Setting up a business should not be a chore. However, there are a lot of different areas of an organization that are required for a smooth running of a business operation. Key elements can range from human resources, sales and marketing, administration and IT support, operations, public relations, security, finance, logistics, legal and compliance, and so on. Cloud computing has enabled businesses to outsource many of their core organizational functions to third-parties with less human capital requirements. Perhaps, in time businesses may become more agile making it more accessible to run profitable ventures. Intelligent agents can also add significant value towards automation of the daily processes of a business environment. Having an entire business run in the cloud is not yet a reality for small businesses. However, this is likely to take on even further with Internet of Things and especially with start-ups which may not have the initial capital outlay to manage their core business functions. Amazon Web Services and Salesforce are examples of cloud enabled services that provide some aspects of what businesses require. But, they do not offer a synergy for an entire business which may drive more cost savings. From Software as Service, to Data as a Service, to even Office as a Service could be possible. The cloud itself can drive sales, incorporate lead generation, and connect businesses as well as customers. Hence, an entire business could turn into a one person managed organization that can facilitate the flexibility for growth for the future and yet meet its financial obligations. Office as a Service could also be a potential area for the cloud. One stop cloud shop could include services ranging from essential office software like: document, diary, forms, design, presentations, reports, sheets, refining, email, and website all of which are available on Google Docs to some respects. This could then be extended to provide core business services like: auditing, logging, human resources, CRM, social marketing, collaboration, accounting, communication, metrics, business document templates, visualization, sms/paging, risk management, compliance, finance, analytics, feedback/survey, service management, internal corporate linked data, storage abstraction, amongst other functions in a service-oriented or microservices architecture. On top of this could include additional specialized add-on services. This could even incorporate disaster recovery and technical debt management. Public and Private cloud offerings could also be possible depending on business requirements. Why recruit staff and pay for an office space when one can have an entire business run by itself from the cloud.
