Mobility And Collaboration In The Cloud
Mobility And Collaboration In The Cloud
The cloud is many things to many persons and businesses but what it is to all persons and businesses is “a modern-day expression of globalisation.” The use of the cloud is growing in the UK and on the global marketplace and is especially popular with SMEs. Research from Parallels indicates that global cloud revenue in 2012 was $45 billion. Parallels projects that revenues will climb to $95 billion by 2015.In the UK, cloud use is expected to expand 9.7 percent per year over the next ten years. Currently, only 3,230 UK businesses operate in the cloud.The cloud reduces a company’s IT expenditures, software expenditures and hardware expenditures. Meanwhile, the latest technology is available and installed as soon as it is released. The cloud is cost-effective, productive and extremely mobile.The cloud is a collection of interconnected IT services and infrastructures provided by a host that can be accessed through a network. For the user, any data that can be backed up or stored and that can be accessed through multiple devices on a network is in the cloud.Many of us use the cloud without realising it. Programs like Google Drive, iPlayer, Apple’s iCloud, Amazon Cloud Drive, the Kindle Cloud Reader are examples of cloud technology at work. Popular cloud apps are SugarSync, SkyDrive and Dropbox among many others.To understand the scale of the cloud, Dropbox is ideal. Dropbox is now installed in more than 250 million devices. Dropbox’s 50 million users save about one billion files every few days. Imagine an organisation’s staff having access to all their newest data as soon as it is posted regardless of their location.
About Mobility
The cloud can seem an intimidating concept to the unknowing businessperson, but it is in every public and private enterprise’s best interest to see how the cloud can help the organisation. There is no doubt that aspects of cloud computing can help every enterprise, regardless of size.In truth, many SMEs are using the cloud to spread their wings. For businesses that are starting up or expanding into multiple offices, the cloud offers the most cost-effective way to build a highly functional, professionally maintained technology infrastructure equipped with the latest software that can have a new business or a new international office up and running in a heartbeat.One of the biggest advantages of the cloud is the mobility that every organisation can use. For mobile companies, multiple offices, offsite locations and for the traveling sales force, the cloud allows persons to access the most current data as soon as it is posted. This is the way businesses are getting things done at lightning speed in a fluid environment.Co-founder and CTO of the successful development testing company Coverity, Andy Chou describes the productive mobility the cloud offers; “With cloud you can pick and choose the service and usually it is easy to deploy wherever you are. Remote workers can access the cloud anywhere. At the same time, with new 4G networks the ability to work in the cloud increases, experts agree. People can work wherever they are, they don't need a big laptop or Wi-Fi connection.”The combination of 4G has been a boon to the cloud lifting it from very mobile status to totally mobile. In the case of products like Dropbox, workers can access stored files instantly from any web-connected computer or from a mobile device with 4G capabilities as long as Dropbox is downloaded. An enterprise’s cloud has the same, but larger, more customized capabilities. The ability to integrate cloud services into an organisation’s stationary or mobiles devices offers unparalleled flexibility and increases the collaborative effort.
The Cloud And Collaboration
One of the popular capabilities of the cloud is that businesses and staff can collaborate in real time with real time data even though they are thousands of miles apart. This capability allows startups and small and medium businesses to compete in the global marketplace with greater ease.Collaboration is the fastest and most cost-effective way to bring new goods to market. The cloud allows unrelated businesses to share research, work on solutions and put the finishing touches on projects with unparalleled fluidity.At the same time, larger enterprises are closing IT control rooms and removing their numerous servers that require expensive cooling. These are replaced with the appealing economies of scale that the cloud provides.Siamak Farah, the CEO and founder of InfoStreet, envisioned a formula for the cloud in 1996. He said:“Cloud computing = cost savings + efficiency + increased collaboration.” Cloud computing is designed to allow businesses to do what they do best. In today’s economic environment, that means collaborate productively, just as Farah predicted.If you see collaboration in your company’s future, you must discover what the cloud can do for your enterprise. Get in touch with Tricostar to find out how we can help.