The Costs and Benefits of the Cloud – How Much Do You Spend Each Month on Cloud Services?

Last night, on my iPhone, using the WordPress and Excel apps, I made a spreadsheet of all my recurring subscriptions for Cloud services I use each month for my business and created this post. It’s about $220/month. When I compare that to what I used to pay for staff and infrastructure, it’s such a small amount and it truly amazes me. Best yet, the software and technology I get is extraordinary. I can lower this cost even more by paying annually. The costs and benefits of the Cloud are polar opposites. The value is tremendous. It’s a great time to be an entrepreneur.

Other benefits of the Cloud:

1. Software is constantly updated. With Office365 and Adobe Creative Cloud, I get updated versions of my desktop apps regularly.

2. I can access my data and documents from any device, anywhere.

3. I can easily scale my business up and down, based on my needs, number of employees and current projects. Most Cloud apps allow you to add/remove users and features without being locked into a long term contract.

4. Many cloud apps are free: Skype, Google Hangouts, social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn.

5. Backups are done automatically, in most cases, but I keep a local copy when possible.

While the Cloud remains in an early stage, it’s growth over the past couple of years has been extraordinary. Many continue to fight the Cloud. Me, I love it. I’ve been able to do things as a “startup” that I’ve never been able to do before. I’m having a ton of fun and making a good living.

So, how much do you spend each month on recurring subscriptions? Give us the total in the comments below.

Never. Stop. Learning.
Eric David Greenspan
CEO at schoolofbookkeeping.com
Chief Clever Officer, seventyfourmarketing.com