Moving to a professional cloud-based solution

Change is always uncomfortable. That simple statement suffices an elaborate detailed explanation. Once we get comfortable with something, we refuse to move on even though there is something better out there. There is nothing wrong about any of this. However, there is a hack to this. Nudging ourselves bit by bit, we can embrace change and make it a part of our lifestyle or habit. Considering this as our premise, we would begin our article.

Most of the freelancers use complete and offline software to track their time management, projects, and essentials. Billing, invoice as well as a number of calculations. However, this was before the introduction of cloud which offers completely new possibilities and advantages.

Though Excel is an independent and powerful software, cloud-based solutions are made for freelancers. Time statement allows users to track time, assists in professional invoicing and also, includes tracking expenses. It is an exclusive platform.

Practically, moving from Excel to cloud in one shot seems extremely difficult as well as uncomfortable. However, you can slowly start using cloud-based software and transition from one to another. In that respect, here is what the advantages the cloud offers a freelancer:

Remote Access: Expected and delivered. Cloud gives the freedom to access your work from anywhere around the globe as long as you have a good internet connection and the right login details. Whether it’s your smartphone or laptop or iPad, you have access to your data.

• Automation: instead of manually typing in the excel formulas and arriving at the results, automate the simple and recurring calculations to avoid error, focus better on your actual work and make the whole data more comprehensible.
• Ideal Solution: As you get more new projects and your area of work expands, you are more involved in doing the work and getting things done. In that case, it is difficult for you to track things manually. That is where cloud solution matters, it is more sensible for you to let things automate and run on their own rather than depending more on yourself to manually update things. You will also be able to understand the project overview as well as tasks you require to complete. Those little things make a difference.
• Simplicity: cloud gives you the freedom to accept or reject new projects. It gives you a clear picture of your entire work so you can make decisions quickly and easily. Along with that, you can also know the finances part clearly. That amount of clarity is crucial for freelancers.
• Price: Yes, this is where cloud-based solutions take a hit because if you have quit your job and just started freelancing, you wouldn’t go to a cloud-based solution unless you can afford that kind of capital plus you need to renew monthly or quarterly or yearly whichever package you choose. However, for an experienced freelancer, cloud-based solutions work better in the long-term.
• Organized: The cloud platform gives you a complete organized workspace and that is important for freelancers. As a freelancer, organized workspace helps you to assess your situation accurately and correctly which proceeds to help you with your work in general. Also, your clients will be satisfied when you understand your business really well because then only, you can deliver a high rating quality of work.

These are some of the reasons you must consider before making the switch. In addition to that, here is one more tip: use both excel and cloud-based solution. Excel will be your backup data storage whereas the cloud-based solution will be your primary source. This will give you confidence that you can access your data without the requirement of a stable internet connection and also, you have access to data wherever you go which is exactly what cloud does offer.