04 Jun 2010

Cloud offers "great opportunities" for IT to boost bottom lines

Cloud computing represents a radical shift for IT that will "accelerate the evolution" of how companies work, according to one expert.

Writing on the official Microsoft blog, the company's director of server and tools business Patrick O'Rourke said the cloud brings "great opportunities" for tech staff to increase their contribution to a firm's bottom line.

For example, it will allow companies to move the management and delivery of applications such as email to hosted services, freeing up in-house personnel to concentrate on developing "new, strategic solutions".

It will also provide "extra computing horsepower" to help organisations meet seasonal spikes in demand without the expense of acquiring new hardware and software.

Alternatively, the cloud will help IT professionals to more quickly deploy the applications and services that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of how their firm does business, Mr O'Rourke added.

In related news, Microsoft officially launched its 2010 versions of SharePoint, Exchange and Office earlier this week in New York.