Thoughts on Cloud Computing for the SME and Sole Trader

Cloud computing is here. It has its fans and also its detractors, but will it work for you?

Here are 5 Frequently Heard Statements answered in layman's terms:

1 "It's too expensive" It need not be expensive. Like everything else you cut your cloth accordingly, but it is affordable and may make things that you couldn't otherwise afford cost in.

2 "I'm not that big a business" You don't need to be big corporate to make use of it. It can work fine for an SME or a sole trader but, like big business, you need to do your homework.

3 "I don't know where my data is" Maybe, but you probably don't know where your emails get processed or where the computer that hosts your web site is either. Does it matter as long as you have access? Not really.

4 "It isn't secure" Well it is as secure as it can be, and the providers will be working much harder on their security than you have time for on your PC, laptop or PDA. As long as you take the same reasonable precautions with your cloud account as you should be doing with your other computing you should be fine.

5 "What if they lose my files?" Service providers can afford the sort of back up procedures to reduce the risk of this to a level that is going to be less than the risk of your house burning down and you losing all of your own systems and back ups (do you really keep off site back ups?).

So will it work for you?

One of the big advantages is that it gives you access to storage, back up and software that you might not otherwise be able to afford and you don't have to worry about the infrastructure; you're paying the service provider for that. So it can be a big benefit to the small business.

The major disadvantage is that you really do need a fast and reliable broadband connection to make best use of it, and that is not something that everyone has access to. There are parts of the country, and not just rural ones, where there isn't a consistently fast enough service and so you might find yourself unable to work at certain times of the day (or not at all in some places). There are also reported problems in using it over some public connections like coffee bar and lounge wi-fi hot spots, so using it on the move may be an issue.

So you need to weigh up the options for your business. Use the classic two column For's and Against's method to see what you think, and be honest in your appraisal. For many small businesses and sole traders needing to step up their computing power the best option may be a local computer service provider.

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