With all of the buzz lately about everything being "in the cloud", you are probably wondering exactly what Cloud Computing is. First, take this easy 30-second quiz to determine if you are currently using Cloud Computing:

Question: Do you use any of the following services in your life?

[   ] Gmail, Hotmail or other online e-mail services

[   ] YouTube, Netflix or other streaming videos/movies

[   ] Constant Contact, aWeber or other e-mail broadcasting services

[   ] SalesForce CRM

[   ] Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or other social media websites

[   ] Just about any other website service that does not require you to install a program on your local computer to run

    If you answered YES to any of the above services, then you are already using "Cloud Computing" today. Congratulations!

    Basically, the web and cloud computing are to storing and processing data what the electrical grid and electric company are to plugging in your coffee maker: A more convenient, more reliable and less expensive way to access the "computing power" and resources you need to power the tools you use. You plug the coffee maker into the wall and everything just happens in the background to power the machine with electricity for a small fraction of the cost that you'd pay if you tried to generate electricity all on your own.

    Just recently, Microsoft released Office 365, which is a cloud computing or SaaS (Software as a Service) solution. The idea is that instead of a business having to purchase one or more servers, heavy-duty computer workstations, the Windows Operating System software, Microsoft Office and the technical support to install, configure and support a network (which can be very expensive), businesses now have the option of simply paying $6 to $24 per user per month and to access Microsoft Office via the Internet. While this service appears to be cheap, it's NOT necessarily the best solution for most small businesses. There are elements of this offering that must be considered as well as hidden costs that could ultimately make this cheap offering rather expensive.

    If you want to know if cloud computing is right for you, give us a call at 518-320-8906 during the month of September for a free, no-obligation, no-pressure cloud readiness assessment.

    In an article I read a while back called Corporate Culture Counts by Robert Stevenson, I briefly read about the J.M. Smucker Company. I believe this company is an excellent role model to follow for teaching anyone how to successfully run a business today. Founded in 1897, this company now employs over 4,800 employees and is doing over $4.7 billion in sales. Tim and Richard Smucker are the Co-CEOs for the J.M. Smucker Company and they believe they serve 6 constituents:

"the consumer, the retailer, our employees,

our suppliers, our communities, and our shareholders.

We believe if we take care of the first five,

the sixth will automatically be taken care of."

    They live and work by the creed, You Will Reap What You Sow. Here are their rules for achieving success in business:

• Let the Golden Rule guide every decision.
• Don't have secret strategies - make sure everyone knows the strategy and knows their roles.
• Have a culture that promises people a better tomorrow based on their good work.
• Don't be content; you're responsible for making things better.
• Doubt your own infallibility.
• Have faith. Believe in a higher force.
• Don't do what you know only for material rewards - be called to your life's work and have a purpose.
• Laugh and have a sense of humor.

    In a world where corrupt deception abounds, it is refreshing to have such a prominent company set a great example of just the opposite. But their written words are only a guide to follow; it is your leadership, your example, your culture that will determine your success.

     According to a University of Utah study, you can increase your efficiency (or your employees' efficiency) by 25% just by adding a second monitor. With multiple monitors, you can get more done since you aren't minimizing and maximizing all day long. Therefore, adding monitors can be a money maker for your company.

    The study documentation states that 108 university and non-university personnel participated in a comparison of single monitor, multi-monitor, and multi-monitor with Hydravision display configurations. Respondents edited slide shows, spreadsheets, and text documents in a simulation of office work, using each of the display arrays. Performance measures - including task time, editing time, number of edits completed, and number of errors made, as well as usability measures evaluating effectiveness, comfort, learning ease, time to productivity, quickness of recovery from mistakes, ease of task tracking, ability to maintain task focus, and ease of movement among sources - were combined into an overall evaluation of productivity. Multi-screens scored significantly higher on every measure. Respondents got on task quicker, did the work faster, and got more of the work done with fewer errors in multi-screen configurations than with a single screen.

    Consider trying this in your office. Add a monitor or two to your desk and to those of your employees. See what kind of feedback you get and how much more efficient and productive they become when they have the ability to move quicker, use multiple applications at once and no longer have to constantly minimize windows.