Cloud Computing - Surely It's Just Pie In The Sky

Is cloud computing just another one of those fads or crazes designed to make us spend all our money on something just until the next craze comes around?

I sit behind my 6 year old laptop which is totally inferior to the mobile phone I these days typing into a word processing software application that consists of so many elements I am unlikely to use them in not only a month of Sundays but probably a century of Sundays. It is a package I have paid for (honest) and comprises of seven software applications of which I will probably only use three and none of them to anything like their full potential. However I am lucky because I am one man band who has paid once for his license and get updates downloaded free; I will probably be able to use the package for years as any major upgrades or new applications will probably include a handy set of converters that will make my work forever readable (I am not sure that is such a good thing, from your point of view not mine).

The impact on small to medium business
Now if I was a small to medium size business of say 100 employees and the company needed some kind of computer for 90 of those employees, they may only use one or two applications for a fraction of the time they are actually working; that is an awful lot of unused technology being left unused.

To break this down there would be a license fee payable for each and every one of the ninety software packages, the cost of upgrading the packages when necessary, the wages for the staff you would need to employ to install, fix problems and update each and every package on each and every computer. All of a sudden you are spending an awful lot of your budget on maintaining your computers, the use of those computers may be necessary to keep your business successful but there is also an awful lot of wasted money.

What's in a cloud
In comparison consider the concept of cloud computing; your business would draw up a contract with a service provider who would supply you with all the necessary IT services you need to run your business such as:
• Applications
• Software
• Communications
• Productivity
• Web and email security
• Storage
• Servers
• Tailor made applications
All of this is the responsibility of the service provider and kept remotely away from your business.

What savings?
When it comes to individuals on your staff using computers if 75 of them only use a word processing package then that is all you pay for, if 10 of them use a spreadsheet package once a month that is all you pay for. I think you can see where I am going; no smoke in your eyes.

Add to this the cost savings made by not having to employ a specialist IT department, not having to pay for expensive servers or storage facilities and not having to pay for upgrading and updating software and applications; it all adds up especially if you tie in the increased productivity.

I believe that Cloud Computing is the way forward for all computer based small and medium businesses; an added benefit is when you look into that lovely clear blue sky you do not see a cloud.