The Cloud and Your Business

So, one of my hot-buttons is the term Cloud Computing. Currently, I can't really think of a more incorrectly used term in computing, although I am sure there are a few others...like Agile, Virtualization....sorry, I digress. Those are topics for another day.

I am going to cut straight to the point. Have you heard of Google Docs? Zoho? Microsoft Skydrive (formerly OfficeLive)? Accessing your software via the web instead of having it locally? Access to your information and software anywhere in the world without having a system preloaded with it all? Well, for any non-tech out there, this encapsulates "The Cloud." Now, before you tech people start yelling at me about online document storage locations as not really being part of the Cloud, I will yell back at you first. ANY online storage that can be shared and accessed by many is considered a Cloud solution. Yes, there are plenty of online storage sites that are for YOU only, and those are not Cloud solutions. Although, loosely, they are still considered Cloud.

So now that you have an idea of some Cloud services you may be familiar with, here is the rundown on Cloud and why it is AWESOME! First off, Cloud Computing is the sharing of information, software, and resources via the Internet. Many people call it Web or Internet Computing. This allows for on-demand access and dissemination of all company resources to any employee at any place in the world in which there is access to the Internet.

Many people will generally say, "Who cares, what is the benefit to me?" Quite simply, it can save many organizations considerable amounts of resources. Granted there are many companies that need their own setups, systems, etc, but those types of organizations are becoming fewer. Also, many of those companies hire consultants (like me) to help setup their own Cloud solution. As many people are aware, a typical office computing system is as follows: Individual desktops or laptops, the same software on each system with its own license (depending on organization size, may have a bulk license), network storage, share drives, possibly some redundant servers for backups, a VPN or RDP setup for remote access, and any other host of hardware and software items.

With this general office environment in mind, you need to have computing systems that can support everything. This can be very expensive and hardware intensive. Wouldn't it be nice to have terminal setups or bare-bones machines that cost next to nothing? Wouldn't it be nice to stop buying software and not only paying for the user licenses, but dealing with installation and support for those applications? Wouldn't it be nice to not worry about losing your data if the building caught fire? Or a virus infected your network? Ta-dah...the Cloud is your answer. The beauty of Cloud Computing is you can use as much or as little as your organization needs. Some organizations may have certain software that must be housed locally. That is fine, have everything else on the Cloud. Maybe you just want to have file storage or messaging off-site. Cloud. The possibilities are limitless. I will be going into more detail later on some top Cloud solutions.

Does my business need Windows 7?

In follow-up to my Vista post, I wanted to touch base on Windows 7. If you are still on Windows XP and have not taken advantage off all Windows 7 can do for your business, you may want to upgrade...quickly! In a nutshell, Windows 7 is what Windows XP was when it came out...the new and best solution. When it comes to networking support, stability, performance, and flexibility, Windows 7 has it all.

Now, despite me pushing people to upgrade, I do want to toss some words of caution, especially to companies with small IT budgets. Although Windows 7 may be able to really help your business, there are a few pitfalls that many companies are not aware of. First off, system requirements. If your computers are more than a couple years old, there is a good chance they may not support Windows 7. You can view the minimum requirements at Microsoft's Windows 7 site. So this means you may need to buy all new computers. Although computers have gotten much cheaper, to get decent business systems, it is still going to cost you a good bit. I recommend Dell, HP, or IBM. If you have a good IT staff and don't need vendor support or warranties, then I suggest either building your machines or finding other places like TigerDirect or NewEgg-type sites to get good system at super cheap prices.

The next big problem is software compatibility. For many companies, they are using software that may be 10+ years old. Most of these applications are not compatible with Windows 7, especially Windows 7 64-bit. So, before upgrading, make sure you know if your company's software is compatible, or you will be having the biggest headache. Other than those 2 precautions, there should be nothing else stopping you from upgrading to Windows 7. I hope to post some cool features in later posts.

Why a virtual office? It saves you money!

Are you a manager or owner of a company? Do you feel you need your employees present so you can keep an eye on them? Well, hopefully the answer is no. But if the answer is yes, I have something interesting bits of information you may find useful...and they may save you lots of money.

In most business situations, an employee is only needed in the office for very important things; for example your IT tech person or the receptionist. One of the constants in business is that employees are the biggest expense to a company. Not only do you pay for their training, salary or wages, and benefits, but there are a ton of other costs as well.

Let's start with the cost of space for a cube, office furniture, printing supplies, printer maintenance, liability insurance if someone gets injured at work, and the list goes on. With technology today, more companies are finding they don't even need employees in the office for meetings anymore. Virtual meetings save time and money. With document collaboration tools, especially free ones such as OfficeLive and Google Docs, employees don't even have the need to store important files on their main computer. And if you give your employees a certain budget for supplies at home, you eliminate excess at the office, as well as reducing the need for various insurances and office space.

You can even go a step farther and have a mainly virtual company and office. This is a rather lengthy topic, but here is the short of it. First, the only people that ever need to be in the office are employees that will need to interact with incoming customers and any personnel needed to keep daily operations running, such as servers and the tech environment. Second, have a bunch of "Hotel" cubes or areas in which an employee can come in with a laptop, plug in and do their work if they are needed in the office. Most meetings and sales calls can be held virtually. Third, use a document management system that you can manage and track everything. A good example is SharePoint. Fourth, give laptops to your employees and give them the ability to VPN into work. For security and liability reasons, you can lock down a laptop much better than someone's personal home computer. Lastly, go green. Give your employees a low supply budget. Why? Because why on earth would they possibly need to print anything out when everything can be collaborated online.

I will be doing a series of blog posts on various software that is extremely helpful in achieving the virtual company. I will also be going into some more details on how it saves companies lots of money. Enjoy!