Part of the appeal of cloud computing is access to services from anywhere with an internet connection, and increasingly that means from a mobile device rather than a laptop or desktop computer.
The latest smartphones and tablet computers such as Apple's iPhone and iPad, or those running Google's Android mobile operating system, have web browsers that are nearly as capable as those running on a desktop, although viewed on a smaller screen. And mobile web browsing is growing fast: although the absolute figures are small, it has increased from around 1% in June 2009 to over 3% today, according to UK figures from the StatCounter web analytics service. And that figure is likely to grow further.
James Cronin, chief technology officer for Venda, an on-demand e-commerce provider, says that up to 5% of total web- site visitors come via a mobile device, driven by links in emails: "This is a result of marketing campaigns sent to customers, who use their smart phones to view and react to the mail they receive." And many then place their orders right away – as long as their browser allows.
Such growth means customers should ensure the cloud computing services they use also work on mobile devices. That said, it is not just a matter of squashing the desktop web experience into a mobile- sized browser. Mobile offers new opportunities, partly because cloud applications can be location-aware. A restaurant guide, for example, can automatically show you what is available nearby.
Depending how much of the platform your company builds, and how your cloud computing provider supplies it, you need to be sure that elements such as location detection, mobile browser detection and repurposing of standard web content for mobile devices – smaller images, different layouts, simpler checkout paths – are all in place.
In fact, the way we use mobile devices could be changing how we do computing. Apple's chief executive officer, Steve Jobs, recently said the post-PC era is beginning. He is arguing for a new generation of mobile computers, designed with the robustness, security and ease of use of appliances in place of complex laptops and desktops, whether PC or Mac.
Google has a project called Chrome OS, an operating system for netbooks where everything you do is done through the web browser. Actual devices are expected towards the end of this year. Personal data is stored in the cloud and, if you lose or break the machine, simply logging on with a new one will get you back to where you were. This approach enables the operating system to be tightly locked-down, reducing the risk of malware (malicious software).
If devices such as these catch on (and Apple has sold 2m iPads since its April launch), they will drive further adoption of the cloud computing model, since the easiest way to reach these users is via web applications. With Chrome OS this is the only choice, as local installs are not allowed.
Apple's iPad is also web-oriented, though in this case it is also possible to install local applications. The post-PC era will also be a cloud era, and that means support for the mobile internet is an important strategy for every business.
