Cloud computing (in geek circles) refers to the data and software you access via a network as opposed to your home computer.

CLOUDS AREN’T JUST FLOATING MASSES OF CONDENSED WATER VAPOR ANYMORE. And the newest cloud out there could revolutionize the way you do business.

Cloud computing (in geek circles) refers to the data and software you access via a network (WAN or Internet) as opposed to your home computer. It means you don’t really have to know much about the hardware and technology supporting your needs. If you store your photos on Flickr or your videos on YouTube, you’re using cloud-based technology. There’s no hard drive for you to access. A series of computers elsewhere keeps your files safe (you hope). 

Up In the Clouds

There are many ways for your computer to betray you, and it always seems to happen two weeks before your annual event: You lose it or the hard drive dies or “someone” spills coffee on it or you leave it at home—and all your important files and information are unreachable. In the end, storing your information in the clouds (instead of locally) gives you a lot of protection. Here’s how.

• Dropbox is a service that allows you to bring your documents, photos and videos anywhere and share them easily. Your files are available from any computer, smartphone or tablet. You can copy and move files from any computer with Internet access into your personal dropbox, and then access those files on any computer with Internet access. If you have a list of vital contacts for your next event, store a password-protected copy of that spreadsheet or Word doc in Dropbox as a backup. 
• I write most of my posts, articles and books using Google Docs. Why? Because it lets me write from any computer, instead of trying to figure out where I stored it last. (This very article was started at my office and finished at Barnes & Noble using Google Docs). The service even offers spreadsheets, forms, a primitive presentation software and more. 
• Wunderlist is a task-management system that allows you to assign and share assignments, add notes and set due dates. It’s accessible by desktop, tablet and smartphone. Having access to my task list from pretty much any device anywhere keeps me meeting more deadlines overall than before. 
• Similar to Wunderlist, Evernote allows you to capture and save text, photos and audio snippets and access them via the Internet or desktop or smartphone app. I keep all of my hotel and airline frequent flier card numbers in Evernote. I also use it to jot down notes for books I’m writing and to remind myself which speech I’m giving at which event. 
• Google Calendar and Gmail are top-shelf services and offer flexible usability. With Gmail, I can access email from any Web browser and/or from desktop apps (I like the Apple Mail that came with the Lion update). Google Calendar integrates with Outlook and iCal and most other calendar software, which allows you to view your calendar updates offline and on. 

Back It Up

You can save your photos to Flickr and Picasa and your videos to YouTube, but never trust online services to keep your files alive and well. Too many things can go wrong. To that end, have a backup. Make sure that you keep an external hard drive to store your files before you lob them onto any of these services, and back it up weekly. Why? Because the day you find yourself accidentally locked out of Dropbox is the day you curse me for telling you to trust your files to the clouds. 

What About Security?

People wonder whether cloud services are secure, and the answer is often “yes,” until someone reports an incredible hack. Nothing that’s plugged into the Internet is fully secure. Password-protect critical files so that your information will be useless to anyone but the most technically savvy of hackers. Beyond that, accept that most of what you’re doing isn’t all that interesting to hackers until you start shoving files containing all your various accounts, passwords and credit card data up onto cloud sites. (Hint: Don’t do that.)

Does It Help?

I can do pretty much anything my business requires from a hotel lobby computer. I can “borrow” a friend’s laptop and dip into all my files. And I’m never in a situation where the file is stuck on some other computer and I’m doomed until I get back to that machine. To me, that’s reason enough. What do you think? One+ 

TAGS: cloud computing , One+ September 2011 , technology , column , effective communication