According to the US first Chief Information Officer, Vivek Kundra, the government has outsourced over 4,700 systems. Kundra proclaimed that the government’s reluctancy towards cloud computing because of privacy issues is “ridiculous.” “Millions of dollars are spent each year on projects which never quite take off because an old IT model is being utilized rather than cloud computing.” He predicts, however, that the US government will make a major shift over to cloud computing in the next few years.

• Cloud Computing Security Concerns ‘Ridiculous’ Says Expert

Rick Blaisdell argues that cloud computing allows for small businesses to compete against larger enterprises with the use of cloud computing. In the cloud, companies often only pay for what they use, cutting down costs for SMBs. Moreover, SMBs do not need to pay for the infrastructure, management, or IT department to keep the system running smoothly. With the cloud, the size of the company does not necessarily matter anymore, instead, “the main differences between a companies offerings will be marketing and execution.”

• Cloud Computing Will Allow the Smallest Companies to Compete Against the Largest

Many cloud computing enthusiasts keep proclaiming that cloud computing will be as big as the internet, but is it all just wishful thinking? It is certainly growing rapidly for personal and business use. The cloud can save businesses 10-60% on IT costs and allow businesses to accelerate their business vision at a faster rate. There is also a lot of discussion around the government utilizing cloud computing, with savings estimated around $20 billion. Experts have actually collaborated to form US CLOUD2 Commission and drew a roadmap for the government’s cloud adoption. The roadmap outlines a phased cloud implementation that takes place between 12 to 18 months. A large U.S. Senate briefing with CLOUD2 is scheduled for later this month.

• Will Cloud Computing Really be as Big as the Internet?

During the “Great Recession,” many (if not most) companies had to make cutbacks and sacrifices to make up for lost revenue. Unfortunately, this came at the price of laying employees off. During this time, though, SaaS companies managed to grow 30% year-over-year. This was because many companies made the switch over to SaaS solutions, saving them significant money on software and technology. SaaS solutions required them “to get smarter about their businesses, markets and competitors, and solutions,” and offered them a flexibility and affordability they had not previously experienced.
There are a variety of SaaS services for different enterprise needs. This includes CRM, Marketing, Human Resources, and Financials, just to name a few. If you have a need for an SaaS solution, there is certainly one out there that can fulfill your requirements.

• SaaS Makes Good Sense, Even in a Recession