There is a lot of talk about Cloud Computing going around these days. Cloud computing is the concept that Applications that formerly needed to be installed on our PC would be run on a server and we would access them online. The claim is that intensive computations such as those needed in engineering and similar fields can be done much quicker via cloud computing than by applications hosted on a local computer. I have a number of questions about cloud computing that need to be answered before I am ready to believe that it will benefit me. If the server goes down I may be able to go to Wal-Mart and get a new hard drive quicker than it can be repaired. What about security? If security fails, all sorts of criminal types may gain access to my data that is stored in the Cloud.

There are some great online services that I like and am using now.

LastPass is a great Password Minder that I use. People who have a lot of different passwords have a lot of trouble keeping up with them. LastPass is an incredibly secure service that stores, encrypts and serves your own personal Password Vault. There is a free version and a paid version with additional features. With LastPass you have a master password that gives you access to your Password vault. Your passwords are encrypted on the LastPass server so that no one at the company can access them. Your password and personal data are encrypted on your computer so that no one can obtain it. LastPass will guide you to creating bullet proof passwords. I have discovered that I am able to manage dozens of passwords for my own and my customer's servers and keep them straight. LastPass offers me the option to organize passwords into a number of different categories of my choosing. This is an invaluable tool and it has earned very high ratings from a number of ratings services.

IntenseDebate is an online Forum that is becoming on of my new favorites. This service is a quick and simple forum that you can set up on any page of your website, blog or even eCommerce site. When you want a simple forum to offer commenting options for your readers IntenseDebate is it. There is no need to set up a new database or go through numerous confusing configurations; you just enter your URL and then paste the code block into your page. Your readers can post by simply entering a name and email address. You can also set the option for them to log in and post via OpenID or post from their Twitter or Facebook accounts. This service makes a nice looking forum without going through a lot of trouble.

Dropbox rounds out the field as a neat storage service that I can access from all of my computers. I have used online storage in the past but none was as easy and helpful as Dropbox. Dropbox gives one a reasonable amount of storage with its free service – 2G. This account can be linked to all of your computers and it can be configured to share files with your friends. Dropbox works with PCs as well as Macs and a number of mobile devices. And your Dropbox files are available to you even when you are offline. This is a great service to those who work with constantly changing files and on several different computers. If I go to see a client and have made some changes to a graphic or a file I can instantly go to my Dropbox and get the file if I have forgotten to bring my thumb drive.

How long it will be before we are using Word Processing and Photo Editing tools in the Cloud, I do not know. But I am impressed by what creative and imaginative people are offering my right now with helpful online services. Try these out and if you find any great ones drop me a line and let me know.