Soon, there may be an alternative for all and executives like you. Instead of installing a suite of software for each computer, you'd only have to load one application. That application would allow workers to log into a Web-based service which hosts all the programs the user would need for his or her job. 

In a cloud computing system, there is a significant workload shift. Local computers no longer have to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to running applications. The network of computers that make up the cloud handles them instead. Hardware and software demands on the user's side decrease. The only thing the user's computer needs to be able to run is the cloud computing system's interface software, which can be as simple as a Web browser, and the cloud's network takes care of the rest.

There is a good chance you've already used some form of cloud computing. If you have an e-mail account with a Web-based e-mail service like Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail or Gmail, then you've had some experience with cloud computing. Instead of running an e-mail program on your computer, you log in to a Web e-mail account remotely. The software and storage for your account doesn't exist on your computer- it's on the service's computer cloud.

Remote machines owned by another company would run everything from e-mail to word processing to complex data analysis programs. It is called cloud computing, and it could change the entire computer industry.

Due to the need to understand both back-end systems and new cloud-based technologies, we combine our many years of experience in various areas in the IT industry to provide guidance in key cloud base systems implementation. 

Looking at the following areas:

• Different versions of cloud to know about
• What the cloud offers - greater flexibility in delivering IT
• How ageing infrastructures are dealt with in this age of technology ability to refresh an ageing infrastructure without incurring CAPEX costs.
• Economic aspect of the cloud (Support for more users and new IT services)
• Cloud frees up staff for other projects
• Legal compliance
• Intellectual property
• Breakout clause