Cloud computing, right now, is all the rage. More than 32% of Americans believe that cloud systems will be the primary hosting services of the future, and it’s estimated that cloud equipment will exceed $79 billion on the global market by 2018. But for the majority of Americans, there is one lingering question that needs to be answered first: What is cloud computing, anyway?
The Definition
“The cloud” is basically just another way of referring to “the internet,” so cloud computing means that multiple servers are working together on one virtual network. This is an alternative to traditional computing servers, which all work independently, and which have a finite amount of computing power on their own.
The Basics
Originally used by the military and other big, important organizations with a lot of sensitive information to analyze and protect, cloud hosting systems have begun slowly making their way into everyday business processes. Because cloud hosting services are able to keep a huge amount of data up in “the cloud” and allow the data to be accessed and shared across a variety of devices, they provide reliable server hosting for companies that provide items to customers via digital platforms, and for companies that store all their data digitally rather than in paper files.
The Details
Cloud computing is still a pretty vague concept, so individual businesses often have their own separate “clouds” which can only be accessed by certain users — for example, anyone familiar with Apple products will know about Apple’s iCloud, through which digital media purchases (like music or movies) are conducted and in which personal digital files (like pictures or written documents) can be stored.
Small businesses can also take advantage of cloud hosting services, not primarily for storing and sharing a huge amount of data, but for smaller services like internet phone systems and secure firewall protection programs. In terms of what cloud computing can do and who can benefit from using one of these hosting systems, the concept behind “the cloud” is still open to interpretation. While this could be seen as a confusing hindrance, many people simply see it as an opportunity to expand the digital world. For more information see this.
