If you come to the adCenter blog regularly you may have noticed that a few guest bloggers have joined our ranks recently. We like the way they share their business insights to complement our adCenter updates and tips on how to get the most out of your PPC campaigns. Recently someone talked me through cloud computing and what Microsoft does for small companies to simplify doing business by taking care of IT services (so that you can focus on running your business). As I know how busy entrepreneurs are I was quite impressed by the ease of it and the fact that a lot of the services work on a pay-as-you go basis. In this guest blog posts my will colleagues explain to you those technologies that offer productivity benefits and how these can help you grow your sales and customers. There are also product offers so that you can try them out - Simone

Cloud computing

Cloud computing works on the same principal as satellite TV, phone and broadband subscriptions – you pay a monthly charge for the IT services you need, such as: email, customer relationship management systems or web conferencing. These services are provided by a third party – an IT partner and charges will depend on what you need and how many PCs you have.

Do I have to have cloud computing?

The short answer is no – the choice is up to you. You can buy your PC(s) and all the software you need and keep everything in your home or your office. This is called ‘on-premise’ because everything you need is kept on your premises (although you’ll still need to subscribe to broadband).

But let’s say you’re just starting up in business, you’re not particularly technical and don’t want the hassle or learn how to set up a professional email system. It’s easier to let someone else look after this for you from about £4 a month.

Cloud computing means you don’t have to worry about your IT software, you can focus on your business instead. You pay for what you want at the time that you need it and if your requirements change you simply change your subscription. It’s also easier to manage your cashflow and you don’t need upfront capital investment.

You can also mix both on-premise and cloud computing. If you have very specialised or older business applications for example you will probably need to a combination of both.

Business examples

Take a look at this brief video ‘A day in the life of 4 small businesses’ that demonstrates some of the business benefits to a launderette and coffee shop, a restaurant, a sailing company and a speech therapist practice.

What cloud services does Microsoft offer?

Microsoft offers cloud services for businesses of all sizes - from sole traders to multi-national corporations. Here is a brief overview of the most popular small business cloud solutions.

Microsoft Office 365 for small businesses

Office 365 offers an easy-to-use set of web-enabled tools for small businesses, independent consultants and professionals looking for business-class productivity services. Working with the tools people know and use today, Office 365 provides:

  • Anywhere access to email
  • Important documents
  • Contacts and calendars

On nearly any device. You can try Office 365 free for 30 days, or subscribe today for just £4 per user per month for up to 25 users and from £6.50 per user per month for 25+ users. Organisations with more advanced needs, such as Active Directory federation, archiving for legal compliance, hosted BlackBerry Enterprise Server, or 24.7 phone support, should consider Office 365 for enterprises.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

If you need a professional customer relationship management system to track your sales and marketing activities, you need Dynamics CRM Online. The power of productivity and the convenience of the cloud can help you:

  • Improve sales planning and management
  • Automate your lead system
  • Boost sales
  • Enhance pipeline management

You can get a free 30-day trial of Dynamics CRM today (Internet Explorer 7 or later required) and prices start from a special introductory offer of £22.75 per user per month (promotional price offer expires 31 December 2011).

Office Web Apps

If you’re just starting up in business and aren’t quite sure what you need yet, why not try Office Web Apps? For personal use Office Web Apps on SkyDrive are available for free. These convenient online companions to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote offer you an easy way to access, view, and edit documents directly from your web browser.

Bigger business?

If you’re out-growing the ‘small business’ label, we have more cloud offerings (with free trials) on our mid-market site.

Windows Intune for example, offers PC management, control and security, along with Windows 7 Enterprise upgrade subscription from £7.25 per PC per month and again, you can get a free trial. To understand more about how Intune works and the business benefits it can bring, read why London-based Pygmalion is anticipating a 50% revenue growth.

And if you’re developing cloud applications or services, Windows Azure provides on-demand compute and storage to host, scale, and manage web applications on the Internet through Microsoft datacentres. Get a free trial.