In The Press: Cloud Computing For The Little guy

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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/partners/free/techSMB/cloud.html

Cloud computing for
the little guy

A growing number of small business operators are finding cloud services can prove invaluable in streamlining their day-to-day work functions
BY DENISE DEVEAU

 

When on the road, Brad Compton, an independent mortgage broker with Invis Financial in Toronto doesn’t need a laptop any more. But he can still get to his files and application forms from just about any PC at any location. And it doesn’t cost him a dime.
As a one-man operation, Mr. Compton admits he’s always on the lookout for economical access to services that can help him conduct business more efficiently. His current offering of choice is SkyDrive storage services from Microsoft. “I’ve tried Google Apps and some other hosted solutions,” he says. “I discovered there were some roadblocks around formatting when uploading files. But this one keeps the files in the same format so that makes it easy – and I haven’t even filled up the 5 gig [capacity] yet.”
He says having Web-based storage is a big improvement from having to crawl under desks to find power cords for his laptop, remembering to carry around USB keys, or backing up to a remote hard drive. “A lot of that was just a big hassle. Sometimes files [on the key] would get corrupted or lost. Now I just have to log into my account from a [Web browser] and I can look for the files, select and upload them and I’m ready to go.”
If anyone asks him about security concerns, he gives an eminently practical response. “I figure that a server that Microsoft houses is a little safer than storing files at home. It’s easier to hack my computer than theirs.”
SkyDrive is just one of a growing number of cloud computing services that are attracting independent and small business operators. While many started out as a bid for the consumer mindset, people such as Mr. Compton, who have relatively small capacity demands, are finding these types of services can prove invaluable in streamlining their day-to-day work functions – and luggage requirements.
However, getting a handle of what cloud computing really is can be a challenge. The quintessential meaning of this form of computing is as cloudy as the name itself, says Alistair Croll, an analyst with BitCurrent, a Montreal-based research firm. He has come across one that he feels fits the bill. “Cloud computing is simply having computing resources available to you when you don’t own the machines.”
Applying that definition isn’t quite as straightforward as those who talk cloud computing would have you believe. “There’s a really big split in what it means so it has all become very nebulous,” says Mr. Croll. “Within the spectrum you might find software as a service where you pay a monthly fee for services and don’t have to have any technical knowledge. FreshBooks is a perfect example.”
A second segment of cloud computing is platform as a service, where you are given a platform to customize the application you want, such as https://salesforce.com salesforce.com. At the far end of cloud computing is hardware as a service says Mr. Croll. “That’s where you get someone like Amazon offering you a virtual machine so you can connect and do what you want.”
One could look at it as a way to replace your PC one part at a time says Mr. Croll. “EasyFax replaces your fax machine. SkyDrive replaces your hard drive. Eventually you could replace everything but your monitor and keyboard and move all your functions to the cloud.”
The idea of tapping into these services is hardly new for people who have been entrenched in services like hotmail and instant messaging programs. Mark Relph, vice president of Developer and Platform for Microsoft Canada in Toronto says that free e-mail and related add-on services have been mainstays in helping people communicate and collaborate.
“These are tools that can help people to be as efficient and profitable as possible,” says Mr. Relph. “We’re just now however entering a world where everything that exists on a PC can exist in the cloud. The two have overlapped, so that cloud services can be used as an extension of what you can do with Office for example.”
The driving force behind the growth in cloud computing offerings in recent months is the fact that the industry has realized that the information worker in five or a 10,000 person office looks a lot alike. “The difference now is that you can combine [cloud] services – whether free or for a fee – to get very rich capabilities and the ability to share with others,” Mr. Relph says. “It unlocks more than what you have.”
Whatever the application or service of choice – or the definition for that matter -- at its roots the most compelling argument for cloud computing is that it transforms capital expenditures into operating expenses, says Mr. Croll. “For a small business, that’s as simple as it gets. They can get hardware on demand without having to pay for it and custom build applications without having to know programming. Services like SkyDrive for example are certainly valuable for performing business functions. The best part of all this is there is a whole raft of free to cheap tools targeted at small businesses out there.”