Lower Computer Costs
You don’t need a high-powered and high-priced computer to access your applications in a hosted computing web-based environment. Since applications run remotely, not on the desktop PC, your desktop PC doesn’t need the processing power or hard disk space demanded by traditional desktop software. When you’re using Web–based applications, your PC can be less expensive, with a smaller hard disk, less memory, more efficient processor, and the like. In fact, your PC in this scenario doesn’t even need a CD or DVD drive, as no software programs have to be loaded and no document files need to be saved.
Improved Performance
With fewer programs hogging your computer’s memory, you’ll see better performance from your PC. Put simply, computers in a hosted computing environment boot and run faster because they have fewer programs and processes loaded into memory.
Instant Software Updates
Another software–related advantage to hosted computing is that you’re no longer faced with choosing between obsolete software and high upgrade costs. When the application is web–based, updates happen automatically and are available the next time you log in. When you access a web-based application you get the latest version – without needing to pay for downloaded upgrades.
Unlimited Storage Capacity
Hosted computing offers virtually limitless storage. Your computer’s current 200 GB hard drive is peanuts compared to the hundreds of petabytes (1,000,000 GB) space available. Whatever you need to store, you can. Need more storage right away? In a virtual server environment, adding more available storage is a few clicks away.
Increased Data Reliability
Unlike desktop computing, in which hard disk crashes can destroy all your valuable data, the host computer hard drive crashing will not affect the storage of your data. That also means that if your personal computer crashes, your data is still accessible. In a world where few individual desktop PC users backup their data on a regular basis, hosted computing is the ultimate in data–safe computing.
Universal Document Access
Ever get home from work and realize that you left an important document at the office? Or, forget to take a file with you on the road? That’s not a problem with hosted computing, because you don’t take your documents with you. Instead, they stay at the host, and you can access them whenever and wherever you have a computer and an Internet connection–even from your smartphone or tablet device. All your documents are instantly available from wherever you are; there is simply no need to take your documents with you.
Device Independence
Here’s the ultimate hosted computing advantage: you are no longer tethered to a single computer or network. Change computers, and your existing applications and documents follow you. Move to a portable device, and your applications, document, pictures, etc. are still available. There’s no need to buy a special version of a program for a particular device, or to save your document in a device–specific format. Your files are the same no matter what computer or other device you are using.