Last fall I returned to corporate America after having managed Orphans International Worldwide exclusively since the Tsunami. I wrote about my return in the Huffington Post.
This summer I have taken on an exciting and surprising opportunity to spend time with my company's partner, Rethinkit. I have lunch every day now in Union Square Park, just a block from its Fifth Avenue office.
I am learning about what the business magazines call cloud computing. Wikipedia defines this as a "style of dynamically scalable computing where resources are provided as a service over the Internet."
Charles Karnati and Jason Simotas are the principals of Rethinkit.
Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure in the "cloud" that supports them, Wiki explains. Rather like flying, I don't care how the plane stays in the air just so long as it does.
Rethinkit offers a package designed for offices of 2-100 employees: a server-in-the-sky, so to speak, coupled with standardized computers that synch with their server.
If one computer goes down -- I have witnessed this already -- it gets swapped out with another - which immediately syncs to match the unit it is replacing. Awesome.
No more waiting for tech support. No more lost productivity. Moreover, you can access the cloud from home, laptop, cell phone - anywhere, anytime. Vacation. Business trip. Anywhere. Imagine you're in L.A. and have just lost your laptop.
I am so impressed with cloud computing I am working to see how the organizations I founded - Orphans International, jimluce.com, and the James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation - can use this same technology.
Cloud computing is actually through a secured datacenter, not on a cloud.
Another cool thing Rethinkit offers through its defined platforms -- for both server and individual computers -- is corporate identity for the smallest of clients.
Rethinkit's templates come pre-loaded for Word docs, forms, even auto-signatures, leading to a unified, professional look.
Rear window view at Rethinkit on Fifth Avenue @ 14th Street.
When a client has a new employee, they can be up and running with company email, Blackberry - the works - in a matter of hours. When a client fires someone, Rethinkit can cut them off in a matter of minutes. All of this with a qualified, 24/7 support team.
InfoWorld had a lengthy article this winter called What Cloud Computing Really Means:
Cloud computing comes into focus only when you think about what IT always needs: a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software.
Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends I.T.'s existing capabilities.
Cloud computing is at an early stage, with a motley crew of providers large and small delivering a slew of cloud-based services, from full-blown applications to storage services to spam filtering.
Yes, utility-style infrastructure providers are part of the mix, but so are software as a service provider such as Salesforce.com.
Today, for the most part, IT must plug into cloud-based services individually, but cloud computing aggregators and integrators are already emerging.
Rethinkit does a 'technology audit' of your firm for free - and lets you know where your company stands in terms of Infrastructure (servers, desktops, phones), Organization, and Disaster Recovery.
Rethinkit makes your existing office work better for you.
Rethinkit's team will then grade (A-F) each component of your existing set-up and let you decide if you want to move forward with any new solutions.
Over the years I have come to realize that as much as I want to devote my life to bettering humanity, commerce is necessary for my world to function.
I would like to help your business make more money through better technologies - so you will have the means to make a difference as well. Join me for lunch in Union Square.
I have lunch now every day in Union Square Park, just a block from Rethinkit's Fifth Avenue office.