One of the big tech trends we keep reading about is cloud computing. It’s this whole idea of working over the Internet, rather than being tethered to one computer or server. You might also have heard about such concepts as Software as a Service or Platform as a Service – it’s the same concept of using Web-based applications rather than installing software on your company server.

Cloud computing also can be as simple as Google docs or a Web-based project management system. More and more people are working in the cloud, which can be a real benefit to our mobile society and the fact we want to access our e-mail, files or software tools from a variety of devices – laptops, desktops and smartphones.

Individuals and even small or mid-sized businesses can pretty easily work in the cloud. And it can cut costs because these Web-based services can often be free or less expensive than buying software to install on the company server.

A concern of cloud computing, though, is the security. If you’re sharing company information over the Internet, is it more vulnerable? An article last week on ComputerWeekly.com suggests some barriers – including security – to cloud computing for businesses are beginning to diminish.

The article goes on to point out that flexibility is one barrier that hasn’t budged. One way cloud computing can work well for businesses is by allowing them to pay for services as they use them – that way when times are good, businesses pay more and when business is slow, they pay less. But, so far that’s not the model.

What are other barriers to cloud computing? Are you using “the cloud” in your company and is it working well for you?