The Forecast is Cloudy: 3 Benefits of Cloud Computing, Part III

Tech Talk wraps up its three-part series on cloud computing benefits. Our first entry looked at cost savings. Our second focused on versatility. We finish today with increased functionality and capability.

If implemented correctly, cloud computing can increase the efficiency with which your business operates. Say you have a group of people working on the same project. Cloud computing can help make the creation process much more efficient. Traditionally, the project would be stored on one hard drive, which would limit the access the entire group had to it. A cloud-based solution would change this, allowing continuous access to the project for each employee while simultaneously updating the project in real time as changes are made.

But cloud computing isn’t limited to regular business practices. Pixar Studios is considering taking advantage of the vast amount of computing power available in the cloud by rendering its films in the cloud instead of in a local server farm, which would significantly decrease the amount of time needed to render feature-length films. Doctors can now view live organ scans through an iPad application that simultaneously allows them to make audio notes as they watch the footage of the scan. Even the Miami Dolphins are planning to leverage certain cloud-based functionality through a partnership with IBM that will alert fans via text message about inclement weather, overcrowding and parking availability at home games. Whatever your business, cloud computing likely has a solution for you.

Cloud computing isn’t going away. More and more companies and consumers will begin using cloud-based solutions over the next few years. Some experts believe that most people will conduct business primarily through cloud-based applications by the year 2020. It doesn’t sound that far-fetched, as more and more companies are offering cloud-based solutions and expanding the scope of the cloud. The cloud is here to stay, and it is best to at least take a look to see if your business can benefit from anything the cloud has to offer.