Often viewed as a Risk, the idea of putting your business data on a remote system could be the Cure and not the Curse!

Cloud computing (the latest IT buzz word) to proponents is the next eutopia, and to protagonists is seen as clear business threat. So what's the reality ?

Well I had the misfortune to test this out last week ! After many years of poor broadband performance, we were able to discuss upgrading our broadband provision with our internet service provider. An exciting time, and all in our office were looking forward to the roll out. In my infinite wisdom, I decided to authorise the commissioning of the upgrade to our broadband the day before our regular Wednesday webinar. I arrived in the office bright and early to no internet !

A couple of calls demonstrated that we were unlikely to get internet access until late in the afternoon that day. So that was it! Our communications were down, our systems out! Indeed access to iSAM, the core of our company was gone. Our data, and communications gone, even our phones which operate on VOIP were out. I realised that what I had talked to so many of our clients about was actually happening to us, for real !

With a Webinar demonstration, and training looming in a little over 1 hour, what we needed was immediate action. Using my iPhone I connected to our intelligent Sales and Marketing system using iSAM Mobi, and looked out one of our supply companies, who I happened to know had offices, with spare desk capacity just across the city.

Jackson was brilliant, and was happy for us to parachute in to his office and use their internet connection. With 10 Minutes to go I was at their office and connected using their internet connection. Now with full access to all our company data, our VOIP telephone system back online, and ready just in time to deliver the Webinar to several potential clients, I delivered a whistle stop tour of the features of iSAM.

So all told, a business critical problem had been reduced to a simple irritation, if we'd had all our systems running locally on an office based server, and a standard telephone system, then we would of been out of action, and unable to deliver to those potential clients!

Cloud computing a curse or a cure ?

For us having our systems in the "Cloud" was a distinct advantage, that gave us a way to cope with disaster, and it saved our "Bacon" just when we needed it.