楊長華專訪 - The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce

| Special Reports 專 題 報 導 |Choosing a Cloud ComputingServiceCloud computing applications useful to smallbusinesses include:• sales tools• office software• customer relationship management (CRM)software• human resources software• payroll software• collaborative working toolsMany such applications are available on aSoftware as a Service basis – where the software ismaintained and upgraded by the provider andaccessed through the customer’s web browser.There are a wide range of providers that offer cloudservices to business.Sales and CRM toolsOnline sales and CRM applications can help youtarget new business and service the needs ofexisting customers more effectively. Sales teams,for example, can use web-enabled devices such assmartphones to access and update customerinformation whilst on the move.Virtual officesOffice software and collaborative working toolsavailable through ‘the cloud’ allow employees towork anywhere using web-enabled devices –exchanging emails and sharing information asneeded. This supports more flexible workingpractices and allows employees to collaborate withcolleagues, clients and customers.Changing providersWhen selecting a service provider it is important toknow how easy it would be for you to change thelevel of service you are receiving, or – if necessary– end the contract or service level agreement andmove to another provider. To avoid being ‘lockedin’ to a service, you should carefully consider yourcontractual obligations and how technically viableit would be for you to change service providers inthe future.As with all suppliers, you should do yourresearch to find the provider most suited to yourbusiness requirements. Ask other businesses andcarry out research online to ensure that theprovider you choose is reputable.Information provided by The National B2B Centre.provider, which a company’s staff can access from anywherevia the Internet.“For viewing documents and simple editing when we areout of the office, Office Web Apps provides a quick and easyway to maintain productivity,” says Li. “We now can access andeven edit our files anywhere and on any device, share files andcollaborate easily.”Security and performance concernsA study by IBM, which sells cloud services, shows 72% of572 companies surveyed in the U.S. say they are at least pilotinga cloud service. However, only 13% said they have “substantiallyimplemented” the cloud, which reflects other surveysthat say companies are still cautious about committing themselves.While cloud services may promise significant benefits, italso has its risks. A study by KPMG, Clarity in the Cloud, whichexamined businesses’ adoption of cloud services, showed companiesfeel it will be very important for security for the futureof their business. However, depending on third-party providersraises the stakes for many users, particularly when they areaccustomed to overseeing and managing critical issues such assecurity and performance. Importantly, security is a challengeinside and outside of the cloud. Breaches across the spectrumof providers, organizations and global corporations exist inand out of the cloud.When asked about the top challenges/concerns they facedin adopting a cloud environment, the report said 44% of enduserrespondents cited security, and 29% expressed concernabout overall cloud performance. One fifth of companies citedconcerns over interoperability or integration. Arguably, theinteroperability and integration issues will create more challengesover time as organizations look to better leverage internaland external data and information. Other key concernsinclude IT governance, loss of control over customer data andavailability.Line outages and the price tag add to the concerns causingbusinesses to take a cautious approach. If the server goes downand businesses are unable to work until things go back online,it can be costly. But the KPMG study found the risk of a cloudprovider failing materially for any extended period is substantiallylower than in-house IT.Li’s business joined the cloud at a time of rapid growth in itsbusiness, including plans in the Mainland. He isn’t concernedabout downtime.“Unlike in the past, when a PC crashes, we don’t go offline –we just move to another PC. As a result, we are now providingalmost non-stop service availability,” he said.The efficiency gains by his staff have been dramatic. “Theease with which we can set up web, audio and video conferencinghas cut down on our travel time,” says Li. “Our clients canvisit one of our locations and meet any of our staff, and wecan achieve this at a fraction of the cost because it is all online.We can also instantly respond to customer and team requestsalmost anywhere. Issues that took one or two working days cannow be resolved in hours.”12 September 2012 The Bulletin 工 商 月 刊