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September 12, 2012

An Insider's View of Cloud Technology Now and in the Future

By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor

The cloud is being heavily touted for the small- to medium-sized business (SMB) as it enables a number of key capabilities that were once out of reach for those operations with smaller budgets. As the opportunities continue to expand, TMC has launched the CLOUD4SMB event, collocated with ITEXPO West 2012 in Austin, Texas next month. In anticipation of this event, TMC chatted with Kirill Bensonoff, co-founder of ComputerSupport.com to get his take on activities in the cloud.



Bensonoff is certainly a cloud advocate, sharing with TMC that the smartest thing companies can do from a technology perspective to prepare for the future is to, “migrate to the cloud as much as possible,” indicating opportunities for business to move much of their operations to the cloud is a smart strategic move. When this statement is compared with his bold prediction, many SMB leaders may be left scratching his or her head, but more on that, later.

Business purchasing decisions continue to ebb and bend with the trends taking place in the global marketplace. As the cloud continues to be a key focus for companies seeking to reduce their capital investments and compete on a larger scale, SMBs are getting into areas that were once out of reach, including data to support business decisions. Business intelligence investments are ramping up as ComputerSupport.com continues to cater to these needs.

The use of technology in the cloud is also a central focus in the coverage of national and international events. Whether consumers are using streaming technologies to watch their favorite Olympic sport or blogging about the presidential race on Tumblr, these hosted platforms are allowing consumers to expand their viewing and entertainment experiences. At the same time, social media continues to offer considerable promotional momentum when the right message is created and shared. So powerful is the reach that Bensonoff told TMC, “I believe it will make a difference this election season.”

An investigation into the latest technologies would not be complete without examining the impact of the tablet computer. So mobile is the global market today that consumers not only want access to voice calls and e-mails on their mobile devices, they also want to explore multimedia channels, access their favorite entertainment options and even conduct business while on the move. Migrating applications to the cloud streamlines this effort, allowing for easy access to key business process information.

The demand for such capabilities has created a landslide market for Apple (News - Alert) and its iPad, but Samsung has claimed some of that share with its Galaxy tablets. Now, the two giants are at war over patent ownership and who rightfully gets to claim dominance. For Bensonoff, the ramifications in the technology market are sure to be non-existent as Google’s Android (News - Alert) operating system continues to expand into other devices.

The case does call attention to the effectiveness of the U.S. patent system, causing some in the industry to question whether or not intelligent rights are adequately protected. Google’s (News - Alert) VP, in an ARS Technica report, noted that Apple’s win demonstrates the importance of fiercely protecting their technologies to ensure continuity in the market. Is the patent system in the U.S. good enough to do justice for all innovators? For Bensonoff, there is always room for improvement, but he believes ours in the best in the world.

As small businesses continue to explore whether or not the cloud can support their innovative technologies, they are also investigating the power of video and what it can do for their businesses. The technology was once too costly to support in high definition form, but Skype and lower cost solutions from leading providers like Cisco (News - Alert) have brought video to the forefront for the SMB. Bensonoff expects video use to continue to grow. In fact, he told TMC that as bandwidth, mobile devices and other hardware decrease in price, the use of video in business will skyrocket.

Such video will have to support optimal performances on multiple smartphone platforms, however, as devices continue to enjoy rapid adoption. The cloud is being leveraged in this arena to extend the capabilities of the mobile wallet, as long as retailers can get on board with lower investment costs. Bensonoff plans to use his smartphone to pay for retail purchases when mobile wallet capabilities become widely available. In fact, he’s looking forward to it.

Bensonoff is also hoping for the fully electric vehicle, believing this is the way of the future. He plans to offer a lively discussion regarding social media and its role in the IT workplace at this year’s ITEXPO (News - Alert). He’s also excited to meet members of the TMC team and mingle with other IT vendors. When asked to share a bold prediction for the future of tech, Bensonoff told TMC, “Cloud will be dead in 10 years and the new technology will step in.” Is this future on the horizon or is cloud here to stay?

To find out more about Kirill Bensonoff, founding partner at ComputerSupport.com, visit the company at ITEXPO West 2012. To be held Oct. 2-5 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, TX, ITEXPO is the world’s premier IP communications event. Kirill Bensonoff, will be a keynote speaker at the event. For more information on ITEXPO West 2012 click here.




Edited by Brooke Neuman
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