Is Your Head in the Clouds?

One of the great things about technology is that it is always evolving, often at a rapid pace.  While new technological advancements can be exciting and awe inspiring, keeping up with the latest and greatest can sometimes feel overwhelming.  Most people who work in the IT field specialize in one particular area and develop their expertise over time.  However, technology is interesting because it is one field that affects almost everyone no matter what type of work they do or what their hobbies are.  So when a new technological buzzword enters the mainstream, how does the general public absorb the new knowledge?

A national survey conducted by Wakefield Research in August of 2012 examined more than 1000 American’s view of “the cloud.”  The results of this study, which was sponsored by Citrix, were interesting to say the least.  Many of the people who responded to this survey said that they believe the cloud is related to weather, while other respondents referred to pillows, drugs and toilet paper.  While one third of the survey participants see the cloud as a “thing of the future”, over 95 percent are actually using various cloud technologies today including online shopping, banking, social networking and file sharing.  Below are a few of the highlights from this survey:

• 51% believe that stormy weather could interfere with cloud computing
• 3 in 5 (59%) believe the “workplace of the future” will exist entirely in the cloud
• 40% believe accessing work information at home in their “birthday suit” would be an advantage
• More than 1/3 agree that the cloud allows them to share information with people they’d rather not be interacting with in person
• After being provided with the definition of the cloud, 68% recognized its economic benefits
• 14% have pretended to know what the cloud is during a job interview

Although some of the results of this survey are humorous, there is value in the study findings nonetheless. Kim DeCarlis, vice president of corporate marketing at Citrix was quoted in a press release stating: “This survey clearly shows that the cloud phenomenon is taking root in our mainstream culture, yet there is still a wide gap between the perceptions and realities of cloud computing.  While significant market changes like this take time, the transition from the PC era to the cloud era is happening at a remarkable pace. The most important takeaway from this survey is that the cloud is viewed favorably by the majority of Americans, and when people learn more about the cloud they understand it can vastly improve the balance between their work and personal lives.”

We recently shared an article on our blog, Cloud Computing Simplified, which is a great introduction to cloud computing presented in an easy to understand format.  If you are interested in learning about cloud computing and how it can improve your business, The Vested Group is here to help.  We can answer all of your questions about the cloud and provide you with a demonstration of what a web based ERP system can do for your company.  Contact The Vested Group at / today!