Is the cloud the innovation of 2014?

Many organizations in the corporate realm that are trying to improve their overall operations would be wise to examine the latest innovations to determine the best possible route.

A recent article for Small Business Computing makes the case that 2014 will be the year of cloud computing. Not only are there a number of benefits from using the cloud itself, systems like mobile and "smart" devices can be optimized through the use of a digital infrastructure.

"Brand new technologies rarely materialize out of nowhere, so most of the major trends to watch in 2014—namely in cloud computing, data analytics and mobile—have origins that go back years," the article reads. "But new offerings will bring these technologies to the tipping point, where they will impact your business technology in more ways than you might have guessed."

The piece cites a survey from j2 Global that found 88 percent of respondents plan to or wish they could retire one or more legacy systems. On top of that, 60 percent expect to save money by using cloud services in 2014.

Not only are organizations looking to improve collaboration and real-time data sharing through the cloud, they are also using it as the backbone for backup and recovery solutions. With how it has evolved, cloud computing infrastructure can branch into every aspect of business.

With the help of an IT consulting firm that specializes in cloud solutions, any organization can easily deploy these systems and find new ways to benefit the company in the long run.