Ever since the dawn of the computer age, we have been seeking a mythical computer utopia. \u00a0A place where computers are truly an integral part of our lives and truly bring benefit to them. \u00a0I\u2019m reminded, to some degree, of the car in the Robert Heinlein novel \u201cNumber of the Beast\u201d that was in virtual constant communications with its owners, was able to write its own programs, etc (It may have been more of a computer that had an interface in the car, I haven\u2019t read the book in probably 30 years). \u00a0Steve Jobs certainly had this vision, as is discussed in the book \u201cInsanely Great\u201d. \u00a0However, there is always the sense that we haven\u2019t quite gotten there yet. \u00a0The ring is just out of reach. \u00a0It is always dangerous to say that thus and such a technology will allow us to grasp the ring, so I won\u2019t go there. \u00a0However, I will say that Cloud technology has allowed us to move closer to the ring.<\/p>\n
We all think of the cloud as a way to store data or deploy applications outside of our own data centers, and that is still its primary objective. \u00a0There is a necessarily positive side effect of doing this. \u00a0That is, I can now access these applications and data from anywhere. \u00a0When I started moving more of our functions into the cloud, it was, in part, so that our small team could function anywhere. \u00a0It dawned on me this morning, that this, still, was only the tip of the iceberg. \u00a0In fact, it is the ability to work anywhere, and on any device<\/em>, that is key. \u00a0I am working in my home office right now, with no devices that belong to my company. \u00a0Yet, I needed to see what time a couple of meetings were today. \u00a0I looked on my iPad (because it was the closest device to me and was open at the time). \u00a0As I opened the collection where my calendar was, I was actually looking for a planner app I had been using a while back, but it wasn\u2019t there anymore. \u00a0I then remembered why. \u00a0I had run across several planner apps that were something like the Covey planner system. \u00a0I like the way they handled tasks and presented everything holistically. \u00a0However, the bad ones were almost unusable, but the good ones used an independent system of tasks and reminders from the iOS ones. \u00a0Suddenly, any tasks I created were only available on my iPad. \u00a0I stopped using them.<\/p>\n My calendar, however, is available on every device I own. \u00a0From my office laptop, to my personal laptop, iPhone, iPad, you name it. \u00a0So are my reminders. \u00a0So are my emails. \u00a0So these apps are actually useful because they allow me to have my data at the ready wherever I am. \u00a0I\u2019ll admit the most important device in this regard is my phone. \u00a0Not because I use it for that much, I don\u2019t. \u00a0It is because it is the one device that is always with me.<\/p>\n In order for this sharing of data between devices to work, the data must exist in the cloud somewhere. \u00a0The alternative is to perform an inter computer sync, which was quite the rage for a while with different applications, but is beginning to go the way of the dinosaur. \u00a0Calendar, email, tasks, etc., are all in the cloud for a lot of us. \u00a0A growing number of applications will use a cloud file storage solution (Box, DropBox, Skydrive, etc.) as a backend. \u00a0I use DropBox extensively in my personal life simply because it permits me to have access to a lot of information no matter where I am. \u00a0Evernote is increasingly the poster child for this sort of functionality. \u00a0As I\u2019ve looked at applications for things like handwritten note capture, I\u2019ve dropped a great number of them because they either don\u2019t provide a seamless multi device utilization model.<\/p>\n You see, the cloud allows our computers to be more integrated with our lives, and truly become servants. \u00a0Although a legitimate argument can be made that computers have taken over our lives, I think that is looking at the situation incorrectly. \u00a0When we had to go sit at a desk and fire up a machine, wait for the boot cycle, then dig for information in order to achieve our goals, we were slaves to the machine. \u00a0Somewhat like Oliver Twist begging for more, we would approach the machines like they were our masters. \u00a0Now, I expect my information to be at my finger tips when I want it, on my terms. \u00a0A bit more like Downton Abbey, where I can pull a cord from whatever room I am in, and a servant will arrive ready to provide whatever I need. \u00a0Applications that cannot perform this task are of no use to me, and must be banished.<\/p>\n When I first began thinking about using the cloud, it was all about risk mitigation and cost management. \u00a0Now, I see it more as how to enable computers to truly be integrated in our lives. \u00a0The next step, is to begin to educate my user base on this, so that they can realize these benefits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ever since the dawn of the computer age, we have been seeking a mythical computer utopia. \u00a0A place where computers are truly an integral part of our lives and truly bring benefit to them. \u00a0I\u2019m reminded, to some degree, of the car in the Robert Heinlein novel \u201cNumber of the Beast\u201d that was in virtual 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