Cloud Services – Explained

There was a time when if you were told to “get your head out of the clouds” you might be somewhat offended. But now, having your “head in the clouds” can actually be an asset to your business.

How exactly? Cloud computing. If you haven’t already heard this business buzz word … you will very soon. Traditionally, data and software has been stored internally; meaning we keep all of our information on our computers in the office and we run software off those computers. But times are changing…

I’m thrilled to announce that we are working with Microsoft to spread the word about cloud computing. We want to help people better understand what it is and why it’s taking over ;)

Cloud computing is a shift towards the creation, deployment, and management of web-based applications on a local network called your “private cloud.” This can also be done over the internet, which is usually referred to as “the cloud.”

With cloud computing, you can tap into a pool of resources that all operate together, effectively as a single computer allowing you to experience a new level of computing freedom. Freedom to access the technology you want, where and when you want it. Freedom to take advantage of the latest technology as a capital expense or an operational one. Freedom to focus on running your business – not running IT systems. Hallaluya!…Is what I have to say to that. In layman’s terms it means that eventually we’ll be able to access any document we want and run any software application we want, without being tied to a specific computer or device.

For example, I could access my customer relationship management software from my home computer or from my smart phone just as easily as from my work computer. Many of us are already doing this, but the shift to cloud computing is becoming far more mainstream. And much more integrated into our business systems.

I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that Microsoft is hot to trot for cloud computing. Microsoft’s cloud service is about the power of choice – a hybrid model of on-premises and off-premises resources that enable you to move as much or as little as you want to the cloud. It’s not an ‘all or nothing’ approach; instead it enables you to flow workloads into your own infrastructure, as well as outside sets of infrastructure so you can complement your existing IT assets with web-based services. And by having applications available across the Internet, you can help ensure the experience is consistent across all devices.

Want to know more about cloud services? Come check them out at F5 EXPO on April 7! Microsoft will be there to help steer your business in the right direction :)

Oh and don’t forget to sign up for the cloud computing panel! Details here.