Taking the Leap into Cloud Computing

 

Verizon and HP, meanwhile, also open new paths to the cloud for companies that haven't been using it effectively in the past. While there are a number of cloud storage companies already serving the enterprise, Verizon has the credibility-and the clout-to be attractive to large enterprises. It's a little less clear what HP has in mind, except that the company is indicating that it will be offering cloud solutions and cloud-capable applications that allow companies to take advantage of virtualization by offering support for cloud services.

What's critical, however, aren't these specific announcements. What's important is the trend. Piece by piece, companies are beginning to offer cloud-based solutions that can be used by actual companies relatively easily. Until recently, the discussion about computing or storage in the cloud has mostly been about what could be done, someday. Now the discussion is moving to what is being done and is available either now or in the near future. 

Cloud computing and cloud storage aren't the answer to all needs for all companies, but the technology and the services that come with it are very important. There's no reason, for example, that a small company can't put its point-of-sale operation or its inventory control software in the cloud and spend a lot less money than it does maintaining its own data center. There's also no reason why a smaller company can't use cloud services when it previously had no way to automate any of its operations.  

While the industry has a way to go before it can offer affordable cloud services to every mom-and-pop grocery store or landscaping company, the trend is in that direction. After all, most small medical offices only consist of a few people, a limited number of services and a lot of records. How long will it be before those records become inventory records, and those appointments are for yard work instead of summer camp physical exams? 

The leap into cloud-based software isn't that big, but the number of companies that need to make that leap is immense. While it's unlikely that there will be a cloud service, cloud software or cloud storage that's appropriate for every business, the broad availability of affordable cloud services will be a significant benefit to business as a whole because it will bring enterprise-class operations to businesses of any size, at the same time lowering the cost of doing business. The good news is that the process has already started, as this one day's worth of announcements indicates.