Small Businesses Moving to the Cloud -- But Slowly

Wondering about whether your small business should be moving to cloud computing?  You're not alone.  More and more businesses are looking to the cloud for at least some of their needs, whether it be email through a service like GMail, word processing or spreadsheets through Google Docs, or on-line backups through services like Carbonite or Mozy.  But a recent survey by CDW, a major electronics distributor, found that cloud adoption was lower than what industry buzz would lead you to expect.  Although many companies use cloud services on an ad-hoc basis, fewer had any kind of corporate cloud strategy.  Only 21% of small businesses were using the cloud in any kind of planned way (CDW didn't consider ad hoc usage by single individuals as being part of a business's cloud strategy).  Security questions continue to be a major impediment.  Nevertheless, most businesses see the cloud as having a place in their future strategy, although few expect it to completely replace on-premises services.  Here's a link to the article: http://www.echannelline.com/usa/story.cfm?item=26853

If you'd like help understanding how cloud services might benefit your company, which vendors are best, and which to avoid, give TeamLogic IT a call.

Microsoft, Google Stumble in the Cloud

Anyone who watches TV these days has probably seen Microsoft's "To the Cloud" ad campaign.  The promise of easy, instant access to content whenever and wherever you want is definitely appealing.  But it's significant to note that most of their ads relate to consumer uses of the Cloud--a couple at an airport watch TV while waiting for their delayed flight; a mother edits a family picture to ensure everyone is smiling.  You might wonder how useful Cloud computing is in the business world.

The short answer is that if you recognize and accept its limitations, it can be very powerful.  First, you need an Internet connection for it to work.  If you're a frequent flyer, don't expect to get much work done in-flight if your office applications reside in the Cloud.  You also need to be selective about which service providers to use.  Microsoft and Google both play heavily to Cloud users, but they are really geared more for consumers.  Neither would be my first choice for business users as both still have service outages too frequently (although I will be quick to point out I use Google's Blogger for this blog--a non-business-critical application).  Here's a link to an Information Week article about their latest problems from just last week:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/cloud-computing/software/229500599

If you're thinking about moving your business's computing power to the Cloud, you have numerous options.  If you're not sure how to proceed, give us a call and see how TeamLogic IT might be able to help.