There was a good article that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle a few weeks ago dealing with the advantages and disadvantages of "Cloud Computing".

Cloud Computing is defined online as "Cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. These services are broadly divided into three categories: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The name cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that's often used to represent the Internet in flow charts and diagrams."

Tugcomp software fits the description of "Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), where the software is accessed over the internet and is paid for as a subscription service (pay-as-you-go).

Some of the advantages cited in the article:

Pay-as-you-go model saves money by eliminating software installation, integration and maintenance costs

Cloud computing improves speed and security by leveraging the economies of scale offered by massive server farms

The model is an inherently better fit for today's global, collaborative working environment because it allows workers around the world to touch the same documents concurrently.

Security and dependability were cited as concerns. Tugcomp has kept its software running on a dedicated server equipped with a physical firewall and virus protection, for the time being, due to these concerns.

Tugcomp will wait until actual Cloud Computing is tested and proven prior to switching our software to an actual cloud environment. In the meantime our clients are getting the best of both worlds; the SaaS software model with no startup costs and a low monthly fee for service, and the security and dependability of a dedicated server environment.

The article can be accessed at: