As the summer clouds begin to dissipate to make way for the laden clouds of winter, there are some clouds that just don’t seem to go away and are only increasing in their intensity. Cloud computing is all the rage. “It’s become the phrase du jour,” says Gartner senior analyst Ben Pring, echoing many of his peers. The problem is that (as with Web 2.0) everyone seems to have a different definition.
Chances are, you use Google products a lot, whether to search online, watch YouTube videos, or download a book. You are effectively using the cloud. The reality and the simple definition is that cloud computing is where our digital data no longer exists on our home computers, but in server farms. The basic advantage is that we can access it from anywhere, reduces infrastructure costs and allows the easy scalability required of adapting software applications.
As the summer clouds begin to dissipate to make way for the laden clouds of winter, there are some clouds that just don’t seem to go away and are only increasing in their intensity. Cloud computing is all the rage. “It’s become the phrase du jour,” says Gartner senior analyst Ben Pring, echoing many of his peers. The problem is that (as with Web 2.0) everyone seems to have a different definition.
What is cloud computing?
Chances are, you use Google products a lot, whether to search online, watch YouTube videos, or download a book. You are effectively using the cloud. The reality and the simple definition is that cloud computing is when our digital data no longer exists on our home computers, but in server farms. The basic advantage is that we can access it from anywhere, reduces infrastructure costs and allows the easy scalability required of adapting software applications.
Cloud computing explained: Google Apps
A case in point would be the adoption of Google Apps into the day to day running of LeverageIT which is now being deployed to 1 in 5 medium-sized businesses. Utilizing Google Apps has streamlined our email communication, document collaboration, and the efficient scheduling of meetings and events. Google Docs is effectively making a strong point of eliminating or reducing in-house office collaboration. With developers now in multiple countries, Google Apps has allowed us to stay in constant communication, collaboration and accountability.
In another blog post, I will share the specific benefits of Google Apps and what we have used to effectively transform our business to Web 2.0. As you can tell, I happen to be a big fan of Google and their enterprise software. Being that I am such a big fan, I am however disappointed that Google only rolled out Google+ to non-apps, non-paying users. It is enticing to think about the collaboration that will eventually be achieved through Google Circles, Group Video chat. Basically, utilizing a social media platform specifically for business communication and collaboration.
Thinking and working in a cloud has transformed me and my business. But am I relying too much on Google?
