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“What’s This Cloud Computing All About?”

April 12, 2010

So, you keep hearing about Cloud Computing or Software as a Service (SaaS) and even virtualization... But what does it actually mean? And more importantly, how would it benefit your organization?

First things first, the simple definition of the aforementioned “geek-speak” is that these terms refer to applications that are not located within your organization but rather on servers elsewhere in the world. A service provider merely makes the applications available to you, over the internet, as and when you require them. It’s as simple as that.

The other expression you may head bandied around is on Premise. This simply refers to software that is installed within you local infrastructure; in other words the “old” way of using software.

Whether you require Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, a portal or intranet or even shared project management facilities, the hosted option could well be the most cost effective for your business.

So where do the savings come in? Again, there’s a relatively straight-forward answer. Imagine the costs savings in NOT having to purchase software outright and the huge up-front cost of NOT having to buy file servers and all the associated hardware. Imagine also, NOT having to employ additional IT staff to manage these systems. Finally, a potentially huge risk is removed from your business in NOT having to be concerned about data loss.

The issue of data loss is a fear that stalks most companies, from the theft of a laptop to a File Server crash. Recent research suggests that as many as one in seven small companies ceased operating within six months of a catastrophic loss of data. The cost of the loss in this scenario is almost incalculable.

The data security issue is one of the driving factors behind SaaS as the data resides in the cloud at a secure data centre with the most comprehensive and advanced back-up processes and security imaginable.

Another major cost saving comes from the ability to vary the amount of licences your business requires. If you have seasonal variations or major projects that require additional software licences to be provided for the duration of these periods, these “peaks” can be easily accommodated by the service provider. In other words, you only pay for what you need and when you need it.

Historically, one of the inhibitors to the widespread adoption of Cloud Computing in South Africa has been bandwidth and the cost thereof. Fortunately this is changing on a seemingly daily basis with the well publicised, new undersea cables landing in SA at the rate of almost one a month. The cost savings are now genuinely being passed on to internet users in the form of cheap, fast bandwidth. Sure we still have some way to go to catch up with other countries, and maybe we never will, but it has never been cheaper of faster to access the internet.

Interested? So what next? Also easy to answer, simply complete the form accessible from the link below, choose the product you would like to trial, and we can set up a free trial with no commitment required from you.