There is an increasing departure from traditional offices with a move into cloud computing. In cloud computing, the word “cloud” is a metaphor for “the Internet,” so the phrase describes computing services (servers, storage, applications, etc.) that are delivered to an organization’s computers and devices through the Internet.

Customers pay for services on an as- needed, pay-per-use business model in which the cloud provider maintains the infrastructure, not the individual user. This virtualization of resources won’t, however, occur overnight. The single biggest hurdle to overcome is the difficulty in delivering a standardized environment to all members. This initiative is still at a very early stage of development with Forrester Research estimating that only 5% of companies are currently prepared for cloud deployment.

A major driver of cloud computing is the freedom in mobility, the ability to use Software as a Service (SaaS) like cloud-based email services Gmail and Yahoo! Mail anywhere without having specific hardware with you. In 2009 only 3% of email accounts were in the cloud. By the end of 2012 that number is expected to explode to 10%. Gartner believes that as cloud email offerings are adopted it will pull wireless email implementations into the cloud. Companies like Research In Motion and other wireless email vendors are forming partnerships with cloud providers to address their customers’ cloud needs.

Think of the impact of cloud computing on a typical real estate office as it opens up ways to stay on top of the latest technological advances in the growing demand for data and bandwidth without all the infrastructure cost. The power of the cloud allows the system to pull in data from third-parties to blend data from local MLS systems and websites like Zillow, Google, etc. in order to provide a full spectrum of available real estate data.

About the Author

During the last fourteen years, nineteen-time author Stefan Swanepoel has widely become regarded as the leading researcher on the business and technology trends impacting the real estate industry. For more information on his annual Swanepoel TRENDS Report and the annual Swanepoel SOCIAL MEDIA Report visit www.RETrends.com.