Thanks to an improving climate, popular cloud computing is on the horizon. And it's here to stay.

By now, most of you have heard of cloud computing — some of it good, some of it bad and, mostly, all of it confusing.

The idea of computing on the cloud and accessing needed files and programs has been around since the early days of the Internet with (ASP) and on-demand software services for things like sales, accounting etc. These services met the needs of a specific department, but the idea of moving a company's entire computing process to an offsite cloud where they'll save money, become more efficient and remain secure? Well, let's just say that sounded like the pie-in-the-sky stuff we used to read in those popular science magazines. You know, the stories that had us farming on the ocean floor or setting up colonies on the planet Mars by the year 1999.

Well, I'm here to tell you: It's not pie in the sky. The cloud is here.

Look, I hear varying experiences from people all over the world when speaking on the subject of switching to the cloud. These stories range from outrageous success to calamitous failure and everything else in between. But here's my theory on the cloud. If the time is right for you, take the leap. And if your not ready, you better start getting ready because, like it or not, that ship has already left port.

So, with that said, here are a few tips to use and questions to ask as you consider navigating this process:

What constitutes cloud computing?

Cloud computing is the new rave-and-buzz term in computing and covers a wide array of system, process and delivery platforms:

1. Storage-as-a-Service (On-Demand Disks): This is the ability to provide remote storage to a user and the most common of the Cloud Computing components.
2. Database-as-a-Service (DaaS): This is a remotely hosted database. This would benefit the company that doesn't want to spend the money on the software and hardware to host this database and serve this database. Databases require administration and delivery mechanisms such as SQL.
3. Information-as-a-Service: This is simply remotely hosted information commonly delivered through a remote API (Application Programming Interface). A good example of this would be streaming stock quotes and credit reports.
4. Process-as-a-Service (PaaS): This is the remote resource that binds several of the other "as-a-Service" based components. This is the process of creating remote business processes (I know it sounds crazy.).
5. Application-as-a-Service (No, I am not going to put the acronym here. Let say this is Software-as-a-Service). This is remote application delivery.
6. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

There are several other components that industry experts state are important components of cloud computing. However, for sake of making this THE most boring article you've ever read, I have only included the most important ones.

What are the benefits of cloud computing?

1. Lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). Both on a support level and initial capital investment. You save money when it is on someone else's racks. And aside from the software and hardware savings, you may also save on overhead by outsourcing all of your IT services to your cloud provider. And hey, if you don't think you're already paying a lot for your current IT department, try this cool little calculator to give you a better idea as to just how much your currently spending: http://hiveve.com/new_site/pricing.php?PHPSESSID=7b4cbed0b6355dbee4f7e9709ffb5e92.
2. One-Stop Shop for your technology. Most cloud companies have made it their mantra to include everything in their cloud offerings.
3. Scalability becomes simple. Add/remove servers in an instant.
4. Complete Mobility. Remove the "Brick-and-Mortar" mentality of doing business. Many companies ask, "How do we free ourselves from the office?" Well, cloud computing and the virtual enterprise is the way. Sit on the beach and work directly from your iPad. It may sound hard to believe, but today more than 34 million U.S. adults telecommute at least occasionally. And that number is expected to swell to 63 million — or 43 percent of U.S. workers — by 2016.
5. Disaster Recovery. This fits right into your DRP (Disaster Recovery Plan). Cloud computing is certainly on the rise. Most C-level people have considered this a viable upgrade/option for some time now.

How do I select a cloud provider?

It's no secret that most large enterprises are moving in this direction. With so many companies emerging as the "leaders in cloud computing," how do you know which one is a good fit for your company?

The core steps are to assess the platforms, analyze and test the platforms, select three targets, and deploy. The main factors to consider when looking into a cloud company provider are number of clients, what their clients are saying, and what are the true needs and requests for moving your business into the cloud. You should then ask the target company, "Why should we move into the Cloud"? Evaluate the responses you receive back.

Additionally, you should do the following:

1. Research the target company and determine its viability.
2. Make sure the SLA (Service Level Agreement) includes a failover and disaster timeframe with accountability. Also, make sure they have tested that failover.
3. Make sure the target company has multiple data centers. A true sign of an unstable cloud provider is one which has only one data center.
4. Make sure the target company provides you a complete set of policies.

None of us can foresee what the future holds for IT systems and platforms. Yet, I can tell you my forecast for business computing during the next 10 years: partly cloudy with a100 percent chance of participation.

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That ultra-popular Internet site that brings people together shares a bit too much, and without apology.

On May 25, Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the company was simplifying its privacy settings.

As the media was so quick to point out, his announcement was a reaction to the furor caused by Facebook users and observers, following Facebook's roll out of significant changes to what it does with private information and third parties. Various media also pointed out Zuckerberg didn't apologize for the decisions that created the uproar.

Should Zuckerberg apologize?

During the past several years, his company has faced a number of situations in which it was roasted by the press and its own users for decisions that aren't privacy sensitive. But it is the users who are deciding to continue with Facebook. Of course, Zuckerberg should have apologized. He put private information in harm’s way for hundreds of millions of people.

Yet, I would not have expected him to be at all apologetic, because Facebook isn't built for privacy. It’s built for sharing intimate details. Without that happening, the company’s business model would break down. It thrives by putting user’s private information at risk.

I’m not suggesting the company should continue to put information at risk. Quite the opposite; they can still be a huge, profitable company without do so. They’d just have to change the way they do business, and I suspect that it would be difficult to change so drastically in light of such success.

Despite being opposed to Facebook’s privacy attitude, I must also state that the media, in one way, has treated the company unfairly — by complaining about the complexity of Facebook’s privacy settings. I have been involved in creating privacy settings for Internet services, and it’s not easy. When you're trying to give people choices, it's likely to get complicated.

The complexity shouldn’t be at issue. The methodology should.

The recent changes at Facebook that increased the privacy risk for users were done without giving the users the ability to protect their information in advance. The default settings were made to share, not protect, the information. The changes were only apparent if you read about them in other sources. And the access to the settings wasn't as easy as it should have been. These are all significant issues, causing many users to shut down their Facebook accounts altogether.

Zuckerberg and his company didn’t feel the need to apologize. And he didn’t. He merely announced Facebook would simplify the task of overriding the default settings. In essence, Zuckerberg was saying he is completely insensitive to the privacy needs of his users.

The company had already made the changes that put the information at risk — such as automatically sharing information with third parties about Facebook users who hadn't explicitly logged out of their Facebook accounts before moving on to the next page in their browser — and he made no announcement about changing it back.

He got what he wanted. Now all he had to do is keep users from defecting, and he’ll have accomplished his goal. He was confident that most of them wouldn't bother changing their privacy settings, even after Facebook made them simpler.

I use Facebook infrequently, and only when needed, then log out every time I leave a Facebook page. I changed my privacy settings and constantly monitor to see if anybody I know has put up too much information on their pages about my family — and ask them to remove it. I harp on my teenagers about the amount of information they share, sometimes effectively and sometimes in vain.

And I keep my fingers crossed.

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Editor’s note: David Radin is a national radio show host and business consultant. You can reach him at www.megabyteminute.com.

//> Not to be forgotten, the Imagio has enough bells and whistles to tickle the imagination.

This smartphone actually has little to do with image. Instead, it’s all about multimedia.

Over the past few years, we’ve been paying lots of attention to the “smart” phones powered by the newest cell phone operating systems, such as Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android. Yet, all along, worthy phones have been coming out on other (sometimes forgotten) operating systems.

This is the case with the Imagio, a multimedia smartphone made by HTC for the Verizon Wireless network and based on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system. While the phone has its issues, it also has some neat advantages, especially for multimedia.

Like other smartphones of recent vintage, the Imagio has the user experience hinged on a full-face touch screen, without a hardware QWERTY keyboard. The screen is bright, sensitive and as accurate as any I have used. (I judge accuracy of these screens by whether the button activated corresponds with the one I think I have touched.) And just in case you have fat, uncoordinated fingers, the Imagio has a hidden stylus that you can pull out to use as a pointer.

If your idea of a perfect mobile phone is one that can be used for calling and multimedia, this one could be right up your alley. Phone calls are facilitated nicely with a good feel and button layout (both hard and soft keys), and the multimedia experience is exceptional.

That experience keys off a high-quality picture and crisp sound. Imagio’s large touch screen provides superb picture quality for watching videos or TV shows you can access through Verizon Wireless’s VCast Mobile TV. If you prefer, you can create your own videos or directly view YouTube videos through a quick-access button. VCast Mobile TV gives you direct access to hit shows on the major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC); popular cable networks, including ESPN, CNBC, Nickelodeon, Disney, The Food Network; plus some top cable news outlets (MSNBC and CNBC). An on-screen guide lets you find your favorite shows in seconds. A few weeks ago, I was able to treat myself to a live college basketball game.

As a music player, the Imagio has impressive sound, and it goes beyond simply playing your usual recorded tracks by including an FM tuner with the ability to preset up to 20 stations. It uses your headphone as the antenna.

Microsoft has recently done a pretty good job of upgrading the Windows Mobile operating system. It now sports an easier-to-use menu system with icons like those on the iPhone. Also, it has added nice features like a mobile version of OneNote, a desktop software application that has proven effective for Tablet PC users. And, of course, it still includes mobile versions of Word and Excel, which have always differentiated Microsoft’s mobile operating system.

The only true problem with the Imagio is that the processor seems too small for all it attempts to do. As a result, the performance is often slow at the wrong times. It takes too long to change between portrait and landscape mode, text screens and browser pages don’t change quickly and the phone seems to freeze for long periods. Measured in increments of 3 to 10 seconds, that’s a long time to wait to push the next cell phone button. The good news about the freezing is that it doesn’t seem to affect phone calls, which get priority at all times.

In short, the Imagio is an impressive phone for multimedia – think “iPod substitute” – and a competent smartphone to use as a PDA. It is flexible, has a modern look and feel, and performs admirably for out-of-office functions. Just don’t get annoyed by all the short delays, which can be bothersome.

Editor’s note: David Radin is a national radio show host and business consultant. You can reach him at www.megabyteminute.com.

Google Voice offers much promise. It's just not quite ready for prime time.

You’ve probably already heard of Google Voice, but you might not be aware of what it is. Read more

Yes, sometimes in customer service, the customer is to blame.

I have a newfound appreciation for the people on the other end of the customer support phone lines at all those companies about which we have complained during the past decade. And we all complain — loudly at times — about the long wait times, the endless stream of prompts before we get to the live person, about reaching the wrong person who can’t help us and even about the thick accents that we have trouble understanding.

In the past, I have done customer support — both setting up small operations that take occasional calls, and even being a customer support rep myself. But that pales next to working in a company that does product support on a large scale. And lately, because my company has grown so fast, it has become one of them. (As all my friends say, “But that’s a good problem.”)

When you get hundreds of calls a week, you see patterns. Unfortunately, some of the patterns make people look less smart than I’ve always given them credit for.

Management of usernames and passwords comes to mind as the most common place for average people to show below-average intelligence. We all have them for our bank accounts, voice mailboxes and various other accounts. Some people, though, are just not smart enough to write them down. We encountered one guy who called us six times within a couple weeks because he kept forgetting his password. He, of course, didn’t think he forgot it. He blamed the system.

If you use a system only occasionally, you might forget it, and that’s fine. Most Web services have a way for you to instantaneously reset your password and receive it by e-mail. The link is usually right next to the login fields or perhaps on the page that indicates you didn’t login correctly. In most cases, it’s easy to find. It will say “Forgot password?” or “Having trouble logging in?” or something similar. All you need to do to get your password by e-mail is to click the link and then enter your username, screen name or e-mail address, so the system operator can make sure you are the right person. Then it sends you an e-mail with a new password or your existing password.

The process takes only seconds. Yet, there are people who call customer support instead and then complain because it takes too long. If you want it instantly, use the instant method.

There are lots of reasons for users to go brain dead. But the one that I find most interesting is that they’re in a rush, and they panic, because they didn’t give themselves enough time to learn how to use the system to do their tasks. The result is that they often try to offload some portion of their task to the customer support reps, most often expecting a tutorial on the spot.

No wonder so many companies hide their phone numbers and use lots of phone prompts before allowing the user to reach a real human.

Perhaps we can all identify with one or more of these behaviors. I know I have at times been quick to pick up the phone to ask for help. But now I know a little better. The person supporting you by phone is a lot like the cashier at the supermarket check-out. As soon as one shopper is through, another one is ready to go. The support personnel want to deal with people who at least try, not with those who turn off their brains before picking up the phone.

It’s a challenge for them, and for you, to think first.

Editor’s note: David Radin is a national radio show host and business consultant. You can reach him at www.megabyteminute.com.

In this case, it’s simply a cell phone that is pleasantly reminiscent of talk days long gone.

The Jitterbug phone from Samsung is a cell phone like none I’ve ever used.

It’s the perfect no-frills phone, because you can make calls simply and quickly without the usual distractions of most cell phones. As a basic phone, it’s reminiscent of the old standard desk phone. So it’s great for the technically challenged and for those who want no more than a way to call friends and family. Read more

Want to quickly access podcasts on a portable device without using a computer? Remember the name CastGrabber.

by David Radin

Many of us know that podcasts are recorded programs available on the Internet. In 2008, after all, 2.6 individual-episode podcasts were downloaded by viewers and listeners.

Most of those required a computer to do the download. While many of them were undoubtedly watched on those same computers, a growing number of podcasts are being synchronized to and consumed on portable devices like iPods, MP3 players and multimedia cell phones. (Why do you think the word pod is part of the word podcast?) Read more