With all the hype surrounding cloud computing, there are been a flood of cloud-based products from Microsoft, Google and Apple that have hit the market in the last two years.
They all promise to be low cost, easy to use and a convenient way to work from anywhere, but are they really all they’re cracked up to be? And if they are, how do you know which one is right for your business?
Since these services are relatively new to the mainstream business world, new features are being added on a monthly, or even weekly basis. This means that the application will change much more rapidly than a stable desktop application hosted on your machine.
Patches for the desktop version of Microsoft Office come out about once a month and generally only fix vulnerabilities. Major feature and functionality updates aren’t released until the next version, so you have a couple years to settle into the program before it changes again.
Like any new technology, there are some tasks that will not work as well on a cloud-based service as it does on a more mature desktop application hosted on your machine. If you are a power user of Microsoft Office, you will likely be frustrated when you discover Office 365 can’t perform some of the more sophisticated functions you are used to, such as creating Macros in Excel or the advanced markup in Word.
Google Apps is a good option for businesses that need simple, inexpensive cloud-based collaboration software. However, if your company has been using Microsoft Office for years, one major factor to consider is that all of your existing documents will change when switched over to Google Apps.
Therefore, most companies will want to stick with Microsoft Office 365 rather than go through the pain of having all the formatting of their documents slightly “off.” Additionally, Google Apps doesn’t always play well with certain line of business applications that were designed to integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Office.
Then we have Apple’s iCloud. While iCloud is a cloud-based service, it should not be compared to Office 365 or Google Apps since it’s geared toward organizing, storing and accessing media (music, pictures, and videos.) While iWork does have some applications for e-mail, calendaring and presentations, it is not designed to replace an office productivity suite for businesses.
In January, IBM also entered the cloud application race with the unveiling of IBM Docs, a word processor based on a revamped version of Lotus. Reports indicate that it is an application that will give enterprises the full functionality and features they expect without the cost. IBM Docs is still in its testing phase and a release date has not been announced, so it remains to be seen whether it will be a better tool for businesses seeking cloud-based applications.
With all of these tech giants competing to be the best cloud-based office productivity provider, in the end, every business should be able to find a feature-rich solution that best fits their situation.
So which one should you choose? It depends on your business’ unique situation. No two companies are alike in the way they communicate, store information and work; therefore, it’s important that you work with an IT consultant who takes a custom approach to solving your organization’s needs.
