Cloud Computing Continues to Attract Small Businesses
Last year, I wrote a Cloud Computing Guide for Small Business Trends (link at end) and talked about some of the findings and trends here on this blog. The trend shows no sign of letting up and a recent study from Microsoft reveals some interesting things worth discussing.
The findings show an increasing opportunity for hosting service providers to profit in the cloud from offering services such as collaboration, data storage and backup, or business-class email. Some key findings include the following:
| • | Those SMBs paying for cloud services will be using 3.3 services, up from fewer than two services today. |
| • | Past experience with support from a service provider is a key driver of service provider selection among SMBs. Eighty-two percent of SMBs say buying cloud services from a provider with local presence is critical or important. |
| • | The larger the business, the more likely it is to pay for cloud services. For example, 56 percent of companies with 51–250 employees will pay for an average of 3.7 services within three years. |
| • | Within three years, 43 percent of workloads will become paid cloud services, but 28 percent will remain on-premises, and 29 percent will be free or bundled with other services. |
I recall reading another study by Gartner or Forrester that talked about the total cost of ownership can exceed standard desktop software, so you have to check the details of your contract, support costs, modifications or customization, in house programming and internal training. It all adds up. I'm a big proponent of web-based applications (cloud apps) for SMBs and large enterprises, but I know that it isn't necessarily less expensive. It appears to be, but you have to weigh all the costs.
Essentially, TechBizTalk (my new brand and site) is about web-based apps, mobile apps and gear, and other technologies that help you save time and money, however, if Microsoft's findings are true, then 3.3 applications for each small or mid-size business won't break the bank either.
If you want to study the cloud trends, this Alltop collection is a good place to start: https://cloud-computing.alltop.com/. You can also read the guide I created, but that's a bit more general in nature. I have found most small and midsize companies are using the cloud for email, hosting, CRM, some scheduling, and probably more of them are conducting training and offering marketing webinars via the webex and GoTo and AnyMeeting.com type players. It all comes down to what serves your need.
Read the full press release here: https://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2011/mar11/03-25smbresearchpr.mspx
Also, click here if you want to check out the Cloud Computing Guide for SMBs.
