Servage TotalCloud

Were you forever being told as a child to ‘get your head out of the clouds’? You may well have just been preparing for your startup…

Cloud computing is a relatively new development. It was seen as crazy a few years ago to set up a business based around this type of computing. The cloud method wasn’t deemed as reliable as other more traditional systems and was brushed aside as a new age gimmick.

There was very little clamour for larger businesses to switch all of their systems over, whilst barely any companies totally embraced the vision behind the cloud. blur Group and Parallels were two who instantly embraced the trend: the majority of businesses were short sighted.

The benefits of cloud computing are clear. Tunning computer programs from remote servers – is a much more cost effective, accessible and efficient way to run your businesses systems and applications. It saves on space, running costs and provides an interchangeable platform in which to work. There are no Windows to Mac issues with the cloud, you can use any computer, anywhere, without hassle.

Imagine packing up a traditional computer system’s servers when moving office. Imagine the maintenance costs of running those servers and the cost of buying them in the first place. These problems are no more; replaced by immense opportunities for new businesses.

According to U.S. venture capital pioneer Alan Patricof, of Greycroft: ”In 40 years in the business, I’ve never seen such a vibrant startup environment. There’s a lot of money around and there’s an enormous increase in startup activity. Cloud computing eliminates capital expenditure so you can go global very quickly. You don’t have to have extensive servers in every country.” As a result, “more firms are downsizing or coming up with a strategy of how to separate private equity, large investments from earlier investments for startups.”

In the same way that social media and crowdsourcing have revolutionised marketing and consumer outreach, cloud computing is now being recognised as the emerging new development for creating a thriving startup. In an age where startups are more careful than ever to maximise expenditure and cut waste, it would now been seen as crazy not to use cloud computing.

Quite a turn around over the last few years. With world-renowned companies like Apple, Microsoft and particularly Google, embracing the cloud, the future of business computing is definitely in the cloud.

If you’re a new startup, you’d better get your head in the clouds. How much of your business model is cloud-based?

This post was first published at http://www.innovatrs.com/blog/.

There are a countless number of technological buzzwords out there which are constantly banded around the internet- and keeping up with them all can be a chore, not to mention bewildering.

Some terms are built to last- take Cloud Computing for example (as a reader of the Servage TotalCloud blog, we hope you might be familiar with that one!) Similarly, the term Crowdsourcing has continued to thrive both as a word and as a strategy.

Nevertheless, there are many others which don’t catch on and a little Google searching will undoubtedly lead you towards some of them too. But here is one particularly interesting term we believe will bring you up to speed and ahead of the game- it’s a combination of the two aforementioned terms. Not Crowd Computing- but rather Cloudsourcing…

Cloudsourcing reflects the latest trend to source complete solutions to run a business from a public Cloud. Cloudsourcing reduces the cost of IT and provides a service which combines the power of IT applications and infrastructure and its transfer to the Cloud. The outsourcing part is the process of maintaining these Cloud apps and their use.

According to Ryan Nichols of Appirio: “[Cloudsourcing] is the natural combination of two trends that have dominated how enterprises utilize information technology over the last two decades. The first is a shift in how IT is architected– from mainframe to client server to cloud-based technology. The second is a shift in how IT is sourced and delivered–from a purely in-house function to a function increasingly delivered by specialized vendors.

“Both reflect the natural economies of scale in information technology. Organizations shouldn’t be in the business of managing their own data centers any more than they should be in the business of managing their own power plants. And they probably don’t need to have too many expert electricians on staff either– leave that to the experts. Focusing your resources on your organization’s core competencies results in both better service and lower costs.”

Cloudsourcing revolves around the identification of the core essential properties of your business and eliminates the peripheral outside of the core. You have the apps, but you do not need to waste capital on infrastructure paraphernalia which will congest your business at the same time. It is a key innovation which will allow businesses to ensure they avoid becoming top heavy in infrastructure, while also maintaining the importance of scalability and the ability to build IT capacity on a project-by-project basis or to a set fixed term period.

If one Cloudsourcing service begins to renege on their output- replace them. Their cost charge spirals out of control- shop around. You can integrate and create a bespoke service which will allow your business to work under the best operating conditions and function properly.

Cloudsourcing isn’t just another buzzword- like Cloud Computing and Crowdsourcing, it actually performs a useful function for business that will help them get to grips with the latest trends in IT. As Nichols highlights, Cloudsourcing allows each side to play to their own strength, cutting costs and ensuring better quality output of work.