If you were to believe everything you read, the end of the world is nigh. Whether swine flu, terrorism, network attacks or global warming, we’re all pretty much doomed. As individuals, maybe there is no hope, except to move to a very secluded hill under a very large tree with an awful lot of food and water in reserve.

As businesses there is plenty of hope yet. We need to embrace technology as an enabler, not just a disaster recovery option. Many businesses see the words business continuity and immediately think backups, tapes and redundant power supplies.

But it really needn’t be quite so complex. Cloud computing can help provide your business, especially if it has limited resources (financial or human), with a solution to making business continuity part of every day life.

What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing is the term used to describe a type of computing which uses the internet and a 3rd party service as the software/technology provider. The ‘cloud’ is a metaphor for the internet. Examples would be Google, Glasscubes, Rackspace… in fact the list is really quite long.

How can cloud computing help?

Always on. By providing your business to employees and other companies using a 3rd party technology (for example, lets say Glasscubes) a lot of the worry is taken out of your hands. You have a service which is away from your offices, servers and pretty much anything to do with your business. Typically these locations are also heavily guarded as they are designed for small businesses and enterprises alike. They will also have more than sufficient redundancy meaning the outages are highly unlikely.

Continuity as a daily routine. Another huge benefit is that your employees can use it when there isn’t a disaster and therefore use it as part of their daily routine. Such adoption is crucial in reducing the lag time from a disaster occuring to the employee understanding the new scenario. In theory it doesn’t even need to be a disaster in the truest sense of the word. Maybe continuity is required because an unforeseen event has meant getting into the office is difficult. In such events, all that you have to do is get online and continue working as normal.

No technological expertise. The best cloud computing services require no technical knowledge whatsoever. Everything is hosted and developed by the third party, so you constantly get the benefits of improvements.

Cost. Investing in cloud services to assist your business continuity strategy typically does not cost the earth. Often, services are low cost, but regardless of this, the only technology you need to invest in is the computer and the internet connectivity. Nothing more.

Available anywhere. The very nature of the internet means that you can access the service wherever you can access the internet. As long as you can remember your log in details anyway.

Cloud computing for business continuity?

Absolutely. Why not? It provides you with all of the benefits required for a business continuity strategy and without significant investment. However, as with anything, you cannot just pick it up and expect it to all be smooth should you need to kick into action. Make sure you choose a service which suits your business, not just the most popular or the one which shouts the loudest. Also make sure that people know what the service is for, how to access it and above all, how to use it. After all, your business won’t continue if nobody can use what’s been provided.

Rob Hallums is focused on providing small and medium organizations with advice and guidance to help them get the most from their resources. An expert in online, he has over 10 years experience working in and around small businesses. His blog can be found on Glasscubes website. See how Glasscubes can help you with your cloud computing needs