Cloud technology has spurred a revolution in the corporate

sector. By freeing personnel from the traditional dependence

on IT hardware, the cloud provides workplaces with a

number of productivity-enhancing benefits—yet for many,

this technology remains something of a mystery.

The cloud is essentially an Internet-accessible

environment maintained by a network of servers.

Traditionally, computing tasks have been tied to

specific pieces of hardware. For example, text files

are stored on the desktop computer used to

create and edit these documents, which cannot

be accessed by other terminals.

The cloud effectively removes this limitation.

It may be helpful to think of the cloud as operating like the

Internet. The cloud does not exist in a specific place the way a

laptop does. Rather, the cloud—like the Internet itself—is

generated by a collaborative effort of innumerable servers in

various locations.

The cloud functions in a manner similar to Internet-facing email

applications such as Gmail, which can be accessed by virtually any

device that is connected to the web.

As previously noted, the

cloud can be accessed

through nearly any Internet-

enabled device—desktops,

laptops, smartphones, and

more.

This substantially expands the

range of options available to

employees, as they can view

important work materials

away from the office—even

from another time zone. It

also helps boost productivity.

Hard drive crashes destroy

inestimable amounts of

valuable data. However, a

properly maintained cloud

environment is sustained by a

network of servers that provide

a high level of redundancy,

which helps preserve the

integrity of your data.

By keeping your data in the

cloud, you can also avoid

excessive downtime in the

event of disaster.

The cloud is much more than a repository for

data. It can also be used to improve an

organization’s call center capabilities by providing

a way to route incoming calls to the appropriate

department—without forcing customers to listen

to busy signals or answering machines.

Fielding and responding to customer complaints

in a speedy fashion is key to retaining a loyal client

base. This also keeps personnel from becoming

needlessly tangled up with customer calls.

One big problem with traditional IT hardware systems is that it

can be difficult to judge how much equipment the company

needs to have on hand. That can be particularly problematic

when a sudden surge in customer demand forces a company to

buy extra equipment (e.g., laptops) for only short-term use.

By contrast, it’s easy to purchase expanded cloud capacity

when needed—and then revert to normal usage when the

need decreases.

Anyone who works in the IT

department is well aware of

the hassles involved with

keeping computers properly

updated with security patches,

anti-virus definitions, and so

on. This can be a serious

problem in large offices with

many computers in use. Also,

overworked IT personnel

sometimes have trouble

managing updates in a timely

manner.

In the cloud, however, it’s only

necessary to apply updates to

the shared environment.

Founded in 2011, Secure Online Desktop

provides a variety of high-quality SaaS cloud

computing solutions to organizations across

the globe. The company is based in Italy.

Visit secure-od.com for more information.