There is a buzz word in computing which has been around a while now, Cloud computing. You may have read about it or heard it in the news, but what is it exactly? I will try to explain for the non techy types in simple terms. Basically it involves hosted services on the internet. Hosted as in meaning its parked on the internet. In cloud computing each and everything is done on the internet. This means you can access files from any computer which has an internet connection. The internet is the cloud.
One example of cloud computing that you will have bound to of heard of is Googlemail. You dont need any software to access this email service as the software is on a server (on the cloud). All you need is an internet connection and you can login and freely send and receive email.
If you use Microsoft Excel on your computer regularly then you are using software which is stored on your computer. If you wanted to take a document home to work on you would have to save the document on and then open it up on a computer at home which also had Microsoft excel on. With cloud computing the documents are stored online so you dont need to have the software at home you just need the internet connection. Also if you wanted to share this document with someone in your company you would have to email it to them. With cloud computing the file is stored on the internet and many people can share this document without the need for emailing it about.
With cloud computing, businesses have the ability to track employee activities. You get higher lOther benefits are that there are no more worries about computer viruses, loss of data and system crashes. You can work on expensive software and freeware without having to actually buy them. When you normally buy software you need a licence for each computer, this is where it gets expensive if you have a number of staff that need access to this software. This is where cloud computing technology saves your company money.
If you think your business should take advantage of cloud technology you will need to find a good professional service provider. You need to look for a company that has a proven track record. There are many companies out there offering these services so look around and compare monthly costs. Some offer services like cloud consulting, google apps deployment and training and much more.
Basically cloud computing is an excellent solution for any business looking to utilise their resources better, want more flexibility and security, and want to reduce the cost and complexity of your IT operations.
Ancoris is a leading UK integrator of Cloud Computing Software as a Service solutions including Google Apps and much more.
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