For Canadian auto retailer HGreg.com, setting up a cloud-based computer system was necessary to connect its dealerships across two nations. That initiative started around 2014, and it turned out to be a beneficial strategy during the current coronavirus pandemic.

The company uses a cloud-based phone system and Google technology for email and file-sharing across its 32 rooftops, including two Nissan stores and six used-car dealerships in Florida, CEO John Hairabedian said. When the coronavirus swept across North America in March and HGreg shifted non-customer-facing employees to work remotely, "we were pretty well prepared already," he said.