All of the technology and business people I regularly talk to keep talking about cloud computing. But what is it, what does it really mean for business and what are the economic and obvious upsides?
Cloud means Internet. The computing occurs on the Internet – in place of the software you use running on your desktop pc, it runs somewhere on the Internet on a server installed in a data centre usually staffed by people who are proficient in managing technology. This type of “cloud” software is often referred to as “on demand” or Software as a Service (SaaS).
Some well known examples of well established Software as a Service are:
Web based CRM Software (Customer Relationship Management) – Salesforce.com pricing about $9 per user/month.
Small business management and accounting software (small business ERP) – Salesorder.com pricing $45 per user/month.
Medium sized business ERP software – NetSuite pricing around $99 per user/month.
There are three significant benefits for every business here:
Time, cost savings and reliability
Businesses don’t need a dedicated systems professional to help them procure, install and look after the systems platform thus cutting operating expenses and time to get operational. The effort of continuosly backing up information is removed as this is normally an inherent function of the “cloud” software. Cloud software “operators” almost always have fail over systems that can be turned on in a very short amount of time should a serious issue occur.
Easier selection and wider choice
Using a web browser, businesses now have instant access to hundreds of software packages they can in most cases immediately appraise and swiftly establish if the software fits their needs at minimal expense. This makes it very easy for people in large corporations to get around the usual information technology buying processes and easily evaluate and justify their business proposal.
Better user experience
The cloud provides immediate feedback to system architects and has fuelled substantial progress in user interface design resulting in easier to use software in turn decreasing learning times and increasing user satisfaction. This of course means quicker adoption and higher productivity.
No related posts.