As small businesses grow and expand, it becomes increasingly important for them to embrace technology to enhance their operations. One popular solution is cloud-based software that can help businesses streamline their operations and improve their overall efficiency. However, implementing cloud-based software often requires specific hardware requirements that may not be obvious to small business owners.

In this post, we explore the top 3 hidden computer hardware requirements for implementing cloud-based software for small business operations.

Internet Connection

One of the most obvious hardware requirements for implementing cloud-based software is a reliable internet connection. Cloud-based software relies on a stable internet connection to function properly so that data can be shared with the third-party server quickly and without disruption. If your business is located in an area with insufficient internet service, it may be that a solely cloud-based software is not the right solution and more on-site hardware will be required to service the software needs of the business. 

Storage Space

Cloud-based software is typically hosted on remote servers, which means that businesses do not need to worry about having on-premises servers or large storage capacity on their local computers. However, businesses should ensure that their local computers have enough storage space to accommodate any temporary files or data that the cloud-based software may download or store locally.

For example, the presumption when using Dropbox is that the files are stored on their servers, freeing up local hard drive storage. However, in order to maintain fast service when opening files, Dropbox stores a local copy of all the files by default, therefore requiring at least 1 GB of available space to run the app. Not knowing this in advance, can cause excess duplicate local files to be stored, affecting hardware performance.

Processing Power

Cloud-based software often requires a significant amount of processing power to run smoothly. Small businesses should ensure that their local computers have adequate processing power to handle the demands of the cloud-based software. This includes having a powerful processor and enough RAM to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.

Adobe Creative Cloud is a good example of using excess cloud-software can impact local hardware performance. Although provides users access to multiple Adobe apps in a single subscription, each individual software has its own system requirements and using multiple programs simultaneously can quickly slow computer performance to a crawl.

Maybe You Just Need Less Software

In the end, implementing cloud-based software for small business operations requires a closer look at more than just a subscription to a cloud service provider. Even file storage services like Dropbox can come with hidden requirements that can cause hardware performance issues. If you compound these requirements across multiple cloud-based tools, you can begin to think your business is in need of expensive hardware upgrades, without realizing why.