The cloud has been an IT buzzword for a long time now, but a lot of people still don’t fully understand what the cloud is, or how it can be used to help their company. Official Definition- If you Google “cloud computing” you’ll get the following definition, “the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer.” Still not totally clear? It’s okay, most people are still confused by this definition. Here’s a better way of explaining cloud computing – This term refers to using a computer hosted on another server to run applications and store data. This data is still readily available and can be easily accessed, but it won’t be stored locally on your computer. How It Works- When you use cloud computing you’ll pay a service provider a monthly fee based on the size of the data you’re using. In most cases, you can pay for only the data and power you use, just like paying your utility bill. This gives customers flexibility and will save money. What’s in the Cloud- You can find almost any software application you need inside the cloud, because the cloud is just a computer located somewhere else. So, if an application will run on your local machine, it will most likely run on the cloud. This allows you to customize the cloud to your preference in order to meet your specific needs. The Bottom Line – Since the majority of the computing will happen offsite, using the cloud can save money by reducing breakdowns and the need for maintenance. Your local computers will also be able to run much more efficiently because they won’t be bogged down with data and large applications.
