In its infant phase, cloud computing is about how we’ll look at meeting our computing needs and how we will store and access (anytime, anywhere) the gigantic amount of data and applications we have become accustomed to.

Simply put cloud computing puts all your computing infrastructure, platforms, software or data onto the Internet making it accessible through a browser. Providers offer these IT elements as a service that is billed like a utility, on a per need basis. We won’t have to stock pile and reinvest on software licenses or infrastructure such as hard drives, dedicated servers, or new personal computers. All we’ll need is Internet access, a monitor, a keyboard and a mouse to connect to all the software and data that brings us so much joy and let’s bring our business to fruition.
For the business world, it means the streamlining of the IT department into a highly accessible pay-as-you-need model. Getting on the cloud will be a decision that will depend on the priorities of your business needs but never take your eyes off of the evolution of the concept and the industry that is emerging. There are huge pluses but a few threats worth men

tioning.

The benefits of cloud computing are the following: (Check out CloudTweaks for a specific look at how cloud computing helps small businesses):
Mobility: Access to application and data from any computer with Internet access.
Reduced costs of hardware infrastructure and space to store said infrastructure.
Automated IT support and updates.
Scalable and flexible access to storage and resources.
Innovation: We, and organizations in particular, can focus on innovating our core activities instead of our technology.
The environment? New York Times article questions if there is a silver lining.

The risks of adapting to a cloud computing strategy are few, but real:
Security: our data is no longer stored under the responsibilities of your firewall.
Privacy: it is no longer up to us to protect the access to our information.
Ownership: who owns the data that is stored in the cloud? Common sense tells us that the user does, but what happens if the user does not pay their bill?
Reliability, performance and integration: we will now be clients, and not owners of the standards of our IT resources and will have to adapt to those established by a provider.

For more on the standards of cloud computing, read Dave Armlin’s Could Security Bill of Rights.

We are still scratching the surface of this technology, so check back as we weigh in on how cloud computing will affect the business software solutions industry.

Note: Introduction photo supplied by scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.