Cloud computing - you can't get away from it at the moment - all the business organisations are talking about it and all the IT vendors are saying their products are about Cloud in some way.
What should small and medium-sized companies make of cloud? Is it for you or only the bigger players with IT directors and consultants to advise them?
If you haven't worked out whether 'Cloud' means storing your files on a web service, running business software in your browser or abandoning your workplace and having all your staff and customers accessing systems from home, the train or a coffee shop then our mission is make sense of it and show you real-life examples of things you could apply in your own business.
UPSIDE
- Access your documents and files from anywhere - including your smartphone
- Get closer to customers and suppliers by creating shared work areas online
- Get access to strategic business software like CRM, portals without the cost and in-house staff previously needed
- How secure is your information?
- Where in the world is your customer data being held?
- How does the Data Protection Act apply?
- How would you know if someone has accessed your cloud data?
- What if the broadband link goes down?
- What if your cloud provider disappears?
Join our Cloud IT Business LinkedIn group or follow @CloudBusinessUK on Twitter to start receiving information you can put into practice in your business.UKITA is an alliance partner of the Cloud Industry Forum.
The Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) is an industry body that champions and advocates the adoption and use of Cloud based services by businesses and individuals. Their ambition is to bring business users and suppliers of Cloud Services closer together in a trusted and sustainable marketplace. They achieve this through their goals:
- To sustain a credible and certifiable Code of Practice for the Cloud Industry so that consumers can have clarity and confidence in their choice of provider
- To continually encourage the widespread adoption of the Code of Practice by industry players
- To champion the widespread adoption and use of Cloud services based upon the trust and assurance that can be achieved through the Code of Practice
- To leverage the CoP through international affiliations and partnerships, and to support other appropriate Cloud based initiatives that complement the purpose of the Code of Practice
- To provide an independent, expert opinion on behalf of the Cloud Service Providers and online organisations in order to drive a fair and professional marketplace
- To lobby Government, industry bodies, press and vendors on issues that unfairly hold back the professional development of the industry within the UK