In the Cloud

 

By now you will have certainly heard about all things "in the cloud".  

 

What does this mean?  Is it just a buzz word?  Should I be using "the cloud" in my business?

 

Basically the cloud is an "eco system" of software packages that don't need to be accessed through the hard drive of your computer or device.  The packages are securely accessed through your internet browser and all the data is stored in secret locations around the world.  This means that should there be a national disaster such as an earthquake, all the data is still accessable, it hasn't been lost in the aftermath.

 

Many of these packages integrate with each other to provide businesses with the ability to tailor their systems to their own specific needs.  Business people are often travelling distances during their working weeks, the cloud enables personnel to access up to the minute accounting and business information from anywhere in the world - so long as you have access to the internet.