Cloud Computing is a viable module for Enterprise Level Business Applications, and Prodagio has been deploying in this manner for years. Now, cloud computing is becoming more mainstream with our clients for a three primary reasons. It is technically viable, economically advantageous, and (to paraphrase Senator Stuart Smalley – AKA Al Franken) doggone it, users like it.

Many of the concepts behind cloud computing have been around for years. For instance, the idea of a thin-client driven by services on a remote virtual machine dates back to the mainframe era. (Funny, now we are back where we started). Internet performance and security have matured enough to make web-based cloud computing a viable enterprise platform. Each cloud offering has the same pattern of light, user-friendly interfaces pointing to an array of high-value services. As companies such as Salesforce.com and Amazon continue to demonstrate successes with this model, IT decision-maker acceptance is more widespread.

Today’s economic environment has put the spotlight on overall business spending. Cloud computing provides a “pay as you go” model which helps to reduce or eliminate capital expenditures and high-cost software licensing. Cloud applications are able to offer this model because the technological underpinnings at the server level are architected for easy and dynamic scalability. When you need more bandwidth or computational power, it’s just a phone-call or email away and the results are instantaneous.

Lastly, the cloud model is more likely to provide the most productive interface for the latest generation of workers. It offers more flexibility of workspace and time; workers can log in from anywhere, anytime to perform tasks. That, combined with a rich user interface, makes for an easy to use solution that most mimics the collaborative and social nature of computing at which they are so adept.

Mike