What cloud computing can do for your business
Cost savings for the business owner
A strong motivating factor for SMEs to convert their IT infrastructure to the cloud will no doubt be the associated cost savings. Once you’re hooked up to the web, the cost of buying licenses, purchasing servers and maintaining them is reduced.
You also get automated innovation because product improvements are implemented over the internet and delivered through the browser they are instantly available and you’ll no longer be required to wait long periods to upgrade to the next software version for users to reap the benefits.
Facilitating collaboration and mobilisation
Very importantly, there are also cultural improvements to be gained from operating services via the cloud. Key to this is the integral shift towards a more collaborative way of working, a major focus of cloud computing. Whereas it was previously the case that computers could create a real barrier in our ability to communicate, being ‘designed by experts for experts’, most cloud computing applications are designed with the user in mind. Business users don’t need to be experts in operating systems, as technology is now designed to make it easier for us to interact as human beings without computers being a barrier.
The business benefits of cloud computing are real and tangible. Imagine:
- an administrative assistant being able to keep track of her boss’s diary arrangements alongside those of whom he needs to meet by looking at all their calendars online, without accessing multiple sources of information;
- a proposal for a project being discussed online as it is updated by several users at the same time;
- a business owner in Melbourne chatting with one of her managers working from Sydney as they edit the same spreadsheet at the same time;
- an on-the-road sales team meeting on a single document in the cloud to plan the next quarter’s budget.
- Getting access to information instantly, from wherever you might be, on whatever device is crucial.
Securing the cloud
Cloud computing providers invest more time and money in protecting their customers’ data than any small organisation could possibly afford; in fact, it is one of the most important factors considered when developing new products that handle personal and business data. For Google, the security review process for product development is rigorous, including extensive testing and retesting of each product’s software code. Google has taken this one step further by having an independent public accounting firm audit and verify the effectiveness of our technical processes and controls.
Well-engineered cloud apps are designed to have similar or superior security capabilities to traditional applications.
Beyond the limitations
More than half of Australians are now using broadband rather than dial-up. However, there are still some occasions when you may not have access to an internet connection. So what happens to your cloud computing service then? Many do not realise that even without a constant connection to the internet, many cloud applications can still be used. Until pervasive internet access becomes a reality, businesses like Google have taken steps to allow offline access to applications when they are out of reach of Internet connectivity. If offline access is essential, it’s important to check these capabilities before investing in any SaaS application.
Looking to the future
Cloud computing has clear benefits as a means of deploying applications, and there is a growing understanding that the new ways of working that it enables represent the future of the workplace.
We are heading for a more collaborative, more creative, more mobile and more exciting business world, where:
- the small business owner is less concerned with the world of IT and hardware and more able to focus on what he or she is good at – doing business;
- collaboration with colleagues is made easier; and
- employees are freed from their office PC and are able to work with greater mobility and flexibility.
Access to these powerful tools to help run and grow your business is no longer just for large companies with big budgets; thanks to cloud computing, they are now affordable and easily accessible to all businesses, large and small.
Related posts:
- Understanding cloud computing
- Outsourcing IT: Cloud Computing and Virtualisation explained
- Cloud computing suite now available on iPhone
- Google App Store launched in Australia
- 5 Points To Consider Before Jumping Into The Cloud
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This is a great idea and will surely catch on over the next few years. As long as the service is reliable, especially when connecting from other countries, then it would be a fantastic addition to a small business owner.
Most of us have our own laptops and will carry them wherever we go but problems do arise and it’s great to know that using Cloud computing technology you can literally use any computer as long as it has a decent internet connection.
I will certainly be keeping an eye on how this software develops.
Perq – Employee Leave Management Software – http://perqworks.com – helps small business create and track paid time off policies for small businesses. Nearly all businesses have vacation, sick, or personal time off benefits, but many small business struggle with tracking who is in/out of the office.
What attracts our customers is not only our HR services, but the cloud computing nature of our product. Small companies ofter lack capital. By not having to purchase servers and IT staff, cloud computing allows small companies to still benefit from excellent services with low barriers of entry.
Tag message, we have learned, is well received in the SMB market.
Cloud software is the future. I´m already waiting for the time when those pesky data carriers like USB or disks are replaced by a internet wide or atleast widely supported by programs cloud softwares. Oh the joy of having no copies and messing up everything.
Hi,
This is great work and very good information on cloud computing. This post is really helped me to learn about cloud computing in depth. Keep up the good work and thanks for posting.
What a relief it is not to panic about where this document or that document is, and or what version is the most up to date. When I\\\\\\\’m traveling around from trade show to trade show I have enough to organize without having to worry about who is emailing me what version of which document when!
Our team has been using shared online docs and schedules for awhile now and we can\\\\\\\’t imagine how we did business before. I used to worry what would happen if my laptop went missing (not happened yet – knock on wood) or if it crashed before a big expo (Singapore, 2007 – boy was that a pain.) Now all I need is an internet cafe and my entire business is at my finger tips.
Thanks Andrew!
As an online PC backup provider for the SOHO market, we have seen a great increase in traffic to our site as well as trials and sales of our software. I think that sales in this space is an education thing. If you can do it in the cloud for cheaper then why wouldn\’t you at least try it.
What a great post on cloud computing! At GoEverywhere we are currently offering free beta accounts for small businesses. GoEverywhere provides quick and easy access to your webtop which is like a personal desktop on the web. On your webtop You also get single sign on access to all your log-in sites like Amazon, Facebook, LinkedIn, Gmail, Zoho and more. Looking forward to seeing your next post on cloud computing!
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