Is Your Head in the Cloud?
Posted by admin on Friday, January 29, 2010 · Leave a Comment
I’ve explored a number of cloud computing solutions over the last few years, more recently related for CRM, document management and project management. A common requirement for many firms is CRM as no well thought through business can optimise they marketing without CRM, whether it’s an Excel spreadsheet, Microsoft CRM, SalesForce or Zoho, etc.
For me, the benefits of a cloud solution far out-weigh the alternative of hosting it yourself. Perhaps this is better backed up by the success of SalesForce in recent years. The move to the cloud is happening thick and fast and GMA is utilising Zoho as its CRM tool simply because many of the features we were looking for in the likes of SalesForce were being offered at a lower price by its cost-cutting rival Zoho.
But back to the clouds and Gartter has cast a big heavy grey one over the survival of IT departments over the next few years. In a recent report, http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1278413 Gartner stated that Cloud computing is set to become so pervasive that by 2012, one out of five businesses will own no IT assets at all.
I suppose one can have their head in the clouds and ignore this prediction or to heed and embrace change. Even if it’s only to embrace the private cloud model – a compromise perhaps?
Ask most cloud solution providers and they will inevitably tell you that some of the main reasons embrace the cloud include:
1. Delivers Faster Time to Value
2. Requires No Up-Front Capital Expense
3. Minimizes Operational Costs
4. Requires Fewer Technical Resources
5. Simplifies Integration
Interestingly, two other Gartner predictions are that by 2012, India-centric IT services companies will represent 20 percent of the leading cloud aggregators in the market, and by 2014, most IT business cases will include carbon remediation costs.
I’ve explored a number of cloud computing solutions over the last few years, more recently for CRM, document management and project management. A common requirement for many firms is CRM as no well thought through business can optimise they marketing without CRM, whether it’s an Excel spreadsheet, Microsoft CRM, SalesForce or Zoho, etc.
For me, the benefits of a cloud solution far out-weigh the alternative of hosting it yourself. Perhaps this is better backed up by the success of SalesForce in recent years. The move to the cloud is happening thick and fast and GMA is utilising Zoho as its CRM tool.
But back to the clouds and Gartner has cast a big heavy grey one over the survival of IT departments over the next few years. In a recent report, Gartner stated that Cloud computing is set to become so pervasive that by 2012, one out of five businesses will own no IT assets at all.
I suppose one can have their head in the clouds and ignore this prediction or take heed and embrace change. Even if it’s only to embrace the private cloud model – a compromise for the skeptics perhaps?
Ask most cloud solution providers and they will inevitably tell you that some of the main reasons to embrace the cloud include:
- Delivers Faster Time to Value
- Requires No Up-Front Capital Expense
- Minimises Operational Costs
- Requires Fewer Technical Resources
- Simplifies Integration
Interestingly, two other Gartner IT predictions are that by 2012, India-centric IT services companies will represent 20 percent of the leading cloud aggregators in the market, and by 2014, most IT business cases will include carbon remediation costs.
On a lighter note, Gartner also predicts that by 2012, Facebook will become the hub for social network integration and Web socialisation.
