Doing Business In The Cloud

Doing Business In The Cloud

BUSINESS ADOPTION OF THE CLOUD

TNS

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33% of companies adopted cloud computing primarily to access information from any device.
17% did so primarily for costs savings.
Only 25% expressed concern about data security after adoption.

THOUGHT: I think the adoption of cloud computing is inevitable and the fact that one third of the companies TNS surveyed adopted the cloud to allow employees access from any device points to the transformation the workforce is experiencing.

In the information economy, the place in which you work has never mattered less than it does today because of the widespread adoption of mobile broadband Internet access. Even if your work requires to you be “on the job” at a specific location, having mobile access to information and tools is becoming ever more common.

Strictly speaking, cloud computing is essentially switching from the computing power that sits in your desktop or your company’s server or a mainframe and letting a something like Amazon’s Web Services handle your computing power and allowing employees, partners or customers access to your applications from anywhere.

Being able to tap into those applications and services frees individuals from place-based work or limited resources such as a dedicated on-site computer for specific functions.

One example is Best Buy’s use of QR codes on their merchandise displays. The ostensibly look as if they’ve been implemented so customers can get more information about a given product on their smart phones as they are considering a purchase in the store.

That’s part of their purpose, certainly, but they also serve to give employees fingertip access to the information they need to answer customers questions and provide better customer service. Employees are no longer required to find a terminal to look up product information; all they need is their smart phone.

Anytime, anywhere access to information and tools needed to perform your job also highlights the crumbling distinction between your work life and your personal life.

Finally, many cloud computing services have social features built into them which will in turn propel greater adoption of social tools and behaviors within businesses.

We are at the beginning of the era of the social enterprise and it will fundamentally reshape how we conduct business.

KEYWORD WEDNESDAY: While Ron Paul had far greater search volume from Iowans during the week leading up to the Iowa Caucus vote, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum had roughly the same search volume for their names, with Santorum enjoying a late surge. [CHART]

Thank you for democracy.