I was discussing a few topics with a colleague of mine and the topic of enterprises arose.  An enterprise is usually thought to involve a system supporting a very large organization.  My friend’s argument was that even a small business can be considered an enterprise which rips the previous definition apart.  In her defense, with the explosion of cloud technology use in storage and software delivery, it is very easy for a small Web design company to be a global player utilizing the entire Internet as the enterprise.

Small companies can have employees all over the world and carry on instantaneous conversations, meetings, workshops, and seminars via video-teleconferencing (Skype, Yahoo, etc.).  The beauty of this line of thought is this creates a very low cost operation.  She leans heavily on tech services such as Microsoft Support, and Apple.  Even Web hosting services are only an e-mail or phone call away.  Other IT consulting services are also readily available to aid in expansion, data backup, and general maintenance activities to keep the company online one hundred percent of the time.

She made a very good point, which is true:  most IT people try to fix problems within their systems on their own instead of going to an expert.  Pride in their abilities may be the reason for this trend, but the biggest reason is because high maintenance costs.  By outsourcing affordable computer support, money and time can be saved.  Good service can be rewarded by contracting these support services for whatever needs the company sees fit.  A good argument was made but I am still a little on the fence since this does not help to fit into the “traditional” enterprise definition.  But, depending on how you view it, I guess a “small” enterprise is possible.  What do you think?

Images courtesy of Intelligist Group and Cloud Computing News India