Cloud technology can provide companies with powerful tools to get up and running. By using the Cloud, they get emails that are SPAM-free and virus-free; the ability to access data and email from anywhere, in or out of the office, in the same fashion; a way to easily share data with partners and clients; and the ability to get set up quickly.
So what kind of company stands to benefit the most from Cloud technology?
If you’re a company of five employees or fewer, setup is relatively inexpensive, though you’ll have to pay a small monthly fee for “renting” the infrastructure. Migration becomes more complex and more costly for larger companies, and the monthly cost per user may reach the point at which the expense outweighs the benefits.
New companies are at a strong advantage when it comes to Cloud technology, since migration of old data and emails isn’t necessary. Also, they obviously don’t miss the traditional local-server environment, since they haven’t become used to using it.
If you have employees who travel a lot, or your company has no physical location, you’ll also benefit greatly from using the Cloud. If more than half of your employees work out of the office, for example, it will democratize access to your data and give both remote users and onsite users the same experience—thus simplifying usage.
Finally, if you want non-employee external users (such as partners, clients, or other business associates) to access your data, the Cloud environment simplifies this process.
All of these reason make the use of Cloud technology a compelling idea. But there are also some drawbacks that you should be aware of. They’re discussed in “When will Cloud technology mature?” and “IT infrastructure based on Google Apps.”