Product

Leveraging the Cloud: What Cloud Computing Can Do for You

July 8, 2011

As online services become more common and small companies are acquired for millions, one thing is for certain — the cloud can no longer be ignored.

Of course, there are many different flavors of cloud to consider, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. Should you build your own private cloud? Or is public the way to go? Could your test and dev environments benefit from a cloud model? What are the risks?

These are the questions organizations of all sizes ask every day. And with so many different players now entering the cloud computing market, the answers aren’t always clear. The key is to separate the providers that have a true cloud message from those who only think they do.

Scott Maxwell, Founder of OpenView Venture Partners, says there’s no denying that investments in the cloud will grow exponentially in the coming years.

“I fully expect that cloud service providers will be the dominant location for server loads over the next decade or two. Only companies that have the largest data center needs or specialized needs will be running their own data centers in the future. That said, like all newer architectures, there will be glitches and setbacks along the way.”

Those setbacks are what most organizations still fear. But for expansion-stage companies, the benefits of cloud computing are sure to be realized sooner rather than later. From development to quality assurance, storage management to software training, sales demos to deployment testing — it’s clear that the cloud has plenty to offer.

Learn How to Leverage the Cloud

So which flavor of cloud computing is right for you? In this report from OpenView Venture Partners, you’ll find a section-by-section breakdown of all the key areas of interest for companies at the expansion stage, with details on the top service providers to consider.

Begin your path to the cloud today by downloading the report.

Photo by: Liane Metzler

OpenView, the expansion stage venture firm, helps build software companies into market leaders. Through our Expansion Platform, we help companies hire the best talent, acquire and retain the right customers and partner with industry leaders so they can dominate their markets. Our focus on the expansion stage makes us uniquely suited to provide truly tailored operational support to our portfolio companies. Learn more about OpenView at openviewpartners.com.