The cloud has been around for a while

Well, first of all, you will need connectivity to the Internet to at least be able to send and receive emails. Thailand has progressed quite nicely when it comes to providing connectivity. The major centres outside of Bangkok are covered, as are a growing number of smaller ones. Assuming that you are not running an Otop store in the middle of nowhere, you can probably get some kind of connectivity these days even if it is via your cell phone.

Free one with Yahoo or Google

Free email accounts are easy - you simply sign up for a free one with Yahoo or Google, for example. I have one of each and the Google one allows me to receive the largest attachments. The advantage of this kind of email is that you can access it easily from anywhere that is connected to the Internet. You don't have to delete emails and it will remember all the ones you sent as well. They provide the backup service for you, unlike Microsoft, which lost all my saved emails when they changed to Live.

On the minus side for a business user, having a Google or Yahoo account is a lot different than having an email account in your company name. Some providers like Google will allow you to use their Gmail system with your domain name. All you do is pay them a small annual fee to get an upgrade to a business account and then transfer your domain to their hosting servers. The fee is less than it would cost you to host the same service on most domain hosting servers. You can still use Outlook to access your email but you can also continue to access them from anywhere.

Some businesses don't like messaging services but this is a good way to keep in contact with staff and others. Using a service like Skype also allows you to pop on a pair of headphones and chat or fire up your webcam and have a video conference without the need for some very expensive equipment and line rentals. You can also upgrade your free Skype account to a paid one that can access landlines directly.

About now you may be wondering why I am pointing out such obvious tools. The answer is that these tools are all part of the cloud computing universe. Yes, you have already been using the cloud. Like many new terms, the truth of them is that most of what appears to be new is really just existing services that have been dressed up in some way. So enjoy using the cloud - in other words, services for your business that are accessed via the Internet, replacing or supplementing your existing applications. More on the cloud in future articles.

I did not think I would be writing this column as, despite registering early with Dtac and already having my name on a True iPhone, I was not invited to any events; nor was I surprised by a smiling delivery-man with a shiny new iPhone 4. Speculation ...