Many people are saying this presidential election was won by the Obama campaign because they executed a better “Ground Game.” Regardless of the outcome, we found the process interesting and exciting! The election was just another example of how the paradigm of cloud computing is making a real impact. How?

  • Speed of deployment: Just imagine what rapidly ramping up thousands of staff and volunteers would have taken any campaign if servers and software needed to be purchased and configured before communication could begin. With cloud solutions like Google Apps, adding 1 or 1,000 users takes a few clicks.
  • Flexibility: With cloud computing, an organization can scale from 50 people to 50,000, then back to 50 — with no painful aftermath. Just a few years ago, there would not only be the headache (and delay) of ramping up that we mention above, but there would be nasty ramp-down tasks of cleansing and decommissioning systems, returning or selling computers… yuck!
  • Mobility: Mobile devices, in combination with cloud computing, enabled campaign volunteers to go out in the field to connect, share and collaborate — all armed with information about which houses to visit in order to shore up support, encourage unregistered voters to participate, or seek contributions from former donors.

Politics is yet another industry that is capitalizing on the flexibility provided by cloud-based solutions. The heralded ground game of this election was truly fueled by cloud computing.

The Google Apps platform is often the perfect match for an organization that is ready for the advantages we outline above. Hundreds of our customers have adopted Google Apps as a foundation of business email and collaboration applications.

In addition, Google continues to enhance their features and functionality. For example, the recent introduction of Google Drive expanded Google Apps storage capabilities (read an earlier blog post here). Even small improvements are making our lives easier; this week Google made Gmail faster and easier to use with the introduction of a completely redesigned compose and reply experience that does just that.

We’ve moved thousands of users to Google Apps. If you’d like to talk about your migration plan, contact us via our website or call (866) 552-4101.