The "Cloud" is an Island and Bridge: It Stands Alone and Connects Your Data Between Machines

Both an Island and Bridge means Freedom

A specific computer used to be the center of the work life.  It had contacts, files, and programs that let us be productive.  But it also tethered us to a location and put us at the mercy of that particular machine. 

Cloud Apps have changed all that and are now powerful enough to get work done from any computer so your computer is a preference and not a necessity.    And the Cloud syncs data between machines so your stuff is always here, there, and anywhere you may need it. 

Collect Client and Firm Info Online and through Email -Automatically and in Minutes

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to collect information by emailing or embedding a form in your web site? And have the result automatically entered into a spreadsheet and receive an email notification upon each entry?That is exactly what anyone can do with Google Docs.

"Cloud" Computing, Intranet Management, and Posting PowerPoint Presentations on the Web

In this post I’m getting a little ahead of myself as I planned to discuss intranet management in Step 5 of the Paperless Express- Leverage the Web.  However, the idea presented itself.

Clicking on a link in a Tweet (@SocialRainmaker) I arrived at the Lexis Hub on a post titled “New Associate Training” and found a PowerPoint presentation. I downloaded it and looked it over. It had attractive slides, and good advice for new associates at big law firms.

However, downloading a file and then relying on a machine’s local software is perhaps not as convenient for the viewer or reliable for the author as it could be.  These days we have more options and so I put together a quick presentation to show you another way it could be handled.

I created the presentation below, and is running through,  Google Docs.  Google Docs comes with a Google account and is also bundled with Google Apps, a suite of services used to build intranets for companies and designed to be run by the tech not so savvy.  Google Apps is part of the SaaS (Software as a Service) or “cloud computing“ movement now underway.