How secure is the cloud?

The cloud is our friend.  There will always be a resistance to change from those business and individuals and businesses that clearly have a stake in the past. They will constantly remind us that it is always unsafe to move away from proven technologies no matter what the benefits are. The thing that you have to remind yourself is that innovation requires taking some degree of risk and to mitigate the risk with good practices.  Security of your data seems to be one of the big areas of concern when the cloud is used for anything.  Not to be taken lightly but there are good basic procedures that can insure adequate security. So is all the worry worth it or are there really unsubstantiated fears trying to keep us where we are?


Here are some considerations:

1. The benefits for business out weigh the risk
2. Software functionality can provide a better user experience, enhance marketing, or reduce server/Internet processing requirements and improve the business significantly 
3. Web 2.0 weaknesses are not really all that different from Web weaknesses of the past and can be mitigated through good management.

Do you have a minute to respond to a survey?

On-line surveys and polls that you are asked to take just a few minutes to respond to are becoming more common place while poking around the web and in emails these days. Sometimes there is some small incentive to participate, but usually that's not why I respond. There has to be something about the survey that I have an interest in, and I would like to think that my small little voice can make a difference.  

More often than not, these surveys and polls are done from the web as a cloud model.


Google's Docs with its forms feature provides a variety of ways to deliver a survey, from posting it on a blog or web site to emailing the form or a link. One of the neat things is that responses to Google Forms go directly into a spreadsheet which can be graphed, tabulated or posted back to the web with its results.  Google makes it simple enough to learn and implement, but there is still quite a bit of room for improvement on the look and feel.  None the less, it works flawlessly.


Some of other more common offerings are:   

• ~ ballot-box
• ~ micropoll
• ~ polldaddy
• ~ surveygizmo
• ~ surveymonkey
• ~ toluna

If you decide to do a survey or poll remember the first rule, the KISS rule. (or Keep It Simple Stupid) If you break this rule don't expect to get any reasonable percentage of responses. Folks just won't give you their time.


It is fair to assume that getting feedback from customers and prospects will help you shape your business to their needs and shape your image as someone who cares.  If you don't,  then forget this idea and start preparing to shut down your business! 

Traveling this time of year with the cloud is so nice!

Through the holidays I've been traveling quite a bit and I don't know what I'd be doing in the car on a long trip with out my smart phone and the web. (of course I'm not driving)   Mobile computing is becoming more dependent on the services that are available from the cloud because you don't always have your computer with you and you may need to access information that is important and requires urgent attention.
  

Smart phones and netbooks are really convenient pair of devices from a mobility stand point.  You can get to almost anything you need from just about anywhere with a smart phone and a netbook. With a data plan on my smart phone (a Nokia E71) I can get Google maps and directions just about anywhere.  If I need to do some serious web surfing, I can plug my phone into my netbook and use the phone as a modem to get to about everything I need.  It's not so good for watching Youtube or other videos, but it works well with most other content. (I find myself watching videos on my phone because they seem to run faster with the lower connection speed than the netbook). Mobility is better than ever with cloud computing.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Radio from the cloud.

And why not radio from the cloud?  We've got to be reminded that mobile phones are really radios.  Yes they are!  So what's my point you ask?  Well look at Pandora as an example of some of what the potential of web radio or Internet radio.  It's like satellite radio without the special equipment and also very personalized. You can use a variety of smart phones such as the iPhone, Blackberry, Android and MS equipped phones and listen to your own music channel while you're on the go, or use your computer to play music that you like in the background.  

Why is this so cool? The keys to a successful business model today is that it has to be: 

1. Digital
2. Virtual,
3. Mobile
4. Personal
5. Integrated

Web radio gets this done.  There's still room for the integration bit, but it will shape up in time.  Maybe driven by your mood, your presence, your location, or one of the many attributes that emerge as "relevance" starts making its way into prioritizing all sorts of things. Our social networks will allow us to know what others that we interact with, are listening to, what they like about a tune and if they are listing to it now and where is it coming from so that we might be able to listen to it also. 


There are endless scenarios that will develop to bring music on demand to the forefront of our music experience as we apply the old rules of making music more available to the consumer.  Am I referring to convenience as an a key driving factor.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that is the 'killer app'.

Read all about it!

Getting in tune with Cloud Computing has become a real challenge because of the speed at which information, products and services have been moving toward the cloud.  The way it can best be described is as a "black hole".  The Cloud is growing at exponential rates. 

Here's a list of links that might help you get up to speed. 

• .NET
• Apache
• AJAX
• Cloud Computing
• CMS
• Coldfusion
• CRM
• Eclipse
• Open Source
• Flex
• HP
• iPhone
• Video

• Java
• Linux
• Open Web
• Oracle
• Perl
• PHP
• PowerBuilder
• Python
• Red Hat
• Ruby

• Search
• Silverlight
• SAP
• SOA
• Symbian
• Virtualization
• Web 2.0
• Weblogic
• Websphere
• Wireless
• XML
• Utilizer
• Virtualization Journal
• Sys-con tv 

Don't stop here though.  These just scratch the surface.  I'll let you know some of my thoughts when my head stops spinning.

Collaboration is natural from the Cloud

Over the past few years collaboration has taken off as a way of doing business.  Webex, GoToMeeting, are some of the popular meeting tools that have been deployed as a SaaS (Software as a Service) model. These products have been very successful and have basically proven out the the value of outsourcing a business application that runs in the cloud. 

The adoption rate for using these tools has continued to increase and are used globally for a variety of meetings from training, support, sales, project management, webinars and the list goes on. 

Some of the things that have made these types of application work are the fact that they are fairly hardware friendly which means you don't have to replace your equipment to use them. There are a few kinks that are complained about now and then such as having to download some software on to your system.  Usually not much of an issue but none the less it is one more thing to do.  Also they often require you to call into a conference bridge and enter your pin number etc. which can be problematic.  Expense has be come the biggest complaint since the more you use them the more they cost, but generally they work and everyone can collaborate.
The newest generation of this family of products are now virtually free and provide built in VoIP conferencing, video conferencing, white boarding, desktop sharing, as well as traditional audio conferencing. DimDim is an example of one such service that brings web collaboration and desktop collaboration together through the cloud.  You should really check them out. They offer a free and a paid model and a very simple scheduling and inviting process which is key to their success. 

Salesforce.com delivers value from the cloud

Salesforce.com should get a lot of credit for proving what can be done with the cloud model for a business application.  They are one of the most notable supplier of CRM (Customer Relationship Management)  and realized early on the potential that a SaaS (Software as a Service) offering has in building a global following.
Some of the keys to their success are: 

1. Simplicity of use
2. Try before you buy
3. Training modules on-line
4. Pricing the is affordable
5. Service, service, service
6. Integration with many apps
7. Distribution through local reps.
8. Comprehensive product
9. Suite of ad on products

Not a simple formula, but one that makes you stand out and rise to the top.