Cloud computing may be on the current business buzzword list, but there’s no denying how this technology can change things for small business owners.
So, what is cloud computing? The simplest explanation is that cloud computing provides access to your information online instead of (only) on your local computer, which means you can access data from any Internet-enabled device (see the image to the right and imagine that the cloud is the Internet).
I’m always watching for the best technology solutions for small business, partly because technology is what helps us cut costs in our daily operations, and partly because it’s my job to stay up-to-date and pass the best of the best information onto readers and Bonfire members. Plus, I’m kind of a tech junkie.
To demonstrate how you can use cloud computing in your small business, I compiled a list of five apps that use cloud computing. I use each of these apps myself.
Evernote
I have been using Evernote for years to manage ideas, inspirations and random thoughts. The fact that I can start an outline for an article on my Mac, then grab my iPhone and have the same exact data, exactly where I left off, is invaluable. It’s a powerful tool for managing ideas, tracking tasks and even organizing different aspects of your life.
SugarSync
SugarSync (aff link) is an online data backup service, like DropBox and Mozy. I highly recommend having several concurrent systems in place to protect your data, and an online backup, especially one that you can access remotely, is vital.
Most of the online data backup services out there use the cloud to sync and update. It’s fast, instant and mindless (you can set up most of the services to run in the background without any extra effort on your part).
Google Apps
I use Google Calendar and Google Reader daily via the cloud to sync my schedule and reading list. But there are other Google services that I would plop into this category, including Gmail, Google Docs and Google Talk. All of these apps work via the cloud, giving you access to your data wherever you are and whenever you need it.
HootSuite
I’m a long-time user of HootSuite (aff link), a Cloud-based app for social media management. You may know that HootSuite was among the apps that got hit by the Amazon cloud outage in April, but I think it’s safe to say that lessons were learned. And HootSuite remains as one of my most-used cloud apps.
Office 365
The newest app on my list is Office 365. It’s a cloud-based version of Microsoft Office that is currently available in beta. The potential here is amazing…imagine having access to all of your documents, email and spreadsheets instantly. This app will very likely put some of other cloud apps to pasture — it could be an all-in-one solution for many small business owners.
You can download the Office 365 beta, and you may also be interested in the Microsoft Office 365 “We’re Ready to Work for You” Contest (they’ll be giving away five prizes of $50,000 in advertising and business services).
For me, the best benefit of cloud computing across the board is the ability to automatically sync my multitude of devices (Mac to iPhone to PC) instantly and have constant access to the information I need, when I need it.
What cloud-based apps do you use? How do they help you in your business?
Image credit (cloud computing): mbortolino
Corelytics Financial Dashboard is becoming essential. Thousands of small business are using it to manage their finances (without finance expertise). The dashboard was the grand prize winner of Intuit’s App contest and lets you visually depict your financial performance using your goals and QuickBooks data. Also shows you how you stack up against other businesses in your industry and proactively manage your business in just 30 minutes a month.
HootSuite is really the best cloudapp I use. Most cloud office solutions are slow and only a hype, but for social management everyone should use a cloud app. It’s an annoying task doing these things at the social network websites, HootSuite is a very good time saver.