Given the blank stares I am sometimes faced with by some potential customers when I mention the cloud I thought that it was appropriate to give some guidance on this fast growing concept. As per my previous post we are seeing an increasing demand and adoption with SA of the cloud. While it was slow at first we are definitely seeing an increasing acceptance of the cloud.<\/p>\n
That said I found this a useful article to help explain what the cloud is and that it does not have to be a storm cloud.<\/p>\n
What The Heck is\u2026 The Cloud?
\nThe cloud, or cloud computing, is not new but it remains a major buzzword in the business and technology world. I would assume that most people know by now what we mean when we say things like: \u201cSimply stick it in the cloud\u201d or \u201cBack up to the cloud\u201d. However, I recently gave a presentation about Big Data (another one of these buzzwords) to a large business conference and in my discussions afterwards was surprised how many people were not really clear what cloud computing was. So, I promised to write a very short and clear outline of what it is.<\/p>\nHere we go. Cloud computing basically refers to two things:
\n1. Storing data outside your computer (or phone).
\n2. Performing computing tasks using software and applications that are not installed on your computer (or phone).<\/p>\nInstead of storing or computing things on your own machine, we use other computers that are connected to our computer via a network (such as the Internet).
\nLet\u2019s look at some examples to make this even clearer:
\n\u2022 If you back up your documents and photos over the Internet using services such as Dropbox or Google Drive then \u00a0 \u00a0they will be stored in the cloud \u2013 meaning they are sent via a network to a server (which can be anywhere in the \u00a0world) where your documents will be stored.
\n\u2022 If you are an iPhone user and have enabled iCloud, then your photos, apps, music etc. will be backed up to a \u00a0computer managed by Apple. The data will be transferred to that outside computer using the Internet.
\n\u2022 If you are using services such as Gmail, Yahoo or Microsoft Exchange Online for your emails, then you are \u00a0basically a cloud-computing user. These software applications are not installed on your computer but you are using \u00a0them over the Internet.
\n\u2022 If you use Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, then you are also a cloud-computing user. These services are provided \u00a0via the internet and your up-dates, photos, videos, etc. are stored on their computers.<\/p>\nThis means, cloud computing enables us to increase our storage capacity without the need to buy new hardware. And it enables us to use applications or access music, TV programmes, etc. on demand, via the Internet.
\nThe same applies to companies. If companies want to increase their storage, they can simply move their data to the cloud. This is often a more cost effective solution than buying and maintaining their own data storage facilities. When it comes to software, the same applies. Instead of purchasing software licences, companies can use SAAS providers. SAAS stands for \u2018Software as a Service\u2019 and in principle works in the same way as your email providers. Instead of selling the software to clients, vendors provide access to software via the Internet. A good example is Salesforce.com, a cloud-based customer-relationship management software.
\nCloud computing also enables \u2018big data analytics\u2019, where large volumes of data are analysed using many computers that are connected via a network. The data is stored on different computers and the computing and analysis task is broken up so that individual computers perform small parts of the overall computing task.<\/p>\nAuthor: Bernard Marr<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Source<\/a>:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"