When you’re thinking of reasons to switch to the cloud, I bet fire and flood weren’t top of your list. But cloud computing saved Wayne Fowler’s business during the Brisbane floods which inundated the coffee and equipment distribution company.
“2.6 metres of water … washed out our showroom and warehouse,” the managing director of Gilkatho Cofee said. “But from the Wednesday morning we had staff working from home to provide assistance to our affected customers.”
Despite the office computer system being more than two metres underwater, staff were able to log in to Netsuite, a cloud-based business management software system, using their home internet connections.
With his office closed for more than a week, Fowler’s team worked from home to give advice, complete orders and take calls for clients and vendors outside of flood-affected areas. He had only implemented the cloud system last year, through Brisbane-based provider Applejack.
“Netsuite has made a big difference in the business. During the January floods with so much on our minds, it really reduced our stress levels knowing all our data was safe,” he said.
More and more businesses are turning to cloud-based business software systems to facilitate growth, said Applejack’s managing director Stuart Mallet.
“Using a cloud-based business software solution gives businesses so much flexibility,” Mallet said. “Not only does it mean they can operate from several locations, it gives businesses a single point of truth because it eliminates the need for separate servers.
“We have now also seen the benefits to having data stored offsite and being able to access this data wherever you are – rain, hail or shine,” he added.
