One of the biggest changes in technology in the last 5 years has been an increased focus on software. This might be because software has recently made perhaps its coolest changes in history: it entered the cloud.
The cloud is essentially a big space in the internet where everything gets stored, and when a software becomes cloud based, it’s one of the best technological advances that users can enjoy.
And for companies who want to stay ahead and capitalize on what’s trending, now is a great time to get involved.
Here’s what’s so good up in the cloud:
Information security
Unless you’re the CIA, nothing is more secure than the cloud. That’s because all the information you put online is stored somewhere outside of your physical computer. Unless someone gets your password and account name, it can’t be touched—no more stolen computers and hacked accounts. And you don’t have to worry about hackers—the information that gets put in the cloud is highly encrypted.
“And if a phone/tablet/phone breaks?”
Nothing happens to the information.
It used to be that your device was the holy grail of valuable information. You could protect it as best as possible, but even then, you could be caught in a “tech accident.” When a computer or tablet breaks, the information is lost, the downloaded software will have to be repurchased, and in some cases an absolute crisis has occurred if you or your business had critical information stored on that device.
And who hasn’t heard of a failed data transfer in which valuable information was lost? The cloud has you covered there as well, which brings us to the next benefit of the cloud. . .
Information accessibility
You can access all your information, on any device, anywhere. As long as you have internet connectivity, your applications and personal data are at your fingertips. So those data transfers we just mentioned? Not a problem—you don’t even need to transfer data anymore.
Have a program you would like your employees to access? It used to be that you needed to pass the computer around, or leave it in an open space where it could be accessed by all. Many applications in the cloud have changed these dynamics by allowing unrestricted access to anyone, on any device. When you compare the cloud to the cost of licensing or buying programs for multiple computers, the convenience and potential savings of the cloud are remarkable.
Inter-device connectivity
With what we’ve already covered, this one seems obvious enough, but it needs to be admired for its incredible value. Now, when you download a song on your phone, it can appear on your computer. When you schedule an appointment on your computer, it automatically appears in your phone calendar. When someone at work makes a change in a cloud based software—everyone at work sees it and benefits from the change.
Frequent and healthy updates
The truth is, software dies out eventually. It gets old and needs to be updated to work out new bugs that have come as a result of thousands of possible reasons. With cloud technology, any software application can be updated and improved in a heartbeat–-sometimes multiple times a week!
Frequent updates means you don’t have to wait around for the next available software with improvements, and in many cases, you can set the software to update automatically. Customers with tech problems love this, because they can receive instant support and issues can be resolved much quicker than before.
Examples of the cloud
We’ll end by looking at a few examples of cloud applications.
Apple Music/ Google Play
Listen to all of your music from any device that has Apple Music or Google Play. Download songs from anywhere, at anytime, on any device—they’ll appear on all of your devices once you log in to the application.
Google Calendar/ iCloud Calendar
We’ve already mentioned this one—on either application, any appointment you add will show up on all of your devices.
The opportunities are endless
While Apple and Google’s products are well known, other companies are changing the scene by creating never before seen solutions to expensive problems. For example, ZipBooks is new accounting software, and their mobile and computer applications can work as free QuickBooks alternatives. Like QuickBooks Online, ZipBooks is accessible anywhere, but it comes without the monthly payments. They support their free product by providing professional bookkeeping services and tax prep for small businesses.
What will you do?
The world is moving up into the cloud, and as a new technology, it’s a great time to take advantage of the great deals that companies are offering for cheap. Whether it’s for personal or commercial use—there’s bound to be a cloud-based application for you.