6 Benefits of Cloud Computing: If You Haven’t Considered It, You’re Way Behind

Grazed from Yahoo. Author: Lindsey LaManna.

The cloud, cloud computing, SaaS…like it or not, we hear these terms mentioned incessantly in the technology and business world. And for a good reason – the benefits of cloud computing are vast. The fact is that the role of the CIO has shifted in a way that makes cloud very difficult to ignore. The CIOs of today’s organizations are no longer solely responsible for the management of IT, but now for supporting business growth by reducing costs and driving innovation in effort to build a strategic advantage.

Driving innovation AND lowering costs? That’s a lot of pressure. The solution is the cloud. By adopting cloud solutions, businesses can lower total costs and transition from a fixed cost structure to a variable one while freeing up critical IT resources for strategic initiatives and innovation…

Unlike traditional on-premise software applications, cloud applications are located and managed remotely and built with a single code-base customized to the company’s needs. Cloud applications also differ in that the cloud provider, not the customer, is responsible for the maintenance, operations, and bandwidth of the software. Finally, cloud applications are typically accessed through standard web browsers, providing scalability and agility to the customer…

Read more from the source @ http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/6-benefits-cloud-computing-haven-t-considered-way-152234384.html