Educating you on the benefits and "how to" of integrating cloud computing with your business network.

Wall Street news recently has been full of M&A activity among tech firms large and small as the impact of cloud computing has become evident.  HP and Dell are in a bidding war for cloud computing firm 3Par.  CA Technologies today announced a $200 acquisition of cloud computing firm Arcot Systems, bringing their June 2009-to-present spending spree to a billion dollars and change.

But what does that mean on Main Street?  Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are implementing cloud computing in significant numbers.  While some are opting for an “all-in” approach, other SMBs are looking at various “hybrid” options.

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While the article cites some cases in which SMBs are opting to keep a portion of their IT assets in-house, a strong case can be made for a “hybrid” or “local” cloud computing approach that benefits from the cost efficiencies of owning few – if any – IT assets and partnering with a trusted IT provider that owns, manages and maintains the SMB’s IT assets behind their own firewall.

Or so says a recent article in Business News Daily.  Close to 4 out of 10 businesses with fewer than 20 employees use cloud computing solutions or plan to in the next 6 months.

Cloud computing provides firms the flexibility and economic advantages of storing data, accessing software applications, even hosting entire network infrastructures, without purchasing or maintaining the necessary software and hardware.  Costs stay lower – an important benefit for cash-strapped small businesses or simply those wishing to reduce operational costs in the current economy.

This finding was part of a global survey of 1500 IT professionals at small- and medium-sized businesses.

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