What is the Cloud?

Despite the cloud becoming part of everyday conversations, there is surprisingly little consensus on what it actually means. In fact, the definition of “Cloud” is rather fluffy and quite dependant on who you are talking to and in what context it is referred to.

Firstly, the technologies and principles behind the Cloud are not new. The moniker “Cloud” is today generally used to describe applications and services that can be discovered, managed, delivered, consumed and paid for over the Internet. It also implies a pay-as-you-go, or subscription business model.

However, there are services and products that could be considered to be Cloud, that demonstrate one, all or some of these principles, with the only common theme being that they are available and accessible via a network, Internet, connection.

If you are interested in finding our about different kinds of Cloud services, download our whitepaper for more information.

What can the Cloud do for my business?

Let’s cut to the chase, most of the time it is small, or medium sized businesses asking this question and what they really want to know is how can their business benefit from the Cloud. Again, this depends.

Most small businesses turn to their IT service providers for answers, who suggest Cloud based email, storage or back-up solutions. Whilst these are a super place to start, and certainly some of the most mature services (Google has been delivering Cloud email since 2005, Microsoft’s Hotmail was even older) they are not the only Cloud services that could improve your bottom line.

Understanding how the Cloud can benefit your business really requires you to map your business strategies and ambitions to an ever expanding universe of Cloud services.

If you are looking to become more competitive in a crowded market, the Cloud could help. If you are looking to develop a new product, the Cloud could help. It could help you deliver better customer service. It could help you seem bigger than you are, to build a brand and service across the globe, to cope with a sudden increase in sales, or reduce operational risks.

Ultimately, the Cloud has potential to help your business in every aspect, really it is just about finding somewhere to start and choosing your path.

Who do I turn to for help?

Of course, asking your IT Service Provider is a good place to start. But if you want to think beyond hosted email, or Cloud back-up then you might consider giving us a call.

We have been working with the technologies behind the Cloud for over a decade. We have helped companies analyse their business plans and match them to Cloud capabilities. We work with IT Service Providers to help them answer their customer’s questions about the Cloud too.

So if you want help understanding what the Cloud really is, and how it can make your business better the call us today for a chat.