The Cloud and Scalability

By David Naves

The essence of the cloud and cloud computing is the ability to increase capabilities and scale without increasing investment in entirely new infrastructure. This is also similar to the essence of online marketplaces. Small businesses can scale their virtual infrastructure and their sales exponentially by becoming a part of a marketplace within the cloud. Merchants can work together by helping each other and sharing information, cross-selling and up selling each other’s products and services. Some of this can be done industry-wide some of this can be done city-wide some can be done state-wide. But all of it in the end… global. This can effectively be accomplished within an online marketplace system via the cloud and cloud computing. Similar to cloud computing, merchants working with a marketplace system can scale their industries, their cities, and their sales by using each and every product and service as a refined baited hook, to create vast virtual networks. The only tools needed are computers, connections and open minds, ready for a paradigm shift. Merchants are bound by nothing nor limited by anything and can sell to any one anywhere in the world at any time of day or night.. The cloud truly is the great equalizer. It’s not necessarily in its infancy but certainly in its youth. The paradigm shift of breaking free of the confines of traditional business practices has to happen and must happen now. Small businesses, for example, represent the backbone of this nation’s economy and is the very backbone that will do the heavy lifting in terms of getting it back on its feet. But again, the paradigm shift has to happen quickly and businesses have to act collectively. Scalability is absolute and easy to accomplish if the cloud is embraced and implemented with proper diligence.

Scalability is truly the operative word here. The cloud offers enormous opportunities for scalability. Never before have businesses had the opportunity to scale as they do now. The Internet cloud if harnessed correctly, offers a boundaryless landscape. Let’s talk about boundaryless… no barriers to entry, no boundaries to new and existing customers, services and products And NO boundaries to true growth. Scalability is only limited by one’s desire. Ticketing businesses such as Ticketmaster have been able to scale their operations so vastly while at the same time cutting their costs enormously. During the good old days, massive call centers drove Ticketmaster’s business. A little-known fact was that most of the calls never resulted in the sale but simply higher costs because most callers just wanted information and not necessarily a ticket. But along came the great equalizer and the company was able to scale operations with the crew of 12 and transform call centers into a cloud of data generators. And data as we know is king. Simply put, those with the BEST data, win.

Smaller businesses can also benefit by embracing this great equalizer. Each and every day within the cloud brings with it new challenges as well as new opportunities. Cloud computing brings with it, immense power. The power to build new businesses the power to empower existing businesses and the power to scale. Businesses that act together can tap into this equalizer very affordably. Yes, working together within the cloud requires a ton of work, but it has teeth and if implemented correctly, with the right mindset, the sky is the limit. How? Plan your work and work your plan. It’s really a simple formula.

Cloud computing is simply a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in additional infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing additional software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends computing capabilities. Businesses must embrace this bleeding edge real-time business model if they are to compete in the current marketplace. Doing so can increase revenues beyond anything that’s ever been comprehended especially during these economic downturns. The cloud offers far more numbers than any local area radius currently marketed. The new mantra for the 21st century is Think Local:: Sell Global(tm)

There isn’t an industry out there that couldn’t benefit from the scalability of the cloud… especially if implemented within the parameters of an online marketplace. But again, the paradigm must shift from business first, products and services second… and trying to compete alone in the vast Cloud. There is strength in numbers we must all work together to pool resources and create a much bigger pie. Merchants must learn to step out of the way of the sale and let the transactions happen organically. Consumers want what they want and they want it immediately. Scalability really is a key factor in the consumer experience. If the product or service doesn’t exist for them (because of a lack of scale), they simply move on. All of us as web users have the attention spans of gnats. The great e-tailers embrace this and use it as a competitive advantage when providing their services and products on the web.

So use this information wisely. Think about the advantages the cloud provides,the advantages of cloud computing, the advantages of online marketplace… think about all of it. Think about the future.

Think Local:: Sell Global! And stay thirsty my friends…

Tags: cloud computing, cloud scalability, local marketplaces, the cloud, think local: sell global (tm)
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