It’s both good and bad that I can’t take my work home.  These days my biggest limitation is technology. The work I do depends heavily on several expensive software packages.  My employer has a policy disallowing the organization from paying for software for home computers, and these applications are too expensive for me to buy on my own dime.  So often I’m unable to work from the comfort of my home or after work hours even when I’m inclined to do so.

Recently in my field there has been a lot of talk about cloud computing, a possible solution to my dilemma.  Cloud computing is the increasingly common occurrence of accessing computing applications via the Internet.  Cloud computing separates the software from the logical functions of the local hardware, so instead of needing computing power or specific applications locally (e.g. a specific desktop running a particular application in your office), major computing functions are housed on a server that people access from afar, usually via the Internet. Computing power and the requisite software are purchased or used as needed.

What are some examples of cloud computing? A good example is Google Docs, which allows the Leading Virtually team to store documents and collaborate entirely online and at the team’s convenience from any computer with Internet access and no use of our own storage capacity.  The National Center for Education Statistics now allows users to perform basic statistical functions (e.g., regression analysis) on the website where users retrieve the data.  MagCloud, a service from HP, offers all the computing necessary for magazine production as a utility available on the web (see a multimedia presentation from NY Times about this).

One of the big selling points for cloud computing is that it significantly reduces (if not removes) the capital investment companies have to make in the applications of interest.  Rather than having to buy a system or a software, cloud computing offers a new model.  A company might pay an access fee or membership, rather than buying entire systems.  The promise is that many people and organizations will have access to important business technology that they might not have been able to afford before cloud computing.

While that business model is interesting, and many details of its sustainability are still in question, the interesting side to the Leading Virtually team is what this means for work teams and leaders.  As cloud computing gains popularity, capital resources are less of a concern or barrier for teams to access technology.  This means that the way people can use technology to enable their knowledge, ideas, and creativity will be even more crucial than it is now.  Cloud computing, by democratizing computing, will take us one step further into being an economy in which your knowledge and talents, rather than access to technology, give you an edge.  Who might this affect?

• IT leaders will spend less time focusing on managing capital investments and more time focusing on effective and efficient use of technology
• IT support will not need to focus as much on troubleshooting hardware, and can invest more in training people in the organization to take full advantage of applications.
• Using technology to try out new ideas will be less risky – even if the idea fails, there will be little sunk capital costs.
• Even physical space and interaction might change.  For example, I am currently chained to my computer, so to speak, because of specific applications I use regularly.  But I work with people throughout the organization.  If my applications were accessed through cloud computing, I could work in many physical spaces other than my office. This could enhance our ability to collaborate both face-to-face (by accessing work together on a computer in one office) and virtually.
• Virtual teams may be formed more often and in more organizations because cloud computing will give teams the tools they need to collaborate effectively and at a reduced cost to the organization.

• Workers may see an increase in flexibility of work hours and opportunities for remote work.

A potential drawback is that cloud computing may continue to blur the distinction between work and non-work time which began with communication technologies like email and work cell phones. As workers became “reachable” all the time, expectations to work outside of regular work hours have increased.  Cloud computing could increase this effect.  Where previously I could only perform certain work functions at my office computer, cloud computing might make it possible for me to perform those functions from home, or vacation, or anywhere.  This means that leaders must also be responsible and carefully consider what they expect of their work teams.  Just because work can be accessed and done doesn’t mean that every hour of the day is fair game for work.  People need and often value their down time.

It seems quite likely that cloud computing is going to become more widespread, and that it will be a form of disruptive technology – uprooting old ways of doing things for new.  Disruptive technology tends to breathe new life into some people and businesses while making others obsolete.  IT leaders and workers alike should take note of cloud computing, and start thinking of how it can open up new possibilities for the work they do.