What type of companies really need cloud computing?

scandal917: What type of companies really need cloud computing?
cloud computing is the wave of the future but who really benefits from its use? Is it any startup that uses servers or is it more seasoned and sophisticated companies with major storage requirements?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Bill P
The downside of cloud computing is that if you lose your internet connection (lightning strike, unpaid bill, ISP server glitch, etc) you cannot access any of your data!

Answer by Dan
If you’re talking about hosting your website, or web application in the cloud, then the advantage is that people from around the world can get a faster connection. Problem is, the databases for the cloud are not that powerful and you’ll probably have to still use a standard database. I would rather just use a content delivery network for large images or data if I really needed it. If you’re a startup you probably don’t need to use the cloud.

If you want to use it to run programs like MS office, I guess that can be helpful. They have Office live, like google docs so you can store your documents on the web. I’m not sure if you consider that on the cloud or not.