The tech experts at Mashable describe the cloud as a network of servers with each server having a different function. From delivering a service to running applications, the cloud offers more than just data storage.
Surprisingly, cloud technology dates back to the 1950s. A mainframe, or what we would call a computer today, took up so much room and was so expensive that they were not easily accessible. As a result, time-sharing was born. This method allowed multiple users to share and access the data. Time-sharing inspired today’s cloud computing, but it wasn’t until the late 1990s when cloud computing got its name, when Salesforce became the first website to provide software and applications over the Internet.
Today, the cloud is everywhere. You might not know it, but you come in contact with the cloud on daily basis. From Amazon, to social media sites like Pinterest and Instagram, even startups live in the cloud. Here are six examples of how the cloud is about more than storage.
Google Apps
Google Apps for Work includes access to Gmail, Calendar, Docs and, of course, cloud storage, making it easy for business owners to collaborate with their teams while also managing the business with helpful apps like Admin and Vault. Communication is seamless with Hangouts and Google+.
Office Time
Office Time’s powerful cross-team reporting gives business owners insight into projects, budgets and team productivity levels with summary graphs, as it calculates the per-minute cost as your team works. Office Time offers quick access to expense tracking and the software makes invoicing easier.
Aspect Zipwire
Taking care of the customer is priority number one. Aspect Zipwire, a cloud-based call center, offers email, SMS, video interactions, IVR, mobile self-service and chat so that savvy business owners can serve customers on their terms. Since Aspect Zipwire is a cloud service, there’s no need for maintenance or upgrades. And, the mobile-ready service scales to the size of a business, eliminating the need for complex, and expensive, IT infrastructure.
Gliffy
Business wireframes, flowcharts, diagrams and more can now live in the cloud, with the online diagram software, Gliffy. Used by businesses like Verizon, Twitter, Samsung, Cisco and IBM, Gliffy allows teams to virtually draw graphics while also helping businesses keep track of their big ideas and sharing them with the entire workforce. Founded in 2005, the business graphics application has been boosting innovation for over a decade.
Adobe Connect
There’s no need to foot the bill for expensive business travel anymore. New technology has allowed for business people to connect in seconds, making meetings with clients or partners across the globe more accessible than ever before. Adobe Connect is one of the most innovative tools today. The web conferencing software works for small-scale meetings as well as large webinars. The technology has certainly transformed web conferencing, as it’s available across a wide-range of devices.
Outright
Business pros can say sayonara to spreadsheets and simplify bookkeeping and invoicing with Outright. The accounting software was designed with SMBs in mind and there’s never any software you need to install. Outright connects all of your expense accounts and files the data in one place. Business owners will never look at their company the same again.
