I’ve been an enthusiastic fan of cloud-based computing ever since Hotmail was launched way back in 1996.

The idea that you could store information somewhere on the internet and then access it from any connected device just made complete sense. Why be tied to a single PC to access your mail?

Fast forward 11 years and the cloud computing concept is dramatically cranking up speed. We have a vast array of online storage and email services and new on-demand software offerings appearing virtually every day.

This past week, the pace moved up another notch. At the Web 2.0 Expo held in San Francisco, Microsoft took the wraps off its latest foray into the increasingly crowded web-based services category.

Called Live Mesh, it’s essentially a new online platform on which users can run applications and store documents. Live Mesh is currently running as a closed beta with 10,000 test users, but there is as yet no hint of when it will be opened to the wider world.

Conceptually, Mesh will allow users to connect all their devices – from desktop and notebook PCs to mobile phones and even home entertainment systems – together and share the information contained within one on any other device.

As changes are made to - for example - a document on your home PC, they become instantly available on any other mesh-connected device. Update your work contact book and you get to see the changes on your mobile phone. The line between what’s stored locally and what’s stored online blurs into insignificance.

As a concept, it sounds fantastic and is something many software companies have been trying to perfect for years. But most have found that the challenge of synchronising data on devices with data held in the ‘cloud’ can be a tough nut to crack.

Microsoft is obviously recognising that the future of computing lies not on the desktop but in the cloud and is banking on Live Mesh to be the vehicle that will allow it to maintain its dominant position as a software provider.

What will this mean for the world of work? Well, there’ll be big productivity benefits to be had for one thing. Imagine the difference it would make to have constant access to all your information all the time, regardless of location or which device you happen to be carrying.

It might take Microsoft a while to iron out any teething problems with Live Mesh (that’s what beta tests are all about), but expect to see it in widespread use before too long. If early indications are correct, it will be well worth a look.