cloud services

Cloud computing allows you to restart your company’s IT

I was intrigued by an article that Chris Brogan wrote “where would you start” that dealt with improving one’s online presence.

But I began to wonder, if your business could restart your IT from scratch, what would it look like.

Like most small businesses, you most likely started out with a couple of computers and  small phone system. Your business grew and you added computers, perhaps a server or two, licensed some software programs, bought others and  spent countless dollars and time dealing with the inevitable problems that arise from incompatible computers, outdated servers and software that works on your PCs but not on your MACs.

Imagine hitting the reset button.

You still need to buy those initial computers but that’s where the similarities end.

Build this restart by first creating a company wide intranet, a private and secure environment that supports your company’s email, website, CRM, calendar or any cloud based program. Your intranet is a cloud-based platform where your company can share information and up-dates in real time communicate with each other and access it all from any web-enabled device.

And it can be set up in a few hours for less than 2 Venti Lattes with a shot of espresso a day.

Your company grows and you purchase more computers. Perhaps your graphics team requests MACS while your accountant wants a PC. Using cloud-based apps, it doesn’t matter; cloud apps are hardware (and browser) agnostic. And your cloud apps will work on a brand new PC or a 5 year old MAC laptop.

Your business continues to expand and you just landed a major contract.  Cloud based apps work on a pay-go method- you use what you need when you need it. For this project, perhaps you need a way to communicate with various groups. Build a series of portals where your employees, customers and partners can safely access needed and real-time information. Add a calendar app so that each group can access, synchronize it with your portals, add IM and free conferencing calling. Customize it any way you want without long term contracts or commitments.

In an ideal world, a business would create a strategic plan, begin operations, and everything would fall into place precisely according to plan. But that isn’t how the real world works. Business growth isn’t like driving on the Autobahn but instead resembles highway driving in rush hour traffic: periods of slow growth followed by spurts of acceleration. And too often, the technology that sustains the business grows the same way.

Cloud computing changes this paradigm.

We all imagine what restarting would be like. The difference with cloud computing is that your small business can restart your IT in a matter of hours, increasing productivity while reducing costs.

Now if all restarts could be this easy.