needs, instead of predicting the amount of resources needed. In short, the organization can scale up if more storage space is required and can also scale down when the available storage space is not required in order to save money.
• Unlimited access- With the adoption of the cloud computing model, the volunteers of the non-profit organizations can enjoy unlimited access to data and applications. This process increases the productivity as the volunteers are not restricted to only sitting behind a desk. The volunteers can move away from their respective desks and can also help the community without losing the data. They can access the sensitive data securely while communicating with donors or community members.

Using cloud computing on mobile gives you the option of accessing the data anywhere at any time. The benefits which an organization can enjoy by this accessibility are:

1. Automatic processes- Cloud based applications automatically correct a lot of procedures which prevent human errors, saving a lot of time and reducing unnecessary tasks.  
2. Advanced accounting processes- The non-profit organizations face strict necessities at the time of tracing funds. With the help of the cloud applications, you can manage and assign funds without losing focus on the daily operational activities.
3. User Access Control- With the cloud computing installation you can easily organize user control which will allow the organization to access information required to perform the daily activities. This control can also be arranged to limit access to some particular areas preventing the security risk related with human error.
4. Enhanced decision making- Cloud computing offers you with the analytics tool to make the accurate decisions. The tools enable you to easily access source reports which provide required data essential for correct decision making. This feature consists of the automated tools which provide a way to drill down to particular information.
5. Spreadsheet integration- Cloud computing enables you to completely integrate spreadsheet with different features of the software so that you don’t have to access the spreadsheets individually.
6. Dashboard signals- The cloud computing dashboards software is comprehensive and enables you to organize and manage automated alerts which confirm that everyone stays on task and meet targets in the provided time.

• Data security- Yes, it is true that you are handing over all your data to the third party if you are using cloud computing but still your data is more secure as compared to the data which is still being held on paper documents, note card or traditional IT infrastructure. The chances of security breach are any day lesser than the dangers of an office fire, accidental misplacement or theft.
• Saves time- With limited resources, the most precious thing for a non-profit organization is time and that is why cloud computing is perfect for these organizations. Cloud computing can help these organizations in many ways by saving their administration time and office-based task. Also the apps which are available with cloud require low maintenance and money.
• Manage expenditure- A non-profit organization requires funds to keep on going and there are ample of bills to be paid. It is important for these organizations to make payment effortlessly and that too without losing vision of financial and funding limitations. The cloud computing provides organizations with the flexibility to manage their expenses from any locations and to make payment in a variety of ways.
• Visions and Analytics through integrations- With the traditional IT infrastructure it gets difficult to get two or more programs to perfume nicely with each other. With the help of the Application Programming Interfaces, cloud based software allows you to enhance functionality.
• No servers- Say goodbye to the enormous in-house servers. With the adoption of the cloud the non-profit organizations do not have to deal with the late night crashes and climate control system anymore. You no longer have to burden yourself from purchasing, maintaining and researching out of date servers as all this work will be handled by the service provider.
• Helps the organizations to recruit new staff members/volunteers- With the change in technology any organization needs to stay updated in order to attract new staff. A non-profit organization also requires new staff and volunteers if it wants to grow. More number of people gets attracted to any organization if it offers an environment which consists of flexible working hours and the leading edge technology keeping up with these trends and is also able to make a difference in the society. The installation of cloud offers both, flexible working atmosphere and latest technology.
• Disaster recovery- Recovering data can prove to be a very expensive process for a non-profit organization, but keeping your data in the cloud in an offsite location can prove to be really beneficial for you. The provider consist of obedience standards and guidelines which they need to fulfill to offer the client with the complete cloud computing solution and having an active disaster recovery process is one of them. Your subscription fee which is paid by you to access the cloud services, the disaster recovery is included in that. All your sensitive information is stored in a safe offsite location and the backup is taken on the regular intervals which enable you to instantly recover from the disaster without having to spend a lot of money or time on it.

If the technology is used effectively, improve your productivity and employee a great staff then your non-profit will definitely benefit from cloud computing solutions which will allow your organization to achieve the desired goals easily. With the abundant of advantages which the cloud offers, the challenges which are faced by an organization can be reduced easily.