Expert: Cloud computing is disrupting traditional business IT models

Mark Benioff, chairman and founder of Salesforce.com, recently discussed the future of cloud computing in an interview with Business & Leadership, saying the enterprise is on its way to a desktop-free future. According to Benioff, cloud computing is creating a shift in the way organizations obtain computing resources, creating countless opportunities for innovation and allowing businesses to maximize their technology use.

Benioff explained businesses are entering a new era of computing in which they can transform traditional processes through cloud computing applications, such as Facebook and Twitter, that can connect employees and allow them to collaborate and perform duties through mobile devices. The new processes are creating opportunities for innovation and software efficiency that could not be achieved under traditional computing systems, Benioff said.

The new business capabilities provided by cloud computing are becoming especially prevalent now, as the cloud has essentially arrived in its second version after almost a decade of being a high-risk, high-reward technology, Benioff said. The cloud's maturation in recent years has allowed the technology to take hold as a mainstream part of business processes and culture, cementing its role in the enterprise.

To explain the cloud's important position in changing business processes, Benioff said cloud computing is replacing traditional models of software deployment because it is capable of quickly and flexibly responding to new business-related needs. This gives companies using the cloud a major advantage by allowing them to efficiently respond to market conditions by obtaining new software without dealing with testing or installation, Benioff explained.

"Cloud computing grants us the ability to work in real-time; that’s a big change from the past. While market shifts happen in real-time, deals are won and lost in real-time, and data changes in real-time, the software we’ve used to run our enterprises has been in anything but real-time," he told Business & Leaders. "New real-time cloud applications, platforms and infrastructure mean that customers won’t have to wait weeks or months for their software to respond. It’s instant - and that’s a timeframe we’ve come to expect."

The consumerization of IT is another force behind the move to cloud computing, Benioff explained, as employees using their smartphones to play games, use mobile commerce applications, check email and surf the internet have pushed organizations to provide the same kind of efficiency within their work. As a result, the cloud is improving productivity for office-related tasks, as employees use the technology to leverage advanced, business-specific applications remotely from their mobile phones, Benioff said.

Benioff also told Business & Leaders improved collaboration between workers is another major advantage of cloud computing. Cloud-based software often facilitates communication between workers by enabling them to conveniently use the application from any device. Furthermore, many applications have built-in connections to social media outlets. As a result, workers are able to obtain more information, training and experience by collaborating with a network of co-workers instead of simply working with one or two partners.

According to Benioff's personal experience within his company, cloud-based collaboration tools can also cut down on emails and other office clutter, allowing employees to maximize their time and communication. Furthermore, he told the news source, collaboration tools allow users to become connected with the entire company, giving them a clearer vision of the business and empowering them to respond more intelligently to problems as they arise.

A recent report from Datamation explains cloud computing is set to create a number of major changes in the mobile device market. As organizations continue to deploy cloud computing solutions that can be accessed through a wide variety of platforms, mobile devices, such as tablet PCs and thin client computers, could become more popular.