What is Cloud Computing?

Imagine being able to log on to some of the biggest and most powerful computers in the world. These computers are owned, operated and managed by some of the largest technology companies, such as Google and Amazon.

In most cases, cloud computing operates on a pay-for-what-you-use model, meaning that storage space and computing power is virtually unlimited, and users who store very little on the cloud can do so for cheap, if not free.

Now, instead of purchasing expensive servers and paying a dedicated team to maintain them, businesses can leverage the power of the cloud to have storage and computing power that was previously unimagined.

Imagine being able to log on to some of the biggest and most powerful computers in the world. These computers are owned, operated and managed by some of the largest technology companies, such as Google and Amazon.

In most cases, cloud computing operates on a pay-for-what-you-use model, meaning that storage space and computing power is virtually unlimited, and users who store very little on the cloud can do so for cheap, if not free.

Now, instead of purchasing expensive servers and paying a dedicated team to maintain them, businesses can leverage the power of the cloud to have storage and computing power that was previously unimagined.

The difference between a public and private cloud is that with a private cloud, companies utilize their own resources and architecture, effectively absorbing the cost of managing and maintaining these complex systems. This allows businesses to have much more control over their technology, infrastructure and data security, but this doesn’t allow them to take advantage of the extremely powerful computers available with the public cloud option.

Some of the most common services that utilize cloud computing are Dropbox, Google Apps like Gmail and Google Docs, YouTube and others like Spotify, the popular music streaming service. In these examples, files are stored on the cloud and accessed at-will. Other services like SoundCloud allow users to upload original music to a cloud that people can then download or stream at any time. One of the beauties of public cloud storage and computing is that your files are available from anywhere with an Internet connection.

While you don’t need cloud computing to keep breathing, some of the benefits of cloud computing have fundamentally changed the way we store, share and edit digital information. For example, if you’re traveling somewhere and don’t have your laptop available, you can access your files without having to bring them with you.

Cloud computing services generally offer a 99.9 percent service license agreement, which means they guarantee that your files and applications will be available almost all of the time. That is not to say that the cloud is infallible and while cloud computing providers offer fail-over options in the event that a server crashes, or a data-center loses power, incidents like regional power-outages present the possibility that your data may not be available for short periods of time. Similar to creating backups of your data on your local machine or laptop, the same precautions should be taken when trusting a third-party company with important or sensitive information.