Cloud Computing for Business

Should You Be Using Cloud Computing For Your Business?

You may have heard a lot about cloud computing or “using the cloud” recently and wondered what it was all about. It may even have crossed your mind that you could be using cloud computing for your business needs. Here is a quick breakdown of the concept and some of the advantages and disadvantages of the technology.

What Is Cloud Computing?

First of all, it has nothing to do with those fluffy white things you see in the sky ! The concept of the cloud is that there are all sorts of products and services which can be accessed via some telecommunication network, usually the internet.

All these products and services are somewhere out there, remote from you, in a cloud, so to speak.

An example of a service that is accessed from the cloud is data storage. Rather than store things like photos or videos on a hard drive in your personal computer and use up all your disk space, you can store them on hard drives offered in the cloud.

Companies specialise in storing data or data warehouses if you like, much like real life physical warehouses can store your physical items. As this is their sole purpose they can offer very cheap rates to store the data. In many cases, they offer a certain amount for storage space for free.

An example of a product offered from the cloud is the software called Basecamp. This is a project management tool that helps you control all aspects of a project from human resources, day to day communications with the key players on the project through to project time lines and deadlines.

The reason cloud computing has only really become popular in the last few years is because of the widespread use of the internet as a means to connect people. Also the improved speeds at which the internet can transmit data have made it more viable too.

Key Advantages Of Cloud Computing

Probably the best reason to use some form of cloud service in your business is that it makes things easier for you. For instance, if you wanted to store all your business data on a cloud service you wouldn't have to buy extra computing resources or even employ staff to run the extra resources.

Another advantage is that it gives your business and your employees more flexibility. A key employee could work from anywhere in the world if he/she could access data or software remotely via the internet.

This lets people work from home all or part of the week leading to happier staff.

Or people with skills not readily available in your local area could be employed remotely using the cloud concept and technology.

Using such services and products can also allow your business to work 24 hours a day without a physical premise having to open (depending on the type of business you were in of course).

One Disadvantage Of Cloud Computing

The most obvious disadvantage that strikes me is that you are potentially giving a lot of control for your business to a third party. You really need to know that this third party can deliver or you could end up with egg on your face and lose credibility.

With this said, cloud computing is here to stay and it will only get better going forward. More services and products will be offered and the more competition will evolve. This means, provided you know what sort of service you need and do due diligence, your business will be stronger and more productive for using it.

Posted By david on 11th October 2012

Updated : 11th June 2018 | Words : 601 | Views : 3346