Today’s workers do not always sit in an office cubicle. They often work from home. They can work while commuting by train. They can even work while sitting by the pool and sipping a refreshing, fruity drink. In some cases, workers do not even work for a company. They might have a consulting job or be another type of independent contractor that works within a team. One team member might be in India. One team member might be in the United States. The point is that with today’s technology workers can collaborate and work anywhere to complete projects, jobs and contracts.
Because of this new found mobility, workers need to have new ways to share information. They need to have other options besides the constant emails back and forth. They need a better way to collaborate, share and store. This is where the Cloud comes into play. I know you have heard of this term by now as it is appearing everywhere you turn. What is this cloud computing? Simply put, cloud computing is a group of computing resources and services used together and available and accessible via the web. These resources and services are inter-related and this interrelation is thought to resemble a cloud when diagramed. Think of a virtual office where you will have a copy room with a copier, a file room with files and storage, and various cubicles full of workers. All of these form an office (virtually in this instance) but all provide services and resources that work together to help you get your work done.
This is what cloud computing is all about. You as a team collaborator and independent contractor can have access to cloud storage, virtual applications and fast cloud servers. You are freed up from costly maintenance and hardware. You have access to files from anywhere with fast transfer speeds. You can be confident that your files are backed up, safe and private. When you work from the Cloud, you can focus on work and get work done anywhere with anyone.
