The trend is moving away from having powerful office computers with in-office servers and toward cloud computing. In cloud computing, businesses use the Internet which is huge network of networks. Instead of having dedicated hardware with software loaded on each computer, cloud computing uses the Internet which is a vast shared computer network that businesses can tap into.
Subscription software or software-as-a-service (SaaS) will become the norm. Today most businesses have dedicated computers (desktops and notebooks) with individual copies of Microsoft Office purchased and loaded on each computer. These computers are connected with a network and server. This is not necessary with cloud computing.
- Netbooks: With cloud computing, all that is necessary to operate a business are netbooks. These are cheaper, slimmed down laptops that have minimal or no data storage. These inexpensive computers are all that are required to run our office of the future (or even today).
- Business Applications: Instead of individually owned copies of Microsoft Office, businesses can make use of the free SaaS alternative Google Docs. This is a web-based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation and database software system. These web applications work from any Internet connected computer and data can be stored on Google’s servers or downloaded to the desktop.
- Email: No need to run Office Outlook on your computer to send, receive and read email. The cloud alternative is Gmail or Yahoo email. You just need to sign-up for an account and you are off and going.
- Computer Server: Need a server for your office? Why spend thousands of dollars for hardware and software? Just tap into the cloud and you are quickly up and going.
Cloud computing will save your business money, time and worry about obsolescence. Use the power of the cloud to power your business.
