Cloud researchers recently reported because of small business needs, the cloud services market will rise to $19 billion by 2013.

The new report found cloud providers that want to benefit from the growing demand will need to develop a complete service model that can offer a range of solutions for specific small business needs.

“Small businesses continue to change the way they procure and consume IT,” said Philbert Shih, a senior analyst at Tier1 Research. “In increasing numbers, they are buying their software- as-a-service from the cloud and moving away from traditional desktop software.”

Companies that have embraced SaaS have made their businesses leaner and run more efficiently. Rather than spend on numerous copies of software, which oftentimes end up sitting on shelves as employee numbers fluctuate, organizations can pay for products and services as they need them. The resources they save through the cloud can then be used in other business areas to improve operations.

SaaS is a logical step for many small businesses that do not have an IT staff capable of handling numerous systems. By outsourcing their services, smaller companies can focus specifically on their business practices and operations.ADNFCR-2553-ID-19904301-ADNFCR