The only question with cloud-based computing is “how fast?” How fast will companies start adopting en masse, and how fast will people get over their unreasonable reticence for a way of doing thing that makes more sense than spending millions on software licenses, on top of which 20% maintenance fees, on top of which additional fees for upgrades (yeah, software vendors treat their customers like crap)?

One barrier to widespread adoption has been the idea that it’s hard for customers to customize cloud-based software for their individual needs. Those arguments should be put to rest now that Google, the world’s most popular company, and Salesforce.com, the world’s most successful cloud-based software company, have made it easier for developers to customize and adapt their respective services for corporate use.

[Image source: Kevin Dooley on Flickr]