Lim Zhi Yee (1002162573)FAS1083 Introduction to IR4.

0 Technologies

The Use of Cloud Computing to Develop a Home Business

Introduction

Cloud computing plays a huge role in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era. By definition,
cloud computing is “the delivery of different services through the Internet”. This
includes storage, servers, databases, networking, software, and infrastructures
(Frankenfield et al., 2021). In a simple explanation, cloud computing allows a user to
use certain services remotely from anywhere, via the Internet. For example, a
developer who is travelling wants to edit his coding in an application. He simply
opens his laptop/device, connect to the cloud, and start editing the code even though
he is thousands of kilometres away. Another example is saving documents on the
cloud. A user is able to access the word document using any device from anywhere,
as long as there is a stable Internet connection.

The Popularisation of Cloud Computing & Home Businesses

With the introduction of lockdowns in 2020, businesses were forced to transition into
digital mode, with workers also working remotely. Companies started to find ways for
employees to use the company’s software which can only be found on the
company’s computers. During this time, cloud computing became more and more
renowned, especially PaaS (Platform as a service), IaaS (Infrastructure as a
service), and SaaS (Software as a service). These services are a part of cloud
computing that allows a user to remotely access hardware, networking resources,
software, and infrastructure services straight from their homes, like a virtual
computer (Vennam, 2020). An example of SaaS is Adobe Creative Cloud, which is
essentially a set of online softwares that is typically used for editing, designing, and
even web developing. However, a user does have to pay a monthly subscription to
use these softwares.

As people have nothing to do during lockdowns, and with rising unemployment rates,
people stuck in their homes have nothing to turn to except online businesses like e-
commerce, social media marketing, web development, or even blogging. However,
web developing requires technical knowledge and education which most people do
Lim Zhi Yee (1002162573)FAS1083 Introduction to IR4.0 Technologies

not have; blogging earns very little amounts of money or sometimes even no money
at all; and not everybody has thousands of followers on social media to do
marketing. This leaves e-commerce, which is where a large percentage of people in
the home business industry resides.

Advantages of Home Businesses

Home businesses have many advantages over the usual 8 to 5. The most obvious
being freedom. A normal job has many limitations like time shifts, dress codes, tasks,
etc. Some people prefer to work late at night, and some just want to wear
comfortable clothes to work, while others feel like all that they are doing in their
current job is repetitive tasks. In a home business, these boundaries disappear to be
replaced by a more relaxed environment. However, a successful business still
requires good time management along with a strong discipline.

Another advantage is related to income. All the profit earned by the business goes to
you, not just a small cut. This is one of the main attractions of a home business.
Whereas, in a company, an employee might have to wait a long time for a promotion
or raise to increase their income (Holt, 2021).

Some employees might be unsatisfied with their work or how the company operates,
including political reasons, the working methods, or just plain unchallenged. Starting
a home business allows a person to fulfil their passions and create a workspace that
they want (Thomson, 2010).

Disadvantages of Home Businesses

Like all things in life, there are disadvantages. Naturally, a person has to work at
home in a home business. This may be convenient, but it may also be slightly too
convenient. Distractions arise from convenience, for example; turning on the TV to
watch the news but getting caught up by immersive movies; brewing a simple coffee
and getting side-tracked with cooking unnecessary dishes; or going from a quick
chat with a family member to a deep conversation. These can all lead to
unproductivity.
Lim Zhi Yee (1002162573)FAS1083 Introduction to IR4.0 Technologies

Many successful businesses have various connections with other companies and
affiliates to form alliances and help each other grow. However, a home business is
isolated from other contacts and businesses as a home business owner does have
as many chances to meet new people. Therefore, it will be much harder to grow a
home business compared to a large-scale company.

My Home Business Idea

With the rise of the digital era, more and more things in the world are starting to
become digitalized, including shopping, billing systems, and even art. With the
popularization of NFTs (Non-fungible tokens), and the pixelized art in NFTs, some
may say that digital art has become even more valuable than physical art.

For my home business, I plan to create a website where users can pay via bank
transfer for a custom photo or picture of their choice; like horses galloping, or a view
of the Grand Canyon, which I would draw manually using cloud computing services.
After the drawing is done, it would be sent to the buyer’s inbox, where they can
download it and use it for their purpose.

Cloud Computing in My Home Business

To start my business, a modern and attractive website needs to be created, thus a

web development software is needed. Online softwares like Google Sites and Wix
allows a user to create a website without installing anything in their computer. This is
a form of SaaS, and the software files are all stored in the cloud. With the help of
cloud computing, I am able to track orders and requests from customers anywhere
using any device as the website, together with its files, are hosted on a server
remotely. Therefore, all the data and information about the order can also be
accessed online, so physical paper does not need to be printed out or written on.

As mentioned before, SaaS can provide software that can be accessed anytime, as
long as there is an Internet connection. Using Adobe Creative Cloud, I am able to
design, draw, and create the pictures that buyers request anywhere, even in a
restaurant, or an airplane, or in the mall. Thanks to SaaS, a powerful computer isn’t
Lim Zhi Yee (1002162573)FAS1083 Introduction to IR4.0 Technologies

needed to run photo editing softwares that require heavy resources. The added cost
of buying a computer as well as maintaining the computer would have been much
higher compared the subscription service for online softwares.

In addition, the pictures could be saved online in a cloud storage and sent to friends
for them to view and give advice. The photo editing software also generate files that
could be sent to other people for editing. This means that multiple people can edit
the pictures without physically meeting. This is particularly useful if the demand
becomes too high for a single person to handle and draw everything.

It goes without being said, every business needs to back up their data. Using the
cloud storage services that many companies provide, all the unfinished art,
completed pictures, financial data, and website all can be saved in a cloud for back
up, in case a file crashed or got infected with viruses.

In the financial side of the business, cloud computing can be used to make automatic
profit calculations. In the website, each order can be linked to a spreadsheet stored
in the cloud using APIs, which allows the price of each order to show up in the
spreadsheet. Using simple formulas, the total profit each day can be calculated in
the spreadsheet, and graphs could also be generated.

In order to find which types of drawings people prefer, surveys can be conducted
through the cloud. Services like Google Forms allow a user to create forms to send
out to friends, family, and even customers. For example, I can create a form that has
multiple categories of pictures, and the user filling up the form can choose which
they prefer. All these data are then saved into a database in the cloud, which I can
access anytime. This is a good way to find out which areas to focus improve on, and
how to improve the drawings.

Conclusion

Cloud computing provides protection, convenience, and efficiency in a small

business like mine. Not only does it save money, it also gives a business owner the
freedom to do whatever they want, whenever they want. From large companies to
small businesses alike, cloud computing makes work far easier with cloud storage,
various services, etc. As we transition further into the digital era, we should aim to
Lim Zhi Yee (1002162573)FAS1083 Introduction to IR4.0 Technologies

take advantage of this time and utilize all the modern tools and services that we can,
including cloud computing.

Reference

Frankenfield, J., Mansa, J., Schmitt, K.R., 2021. Cloud Computing

Holt, M., 2021. Benefits of a Home Based Business

Thomson, J., 2010. What are the advantages of running a business at home

Vennam, S., 2020. What is Cloud Computing?