Some of the teams we implement cloud computing systems for work in one location. Many more are distributed and work all over the country and the world. With Google Apps, for example, a team can be in completely different locations and feel together in one environment. Their collaboration is in real-time and everyone can get things done accessing resources and people available in a secure environment. It is the magic of the cloud. You can manage your business and customers from a web browser or mobile device.
Your location is much less important in the cloud. The thing that matters is whether you are logged in, and that matters only depending on whether you are working in real-time vs. sequentially.
One of our recent implementations of a team has their organization spread halfway around the world between various states and South America. Having a central knowledge base where they can get answers in a Google Site helps everyone to get aligned around business process.
As things continually change, the process can be updated, knowledge can be shared easily and systems can be updated to enable customer communications and follow-up for sales, service and marketing functions.
Ask someone a simple question, “Where do you go to get things done?” See if they truly answer, “The office.” Most people get distracted in an environment where people can interrupt them and are tempted to do so easily. We get work done through focus and moving information on a screen. Ideally, this is in a central cloud computing system.
Perhaps the old ideas and habits keep you from broadening your perspective on what productive organizations are already doing today. How about exploring and use the cloud to lower your real estate footprint, allow people to work from home or work wherever they want. It will force you to make the work about systems rather than face time.
How can you apply this to your startup or business?
