To Cloud or Not To Cloud?

by Chris Lake on August 29, 2011

Cloud Computing

Photo above from Flickr

To Cloud or Not to Cloud?

These days, it seems that every website you visit has an advertisement for cloud services – Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365, and Salesforce.com just to name a few. It ‘s as if the world has gone cloud crazy. So, what’s the big deal? Isn’t this just Software as a Service v2.0? Many business owners are wondering if they should test the cloud waters or just keep the lights on given the current state of the economy.
Let’s peek our heads above the clouds to look at some of the pros and cons of cloud computing.

Cloud computing provides businesses with a “pay as you go” model for applications, infrastructure, and platforms. For example, let’s say you’re looking to start a business and need email, document storage, and collaboration tools, you could subscribe to Google Apps for Business or Microsoft’s Office 365 and be up and running the same day. No need to purchase expensive hardware, software, and licensing. Also, there’s no need to worry about upgrading on-premise servers to the latest software version. With cloud computing, the cloud providers handle system upgrades and your business gets the benefit of using the latest and greatest technology. Here are a few more benefits of cloud computing:

    - Reduce Cap-Ex Spending – you subscribe to cloud computing services…no need to purchase expensive hardware, software, licenses.

    - Reduce Op-Ex Costs – with fewer servers running proprietary software, you’ll have fewer maintenance contracts to renew every year

    - Free-up IT Staff – reducing the number of systems that your internal IT staff has to install, maintain, and upgrade allows them to focus on business alignment and innovation. Yes, the IT department should be part of the innovation think tank!

OK, cloud computing sounds great, but what’s the catch? Security and privacy are two of the most common concerns that businesses have with the cloud. If you consume cloud services, then your data is stored outside of your control…out on the Internet. Where exactly is your data stored? Cloud providers such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have data centers around the world and you’re relying on them to secure your data. It’s their job to protect it from hackers. Another point of concern is your dependence on the Internet. As services are moved from on-premise to the cloud, you’ll need to make sure that your Internet connection is highly available and able to meet the performance needs of your staff. If you own a small business, the loss of Internet connectivity at the office may translate to you working from Starbucks while enjoying an espresso drink, but if your business employs 100 people, a prolonged outage is painful.

Cloud computing may not be a perfect fit for every business, but it can be a cost-effective way for companies of all sizes to use applications and to store data. Here at the Sparkline Group, we use Google Apps for email, archiving, and document storage in order to keep costs down and to enhance collaboration. We enjoy showing new and existing clients what can be done in the cloud an encourage them pilot cloud services to see what they have to offer.

Written by Zach Croxford, Partner

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Tools for Your Presenter Toolbox

by Chris Lake on April 25, 2011

Toolbox

What's in your Presenter Toolbox?

Photo above from Flickr

Have you ever tried to use the wrong tool to accomplish a task?  It’s usually not a fun experience and can be very frustrating.  The next time you need to tighten a nut – try using a hammer instead of a wrench (extra credit: use a flat head screwdriver).  Tools cannot do the work for you but the right one can absolutely save you time and headaches.

Likewise, software tools will not make your presentation for you – if you find one that will, please shoot me an email.  They can however save you time (and you will use that new found time to practice and clarify your message).

So here are a list of my favorites – when I build or migrate to a new Mac system they are the first things I install:

Picture Tools

  1. Viewfinder – simple + intuitive interface that searches Flickr for photos, very easy to locate and download.  I find the filters handy for sorting thru various picture sizes and finding photos that you are free to use under the creative commons license.  Great little shortcut buttons to send pics to Keynote, iPhoto, or your local file system.
  2. Voila – excellent screen capture tool with easy to use photo filters and enhancement tools.  It is down and dirty, if you love PhotoShop for all of its power then this tool is NOT for you.  Voila makes taking a screen shot of your entire screen or only certain parts of it straightforward.

Video Tools

  1. Miro - this tool does a few different things but I use it for only one: pull videos off of YouTube and create a local copy.  Why? The biggest reason is so you don’t have to count on having an Internet connection to show a video in your presentation.  Secondly, often times it’s really only 35 seconds of the 8 minute video that you want to show.  Do your audience a huge favor, take a little time to trim it for them.  Once you have the downloaded video file, cutting up is is a snap using iMovie.
  2. ScreenFlow – excellent tool for recording your screen, capture it into a video file and then play it back in your presentation.  A great example is if you want to show a walk thru of a new application that you have built – rather than driving it from the keyboard you can remain standing and talk your audience thru certain features as the video is playing.  I prefer this most times because you never know what time of Internet connection you will have during a presentation – with a video of it, it doesn’t matter.  Even with your handy 3G/4G broadband card – ball rooms can be black “connectivity” holes for some reason – probably because they want you to utilize their wireless connection for $199/day.

Let me know some of your favorites (Windows or Mac versions).

 

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