Clouds suit firms of all sizes

The benefits of cloud platforms aren't limited to any one segment of the business world. While large organizations will surely enjoy having a way to enable communication between their many employees, small firms will also appreciate the lightweight model when approaching intensive operations such as application development. While business size may determine your choice of cloud tools, there are very few cases in which it should disqualify you.

Small and midsize use cases Dynamic Business recently published a list of the ways in which a cloud deployment can specifically suit the needs and preferences of owners and employees at companies with few employees. This included one of the classic advantages of the cloud: Its pricing structure is more flexible and conducive to growth than traditional IT resources. A small, agile firm may add more members to its development team practically overnight - if that group has a strong cloud framework in place, it will be more likely to take this expansion in stride.

Another of the reasons listed by Dynamic Business is highly relevant to both developers working with Platform-as-a-Service tools and end-users of the Software-as-a-Service apps they create: convenient operation. Gone are the days of highly specialized interfaces and annoying installation processes. Now, Web apps are accessible through an online connection, ready when employees are.

For end-users and developers alike, the cloud's simplicity is a boon.

The ease of use of PaaS software development environments can have critical effects on the way companies organize and structure themselves. Now, teams assigned to create the next generation of highly functional apps can be headed up by business department workers, with oversight by the experienced IT professionals rather than constant, hands-on involvement. This can free up the technical personnel to add value in other ways and keep the software created relevant to the needs of its target audience, a win-win.

Pick the right platform No matter the size of the company involved, the cloud's flexibility can be an ally. Businesses that want cloud on both ends of the app development process - that is, using highly visibly and collaborative PaaS tools to create accessible and intuitive SaaS applications - can work with offerings such as Progress® Rollbase®. Both developers and end-users access the software through their Web browsers rather than complex custom software, smoothing the creation and distribution of Web apps.

Not every business has a large pool of available developers. Whether you're in charge of a small firm with few IT experts on staff or an enterprise with no one to spare, the cloud's simplicity can help.