I Could Do This Every Day
My co-worker and I presented at a Cloud Computing conference on Thursday. For those who don't get what that is, think of cloud computing as you do your gmail or Yahoo mail accounts. Those folks have all the servers and the programming code and all you need is a browser and an internet connection to use it. It's not the BS that Microsoft is selling "To the clouds!" They still want you to install clients on your machines.
Now, think about running your entire business in the clouds. No servers to buy and maintain, no programmers to maintain your software, no server room to keep cool. It's an exciting concept and it's real. Even your phone system can be hosted in the clouds.
Of course, to someone who works in an internal I.T. department, it's a little scary. No servers means no network administrators, no programmers means no project managers and all of it means fewer help desk people. However, I think it's the way of the future so time to adapt and realize that the cloud can free up resources to work on and manage other projects.
Back to the conference, there were several speakers who talked about the cost savings, increased productivity, perceived security concerns and other common issues that people have with the idea of cloud computing. One of those presenters showcased his business software that you could use to run your business from customer lead to order, shipment, billing and financial reporting. There was also a guy from Google there to talk about their Enterprise projects and then there was us. We're the example company there to tell about our experience implementing Google Apps into our business.
Our story is one we've told three times now in formal presentations. The first time, we presented at a Google sales presentation, the second we did a Webcast with an online Tech publication and Google and this time. We've managed to refine our slides and our message and I think we've gotten pretty good at it.
It's so easy to get excited about our message because both of us think it was absolutely the right move for our business. We're both considered the Google zealots at work and I love getting calls from people asking for help on their Sites, Docs or even Email as it shows they're learning the cool stuff that's available.
It's also easy for me to get excited about presenting. Give me a microphone and I'm good to go, you can even choose the topic. ;-)
Now, think about running your entire business in the clouds. No servers to buy and maintain, no programmers to maintain your software, no server room to keep cool. It's an exciting concept and it's real. Even your phone system can be hosted in the clouds.
Of course, to someone who works in an internal I.T. department, it's a little scary. No servers means no network administrators, no programmers means no project managers and all of it means fewer help desk people. However, I think it's the way of the future so time to adapt and realize that the cloud can free up resources to work on and manage other projects.
Back to the conference, there were several speakers who talked about the cost savings, increased productivity, perceived security concerns and other common issues that people have with the idea of cloud computing. One of those presenters showcased his business software that you could use to run your business from customer lead to order, shipment, billing and financial reporting. There was also a guy from Google there to talk about their Enterprise projects and then there was us. We're the example company there to tell about our experience implementing Google Apps into our business.
Our story is one we've told three times now in formal presentations. The first time, we presented at a Google sales presentation, the second we did a Webcast with an online Tech publication and Google and this time. We've managed to refine our slides and our message and I think we've gotten pretty good at it.
It's so easy to get excited about our message because both of us think it was absolutely the right move for our business. We're both considered the Google zealots at work and I love getting calls from people asking for help on their Sites, Docs or even Email as it shows they're learning the cool stuff that's available.
It's also easy for me to get excited about presenting. Give me a microphone and I'm good to go, you can even choose the topic. ;-)
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