14 Oct 2008

Cloud computing 'saves time and money'

Firms could save time and money by being able to access their applications through cloud computing, it has been suggested.

Dennis Quan, director of development for autonomic computing at IBM, told The Whir that there is growing demand among organisations for improved data solutions.

Cloud computing can be used to form a company intranet, he said, where employees can easily gain access to company data rather than all individuals having to download software to their base units.

Businesses which regularly rely on access to IT programmes could save money and time through such technology, Mr Quan told the news provider.

"They [companies] want to better manage data, lower operational costs and make collaboration among employees easier," he added.

However, according to David Mitchell Smith, vice president at research firm Gartner, there is confusion surrounding the term cloud computing as the industry is applying two different definitions to the concept: one which is focused on the use of virtualisation and system infrastructure, and another which is more-focussed on a broader definition of the cloud itself.