The American IT giant IBM has put together a starter team for the introduction of new technology in Germany. Alongside IBM Deutschland GmbH and the American company Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions, this starter team also includes two German companies. One of these is Verde Smart Business Solutions GmbH, based in Halle (Saale). The aim of this starter team is to promote cloud computing technology in Germany and help it achieve a breakthrough in the country, says Verde Managing Director Michael Wohlfahrt.Cloud computing technology can be used by all companies and organisations. Desktop virtualisation, something which is also offered by Verde, becomes interesting if there are more than 50 computers. Once this new technology is introduced, PCs still look like PCs but function in a completely different way. "When the specialists from Verde have completed their work, a part of the customer's IT landscape, such as the data processing centre, databases and software, is no longer run by the customer himself or at the company's premises, rather is hired in the form of a service from one or more services providers who are usually located somewhere else", explains Michael Pfefferkorn-Ungnad, Head of Company and Business Development at Verde.Applications are no longer located locally on the computer itself or in the company's data processing centre, but in a "cloud" in a figurative sense. This term comes from the sense from the user's perspective that the IT infrastructure appears to be distant and opaque, as if it were surrounded by a "cloud". Access to the remote systems is provided via a network such as the internet. Pfefferkorn-Ungnad and Wohlfahrt differentiate between remote "public clouds" and so-called "private clouds" where central services are provided via the company's internal network. To highlight the paradigm shift in the sector, Wohlfahrt says that they "are imagining data processing on a whole different level." His advice for corporate customers is to cease buying any more PCs or servers and to purchase a secure internet connection instead and get all the necessary services from secure data processing centres. "This has become possible because every year programme requirements double, prices are halved and computer performance multiplies", says Wohlfahrt.The 42-year-old company founder with a degree in speech communication believes that it doesn't matter whether a server is located on the company's premises or somewhere miles away: The advantages are the same. "At workplaces, there is no wasted heat, no noise and the security risk is minimised because data is no longer located on the hard drive, rather on the central server", says the Eisenach-born Managing Director about the advantages of the technology of the future. Besides, internal company IT specialists are freed from maintenance and support work which would otherwise be necessary. IT human resources, which are often scarce, are now able to be utilised in a more sensible manner. "Setting up one of these new types of workplace lasts no longer than 8 minutes", assure Wohlfahrt and Pfefferkorn-Ungnad.In any case, after "desktop visualisation", as specialists have termed this technology, the familiar PC feel remains there, not least because the monitor can continue to be used as before. The 30-plus companies and organisations from all over Germany who have employed the services of Verde include schools, educational institutions, city and municipal administrations, chemicals, paper and textile companies and social services. "All of these companies and organisations have gone for their own internal solutions", explains Pfefferkorn-Ungnad. "Transferring internal, and often sensitive, data to third-party servers is a real hurdle for many companies", adds Wohlfahrt. "Cloud computing is also a question of trust". In order to build this relationship of trust, the IBM partner offers technology tests free of charge for two months, but they are also sure that customer's trust in the technology will increase on its own. According to the latest IBM survey of 3,000 company bosses in 71 different countries and 18 different sectors, 60% intend to use cloud technology over the next five years. This is practically double the amount reported in the previous study in 2009. As the study explains, whilst cloud technology only used to be used internally in companies when it was first developed, now it is being used between companies, partners and customers. Cloud computing received the best endorsement from the media and entertainment industry, where 73% intend to use "clouds". This was followed by the education sector with 71% and the automotive industry with 70%. Pfefferkorn-Ungnad believes that this survey has confirmed his optimism: "There's no way around a cloud".Contact:Verde SMART BUSINESS SOLUTIONS GmbHMichael Pfefferkorn-UngnadAnkerstraße 3a06108 Halle (Saale)Tel.: +49(0)345/2099-100E-Mail: Michael.Pfefferkorn@verde-sbs.deWeb: www.verde-sbs.de