Webinar: Cloud Computing for Entrepreneurs

Cloud Computing for Entrepreneurs

A Seminar and Online Discussion by Adam Weisblatt

Choosing a technology is always second to determining the business process.

What is the problem you are trying to solve?

What is the value you are trying to create?

Once these questions are answered the choices about technology become straightforward.

Focus on the Business Process

What you need to know

Research & Development

Production

What is Cloud Computing?

Sales & Marketing

The server in the closet

Choose a Service

Choose a Provider

Skype: SkepTickle

Human Resources

Bundled Services

If you know that you need several services, it may make sense to use a company like the one's mentioned here who provide different tools linked together.

Do they have a strong user-base?

With the growth of the Internet

What does your business need now?

Where are your pain points?

Cloud Computing Definition

What does your network say about them?

What features do you need in order to solve your business problem?

the Cloud is now more robust

Finance

The idea that people should not have to own and maintain technology when someone else can offer the same service more efficiently.

But now desktop computers and small servers have gotten so complicated that they are slow, and expensive to maintain

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than the personal computer

"A computer on every desk"

Where are you investing in technology unnecessarily?

Bill Gates

The Cloud isn't new...

Do they have a mobile app?

Do they make it easy to use their service?

Gates had a vision...

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Do they connect to other services that you use?

Google now provides a way to sign up for SaaS services through their Google Apps Marketplace. The advantage is that they are integrated with your Google Accout.

You already use the cloud

Teletype

The connection to the mainframe might have well been in a cloud.

Choose a Plan

Set up an Account...

All Cloud Services

...then Add People

SaaS

Software as a Service

I use a service that maintains the fax capability for me and they send me my faxes by email.

Operations

It might as well be in a cloud

Your options:

Opt out

Figure in maintenance, training and upgrades when calculating Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of current or planned technology

Free

Limited services. You will probably need to upgrade which is easy. Ideal for a pilot or for a startup on a shoestring.

Minimum

Calculate how much of the service you will need. You can always upgrade later.

Maximum

Usually not necessary unless you know you need the most robust service right away.

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Review the Dashboard

Create Stuff!

There's always a Dashboard that gives a view of all the objects you created and often provides valuable metrics

OBJECT

The power of objects comes in linking objects and metadata (descriptions, categories, tags)

Importing

Export first to see what format the tool uses. Then export from your old system, and import into the new tool.

Editing

Final Thoughts (sort of)

Business is now about collaboration

Business needs to be organic

How this class is structured

Join the ongoing discusion on our Facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cloud-Computing-for-Entrepreneurs/205127312839291

Produced by

http://whiteleafconsulting.net