What iCloud Can Do for Your Small Business

In anticipation of the fall flat release of iCloud, Apple this week set icloud.com live for developers. iCloud represents a revamped rendering of Apple's existing Mail, Contacts, and Calendar, and integrates the document sharing features of iWork.com.

With 5GB of quad, the service is out-of-school. Raise packages are priced at $20 for an additional 10GB (15GB total) per year, $40 for an additional 20GB and $100 for an additive 50GB (55 U.K. unconditional) per year.

The majority of reviews and discussion online have centralized on the consumer user experience of the service. However, iCloud hindquarters be used for small businesses. Hera are three reasons to consider it when IT debuts.

Apple iCloud can work for businesses, too.

1. Increased Organization = Inflated Efficiency

iCloud syncs your data–including contacts, videos, and music–across all of your devices. So piece being able to listen to my music on my phone and Mac make my life-time a niggling easier, being able to admittance documents and contacts crossways any device makes doing business quicker and stress-free. Such freedom could significantly increase productiveness.

2. Cut Downwards on Chance

Malware can ten-strike at any instant, so it's nice to have a backup of all your files, especially business organisatio documents. Even at the high Price of $100 annually, chances are the documents you'll lose from a crash are worth a spate more.

3. Work-from-Anywhere Made Easier

If your employees have flexibility in where they solve, iCloud (or another mist serve) is an absolute necessity. Like a sho employees Don't have to worry about sending documents to themselves to access at place, or on the work.

And the drawbacks? iCloud doesn't currently countenance ninefold users signboard into one account with separate logins. And patc Apple might add such a feature, there's been zero official announcement American Samoa of yet. Meantime you can just give everyone the login info for combined account.

You can also subsidize your employees' individual accounts. The line 'tween work and play are blurring in many industries, and unless you have irritable documents which absolutely require break up storage and controlled access, it may make sense to merely get your employees on the cloud and let them use it arsenic they see fit. With the comparatively modest price points and potential huge benefit to your businesses, it's Charles Frederick Worth a shot.

And while iCloud will work with PCs running Windows Prospect or 7, you won't be capable to wont information technology on your Humanoid-based phone. For Android users, this defeats the propose of iCloud, which is for the most part a device syncing service. There are of course separate services out there, many of which support Humanoid phones. Here's a quick breakdown:

1. Google Apps

Pros: Your employees power already be using information technology, and it's twopenny-halfpenny. To each one service offers at least 1GB of unoccupied space, and you can clunk down an extra $5 per year per user for Google Apps for Line of work, adding 20GB for most of its services.

Cons: There's not really uncomparable "corrupt". You use Picasa for your images, Gmail for your netmail, and Google Docs for your documents.

2. Dropbox

Pros: Gives you a Net-connected folder to save subject matter into, which is incredibly easy to use. Make an cut to a file, and the changes will appear crossways all synced devices.

Cons: The free package entirely offers 2GB of storage. Other than that, I'm a big fan.

3. Box.net

Pros: Similar to Dropbox, but with more business chops. It offers seven permit types for IT pros, and can enable you to manage respective or thousands of users. The free software system offers 5GB of storage, patc businesses pay $15 per user for 500GB.

Cons: Beefy security options and admin controls only come with nonrecreational plans.

The price discrepancies betwixt all these services, including iCloud, are comparatively minor. And all of their introductory information packages are free. Supported the size and necessarily of your business, see what suits you.

Ilie Mitaru is a culture and business diarist and an occasional entrepreneur. You ass follow him happening Twitter at @iliemit.