Cloud Computing – What does it mean to me?

Cloud computing is a term that covers the use of applications and data that are internet based. In essence, this means that you can access applications over the internet and that your data is securely stored and maintained in the cloud. SaaS is a subset of cloud computing, but it covers everything from websites where you may store some of your data to full application access like productivity applications.
There are many advantages to this type of computing –

• You don’t have to spend large sums on hardware, essentially you are renting space and capacity from the cloud


• Monthly costs can be low as large vendors can make more efficient use of servers and equipment, passing some of that efficiency on to you in the form of low pricing


• You rely on the service vendor for all infrastructure and their IT skills


• You can choose a vendor with a SLA to suit your cost / availability needs


• Rolling out new applications can be much quicker

Of course, nothing comes without disadvantages –

• You have to be confident enough to trust the cloud with your data


• Data backups are out of your hands, so you need to make sure your supplier meets whatever standards you need for data storage and retention


• Data Security comes down to how securely it is transmitted over the internet and how well your provider protects it. Laws like the US’s Patriot Act, the seeming abuse of National Security Letters and the uncertainty over how much of our internet traffic is searched and stored by governments worldwide, mean you need to be sure that you are OK with making it available…


• You are reliant on the Vendor – do you have a plan for what happens to your data and business if they go bankrupt?


• Do you trust the vendor to not look at your data? Some applications such as Google’s G-Mail claim to search your data to provide you with context sensitive advertisements. While they don’t use any results from this, what’s next?

So Should I offer my applications through the Cloud?
If you are an ISV, you have probably been thinking about offering your application(s) through the web in some kind of hosted rental model for some time. You have different choices – offering your existing Windows based application through the web using one of many technologies from companies such as Microsoft or Citrix. You could also go down the path that many companies try with mixed success; rewriting your application as a web application. With today’s “Web 2.0” technologies, you can make a web based application much closer in terms of functionality to Windows applications, but still not quite as good. So depending on your users expectations, a web based application may or may not work for them. Some companies like salesforce.com have been hugely successful with web applications and Cloud computing, but they may not work for you.
What does this mean for my Lead Generation and Product Demos?
It really doesn’t change much – sure, it’s easier for you to give people access to your applications through the web, but that doesn’t change the fundamental requirements for successful customer profiling, lead capture and demos.
You need to efficiently profile the customer while capturing their essential data without scaring them off and suffering a high drop off rate, then to actually benefit from your demo, you need to have meaningful sample data and contextually appropriate messaging / tutorials in the demo. Without these, Cloud based application or not, you won’t benefit from an online demo as much as you should.