The main topic of this week cloud business news is cloud computing as a game changing agent. We kick off with highlighting big cloud computing solutions providers. Big players in cloud computing know where the money is in: Small businesses. Just ask IBM and Dell, aggressively pitching offers toward small and medium business (SMB) decision makers to partner with them in going cloud.
Dell and IBM focus on small businesses
Dell, now focusing on business services, announced its brand new Dell Cloud Business Applications at DreamForce 2011, Salesforce’s cloud computing industry event of the year. Dell Cloud Business Applications is a one-stop, integrated cloud applications, services and support for small businesses – regardless of their sizes.
On the other hand – as reported by Network World – IBM, already a big player in cloud computing for business, is aggressively working on securing small business clients by providing $1 billion in business financing to qualified small and medium businesses to help them buy cutting-edge IBM technologies, including cloud business solutions and business tools.
What both cloud computing solution providers are doing is only common sense; small businesses are said to benefit the most from cloud computing compared to their larger counterparts.
Cloud computing: Small business’ critical success factor?
Cloud computing to small businesses is a game-changing factor that can level the playing ground, allowing them to take on big companies with speed and agility; we know that small businesses embrace changes well without the long chain of commands like those of big companies.
Is that really the case? Well, according to this AllBusiness.com article, Rhonda Abrams, a small business expert, claims that adopting the cloud and moving her business to the cloud has saved her time, money, and hassle on software upgrades.
Some word of caution…
However, pay attention to cloud computing trends in the mid markets. According to a survey, the value of the cloud and telecommuting is overstated. Mid market companies still consider cloud computing as a complement – not a must-have.
The bottom line, when cloud computing is integrated at the right time, it can bring competitive edge to businesses. However, be sure not to follow others blindly in moving to the cloud: Cloud computing is probably good for other businesses, but it is not necessarily good for your business.
You should do your due diligence in analyzing what your business really needs. Adopting the cloud without proper understanding the pros and cons of cloud computing for business can present you issues later on.
