Open source and cloud computing are two development approaches that tech geeks will often laud as “the way of the future.” Certainly, many major companies have stepped through that threshold, allowing for greater degrees of cloud development and a greater appeal to the open source community. Microsoft, one of the biggest guns around, has recently joined with those companies. They have done this in several different ways.

The first and in many ways most important way in which Microsoft is displaying its affection for cloud computing is with their Office 2010 software. While the desktop version (as of July 2010) of the software is not yet available, a beta version of a web accessible Office was released in the first half of 2010. Once finalized, this Microsoft response to Google Docs will be available, free of charge, to all Live users. The possibility of collaborative work on documents, as well as the fact that the basic productivity software will be free, is just the tip of the iceberg. Microsoft has stated greater ambitions, declaring that they intend to revolutionize productivity for their hundreds of millions of users. As far as maintaining financial viability, they will make its extra revenue from businesses or individuals who want to store files, using a system similar to current exchange hosting to store their files.

Exchange hosting itself also shows a step toward cloud computing. After all, much of the functionality of Exchange comes from a cloud computing system which allows groups to share, synchronize, and organize information, without stepping on each other’s toes.

Microsoft has done more than simply use cloud to great effect, however. They have also emerged as an industry leader in providing a programming space for cloud coders, and viable servers for those using utilities that live inside the cloud. Windows Azure, the primary cloud computing platform provided by Microsoft as of July 2010, is a flexible and reliable resource for those with Cloud projects. The primary purpose of Azure is to make sure that the programmed cloud applications have the best possible server platform to ensure maximum speed and resilience, with little to no down time.

Microsoft has already spoken up with regards to actually creating that software, introducing their own “AppFabric.” Windows AppFabric is a set of services, applications, and management utilities that help anyone using or creating Microsoft based cloud programs. The framework provides the perfect testing ground for any programmers, and the combined programming territory given by Microsoft has opened the door to the open source community.

Beyond everything provided directly by Microsoft, other groups using the Microsoft framework, especially through cloud servers, are creating great opportunities for open source groups. Affordable cloud servers, intensely attentive customer support, and more alternatives than ever before, can be equated to the opening of a floodgate for the open source world.

While it may be irritating that cloud obsessed tech gurus now have one more thing to talk about, the Microsoft move toward cloud and open source indicates the culmination of the current paradigm shift. After all, there really aren’t any big guns left who haven’t joined in with this new wave of technologies.

About the Author:
Selena Narayanasamy loves all things technology, entrepreneurship, social media, and writing. Find her on her social media/tech blog, Esvienne, or follow her @Selenavidya.

With small business getting on board the cloud-computing bandwagon, few have stopped to question if they are making the right software decisions.

WORKetc founder, Daniel Barnett, today claimed that small business and distributed teams were increasingly running into costly problems when signing up to multiple Software-as-a-Service offerings.

“What we are seeing time and time again are business owners that have read the latest review and signed up for web based CRM software.” said Barnett. “They have then decided they need project management software nd then billing software and any number of different offerings. But before they know it, they find their business is paying for 5 or 6 different software tools and are now facing expensive integration headaches. Any advantages that cloud computing are supposed to offer is quickly eroded.”

Frustrated with being unable to find the tools to manage a distributed team across his business, Barnett set about developing what has now become the WORKetc unified small business management platform.

“The questions that business teams must answer before signing up for a new service are very simple. Does your Project Management Software do CRM? And does your CRM do Billing? And is all this available on the single web platform? ”

“And it is not just about cost savings or efficiencies of doing everything on the single platform.” Barnett explained, adding, “When you combine key software tools like CRM, Project Management and billing, you have real-time insight into your business. For example, a single customer in your business may be a sales opportunity, have a project underway, a support request for their recent purchase and an overdue account. Try accessing all that information on the cloud without having to resort to a messy integration that might include Salesforce with Basecamp, Quicken and any number of other tools”.

WORKetc is a complete small business solution, integrating CRM with project management and billing in the single online platform. We want our customers to sit back at the end of the day and think “today was just a little bit easier than yesterday because of WORKetc”.

WORKetc CRM + Projects is available at www.WORKetc.com – 14 day free trial, no credit card required.

More and more small-business owners have their heads in the clouds these days — and that’s a good thing.

That’s because Internet-based, “cloud” computing and communications services accessible from any PC and from any location are now available at a fraction of the cost of hardware alternatives. These solutions offer small businesses tremendous flexibility and productivity advantages while eliminating the burden of managing and supporting costly, premises-based equipment.

It helps that one company known for developing innovative business communications services offers a powerful cloud communications solution that lets subscribers manage day-to-day communications online from any Web browser. This enhances business productivity while reducing overhead expense by providing integrated, one-stop access to an affordable suite of essential communications tools.

The 8×8 Virtual Office Pro cloud communications solution features an easy-to-use online dashboard that enables:

• Unlimited local and long-distance VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calling (plus advanced PBX calling features) from a PC, iPhone or desk phone;
• A visual overview and online control of business calling activity;
• One-click access to contacts and co-workers;
• Video Web conferencing with call recording and archiving;
• Unlimited faxes;
• Presence management that tells workers whether you’re logged in, logged off, on the phone, off the phone or currently unavailable;
• Comprehensive view of all voice mails, recordings, fax messages, calls and chat history.

According to Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst for enterprise voice and data at Infonetics Research, “From our IP PBX survey, it appears businesses are increasingly embracing a hosted services model to more easily ramp their capacity needs up and down without a huge cash layout for equipment.”

With hosted services like 8×8 Virtual Office Pro, priced at under $50 per user, a company’s administration and use of its everyday communications tools are now as simple as sending an e-mail or clicking a contact name to place a call. This is further enhanced by the efficiency and productivity advantages associated with having supplemental communications capabilities from a single provider right at your fingertips.

For additional information, visit http://www.8×8.com.

M Squared Consulting has launched the concept of cloud consulting, which could transform how organizations meet their consulting needs.

“Similar to how cloud computing has forever changed the face of IT, cloud consulting will soon become the norm for skills-based delivery,” said Marion McGovern, the white paper’s author and founder & CEO of M Squared Consulting.

“With cloud consulting, we’ve taken our existing model of use-driven pricing and operation to the next level,” added McGovern.

By leveraging M Squared’s cloud consulting model, client companies get access to the exact talent they need, where they need it, for only as long as it is needed. This enables employers to deliver on the promise of a truly flexible workforce – one that scales up or down depending on the work to be done and the results to be delivered. In addition, clients are spared the high overhead costs associated with traditional consulting price structures.

M Squared has leveraged many of the cloud principles since it was founded in 1988. More than a virtual agency, M Squared’s proven collaboration procedures, project scoping, and tight engagement oversight ensure that project milestones are met. Today, its robust cloud consulting model is ideally suited for companies faced with the need to respond quickly and cost-effectively to business challenges.

For more information about M Squared Consulting or to download the new cloud consulting white paper, visit http://www.msquared.com.