Part 1 of How to Create an Office in the Clouds.

Cloud computing and web 2.0 applications can allow you to work from anywhere at anytime while keeping your overhead to a bare minimum.  In this series I’m going to share some of things I’ve learned while moving my office into the clouds.

First a bit of an explanation for those who aren’t cloud savvy:

After years of working towards owning my own consulting company I feel like I am finally there.  The funny thing is, aside from a box of flashy business cards there’s not much physical evidence to prove it.  Ah, and there’s the brilliance.  Culture Sculptor operates a completely 2.0, paperless office, (or at least as paperless as you can get and still keep the tax man happy).  Meaning, all of the operating systems, invoicing, banking, client files, collaboration tools I use are out there some where in cyberspace.

This allows me to walk into any public library, hotel lobby or friend’s house, log on to the internet and complete any and all business I might have that day right then and there, without even using my own computer.  Whether it’s collaborating with a client on a project, shopping a new logo by designers or sending invoices, I’m all set… as long as I can remember my passwords.

There are a few parts of my business that I do prefer to use purchased, licensed software that I must access on my own computer.  These programs are all for special needs and not required for my day-to-day work.  If I did need them from the road there are ways to do that as well… So I have effectively moved my office into the clouds and let me tell you, it feels like cloud 9.

Learn more about how cloud computing works on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing

If you are considering if this will be right or you or your business, here are some reasons why…

Top 5 reasons to move to the cloud as a small business:

1. To save money. Many web 2.0 services are free right now.  The technology has been exploding, but many of the best resources are still either in the beta phase or haven’t determined how their going to monetize their service, so for now, they’re free!  And those that aren’t tend to be very inexpensive.
2. To reduce stress. Back-up what?  Most reliable 2.0 apps are operated by very large companies that have very good back-up systems in place.  This means you don’t have to worry about handling back-ups on your own.  Can things go wrong?  Of course, but the chances are slim to none that Google or some other company will lose all your information.  This means you don’t have to worry about it.  Also, if your computer crashes.  No big deal, within 20 minutes of getting a new computer you can be back to business as usual.  Also, there are great 2.0 back-up systems for things you can’t get onto the cloud as well.
3. To help your work/life balance. Just because you can work from anywhere, doesn’t mean you should be working all the time.  Being able to plug in from anywhere can give you the freedom to leave the office as much as you want.   Get out there!
4. To better serve your customers. If you’re on the cloud that means everything you’re doing for your customers is on the cloud as well.  This means you can give them unparralled access to the projects/services etc. you’ve set up for them from the internet.  Not to mention, they’ll get their invoices via email and be able to communicate with your business in variety of ways that work for them.
5. To promote a creative culture. Colloaborating in real-time via the net is one of the best ways to keep ideas flowing and to continually challenge your people to think outside of the box… because once your in the clouds, what is the box anymore?

In the next post I will share with you how to figure out which parts of your business can move to the cloud.  Not every company can become 100% 2.0.  But, even if you are in manufacturing and rely on large infrastuctures, there is something on the cloud for everyone.  Talk to you soon.

Check out Part 2…