2. Agenda
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What is Cloud Computing?
How’s it tie in with faster broadband?
Google Apps for Business & Google Apps Marketplace
A few online applications
Questions
4. “Cloud computing is the use
of computing resources (hardware
and software) that are delivered as a
service over a network (typically
the Internet).
The name comes from the use of
a cloud-shaped symbol”
Source - Wikipedia
" Cloud Computing will be as
influential as E-business” Source Gartner.com
5. Does anybody use Cloud Computing?
65% Bank Online
1 Billion users
800 Million users
425 Million users
282 Million users
200 Million users
7 Million Business users
150 Million iCloud users
286 Million users
5 Million business users
Apple – 47,000 apps
downloads /minute
50 Million users
3 Million business users
6. What are the possible benefits?
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Potential cost savings
Flexible working – “work anywhere”
Sharing & Filing
Marketing tools
Virtual business
7. What are the downsides?
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Security issues
Cost
Inflexibility
Lack of support
Possible downtime – you need
good, fast broadband connectivity
9. • You need good, fast broadband connectivity to benefit
• The Superfast Broadband for Notts project aims to deliver:
• 24Mbps to 90% of county
• 2 Mbps minimum to the rest
• The minimum 2Mbps will allow you
to use BBC iPlayer….
• Check at www.speedtest.net
10. Google Apps
• Googlemail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides,
Drive, Sites, Google+, Groups for Business & other apps…
• Secure, web based - access your data from anywhere / via
Smartphone, Tablet etc.
• Collaborate /share e.g. data and calendars
• Integrate other free /paid for apps from other vendors too
11. Google Apps for Business
• £33 per annum Premier Edition per user
• 30 day free trial
• 99.9% uptime SLA for Premier Edition users
• Further information: www.google.com/apps
12. Google Apps Marketplace
• HUGE range of 3rd party applications
• Often single sign in with Google login
• CRM, Project management, Accounting, Security, Admin etc.
16. Microsoft Office 365
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“Software as a Service” (SaaS)
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Cloud based email with your own domain name
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Web based viewing & editing of Word, Excel, PowerPoint & OneNote
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Shared calendars
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Public Website, etc.
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£3.90 / user /month
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http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/office365/online-software.aspx
21. More Applications…..
• Almost all new software is being developed this way
• Office Productivity Suites
• Accounts Systems
• CRM Systems
• Website Systems
• Financial & Payment Systems
Cloud computing has been around a long time – Application Service Provision in the 1990’s!
Cost savings in several areas:Potentially no need for IT staff (or paid for IT support) No need to buy software – normally based on how many “seats” or users per month You are always on latest version Some applications are free for 1 or 2 usersAllows easy access from a range of locations – and devices (e.g. smartphones and tablets as well as PC and laptops)Allows sharing and filing to be done in a common area – accessible to all. Examples – www.dropbox.com, www.skydrive.live.com (part of Microsoft) and www.mega.co.nz – Kim Dotcom’s businessDisaster recoveryMarketing tools – e.g.Extensive Customer Relationship Management tools (e.g. Salesforce www.salesforce.com – 100,000 + customers)Email Marketing tools (e.g. MailChimp www.mailchimp.com – 3 million business users)Virtual business – you can save money on premises costs, increase staff satisfaction by working from home (or anywhere)
Your data would be held on servers belonging to a third-party – so how comfortable are you with this. There are two aspects of this risk:Data security – but a cloud computing firm is probably more capable of ensuring security of clients data than the client is themselves – they will use up-to-date security and backup systems that most SMEs couldn’t implementWhat happens to your data if the Cloud Computing firm goes bust? Many of these firms are small dot-com start ups and none too stableCost – it may appear that Cloud Computing is cheaper, but be careful to compare like with like – e.g. does Cloud Computing offer you all the benefits that your current software does – and if not, are they unimportant? Also ensure you can add or subtract users one by one, not e.g. in blocks of five.Inflexibility – you may be locking your data into their proprietary formats – e.g. it is not possible to insert a document created in another application into a Google Docs spreadsheet If telephone support for your software is important for you, you are unlikely to find this via Cloud based systems – most support is via email or even via a user forum. If working on cloud based applications, 2Mbs connectivity (the minimum that would be available under the Superfast Broadband project in 10% of the Nottinghamshire areas) is required. (24Mbs will be available in the rest of the county) Improvements in mobile connectivity via Wi-Fi hotspots, 3G and soon 4G mobile phone services will also allow Cloud Computing usage away from base.
If you can use BBC iPlayer without too many issues, Cloud Computing services are generally fine – and BBC iPlayer will work at 2Mbs….It’s also important to note the growth of 3G (and now 4G) mobile telephone networks and Wi-Fi hotspots -
Also many others e.g. Amazon, Google Drive, MegaUpload (50Gb) etc