With a cloud app, you just open a browser, log in, and start working.

That means a field sales representative using cloud-based CRM can get all the information they need from their mobile device. Contact notes can be updated in real time so they are always fresh and complete and available to others – no more waiting to get back to the office to type it in. And sales managers know exactly which deals will close and when, from their desktop machines in their offices, or their tablets or phones when they are out and about.

And this all happens without any hardware to buy and manage, or software to install and update. That’s because the hardware and software required is all the responsibility of the cloud company that runs the app. Companies such as salesforce.com have years of experience managing their cloud infrastructure and making sure that it’s secure and reliable so that you don’t have to.

You can run all kinds of apps in the cloud:

• Create and collaborate on documents and spreadsheets with Google Apps for Business;
• Video conference with your colleagues on Skype;
• Manage your Sales & Customer Service functions, alongside other key business processes on Salesforce Platform.

You can even build your own social, mobile and real-time employee apps and run them in the cloud. The latest innovations in cloud computing are making business applications even more mobile and collaborative.

If you’re a Facebook or Twitter user you’ve probably come to expect relevant information pushed to you in real time; business applications like Salesforce Sales Cloud are heading in that direction as well.