Cloud Technology and Real Estate

Say goodbye to your traditional PC? Well, that that may very well be the case now that Apple Inc. (AAPL)CEO Steve Jobs has unveiled their iCloud technology. This new asset will allow users to store their information in the “cloud” rather than on a soon-to-be-obsolete hard drive.

Although this technology is not “new,” as Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) and Google Inc. (GOOG) have been using cloud technology for years, Apple (AAPL)is planning to bring it into the mainstream this fall. If iCloud is popular like recent Apple unveiling's soon every computer will just be a device to access the cloud, where everything will be stored. If your computer crashes, no big deal, it is all safe-and-sound in the cloud. Sure, hard drives will still exist, but probably only as a backup device. The world is a crazy place and you never know when something strange might happen. However, in the future I think that it is safe to say that clouds will be backed up by other clouds, which are backed up by hard drives.

So what impact, if any, does this have on real estate? Well for starters, it is going to be much easier to disseminate information between clients and banks and other people involved in deals. The annoying task of scanning and faxing documents will be ancient history. Sharing is the future.  Important property documents can be accessed 24/7, 365. Huge documents that kill a couple of trees a pop can be easily shared. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

Here are some reasons that you might want to consider cloud technology for your real estate business, from foreclosure.com.

• Quick, easy and accessible 24/7
• Internet access
• Reduction of storage and office space
• Affordability
• Time management and increase of productivity
• Reduce reliance for assistants and other office staff
• Accessible to all parties to the transaction
• Safe, secure and prevents loss of files or documents
• Easy and efficient file sharing with vendors
• Keeps clients advised and educated about their home selling process
• Faxing and email can be performed online
• Easy to manage your contacts and prospects
• Allows you to manage your forms
• Electronic signatures
• Makes you stand out from the rest of the competition

However, there is always a downside. Cloud storage presents a significant risk for the enterprise in having their confidential and proprietary information stored on a server outside of their direct control. What if the server goes down? What if it gets hacked? What if the government subpoena's the cloud's owner for records? Many things can go wrong, and businesses are wary of that. 43 percent of enterprises have had security issues with cloud service providers.

Now the question isn't “will this catch on?” its “when will it be safe for businesses?”, “when will it catch on?” and “will Apple (AAPL), Amazon.com (AMZN) or Google (GOOG) be on top?” In my opinion, Apple and Steve Jobs will lead the pack and it will catch on sooner than later, probably within a few years.

There are definitely ups and downs when it comes to clouds, but this could very well be the future of storing information someday.

What do you think of cloud technology?

by Daniel Lauder

Article References – Foreclosure.com, Datatrendspublications.com

Image from www.blog.bt.com