Nowadays
most of us make use of what we call ‘The Cloud’ but indeed, what the cloud is? A
simple definition would be that the Cloud is Internet but if we dig a little
more we can say that it is a network of servers that allow us storing and
accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of our computer hard
drive. This means that the videos,
photos, documents, games and other software that we have in our mobile phone, tablet
or any other gadget live in the cloud and are available on any device with an
Internet connection. We can access our stuff from anywhere.
Cloud computing has many advantages. One of the
most significant is the cost saving. No matter what type or size of document
we want to upload, we don't have to pay unless we excess the storage capacity,
that store much more data compared to a personal computer. Another advantage is
the simplicity, agility and manageability to access to information; we
just need to be connected to Internet, hardware isn’t required. This also means
continuous availability wherever the user might be located while they
are connected to Internet.
However, there is always a ‘but’. Security and privacy
are the two main concerns when talking about data. Consumer has to rely on the
company as they must ensure the privacy of the data by protecting them from
unauthorized access. Companies must be reliable in order that people have
confidence in them. Another drawback is the limited control we have just as we can only control
and manage the applications, data and services, not the backend infrastructure. Technical difficulties are also a point
to highlight being that the whole setup is dependent on internet access so any
connectivity problems will render the setup useless. Finally, talking about vendor
Lock-In, companies’ promise that the Cloud will be flexible to use and
integrate between different platforms. But actually, from my experience this
isn’t true because integrating Cloud applications on another platform have
interoperability and support issues
I
believe that Cloud Computing is a very useful tool because of its utilities.
Despite the disadvantages listed above it is easy to see how the advantages can
easily outweigh disadvantages. I am sure that there are many uses of the Cloud
that I still don’t know but in my daily life there are ones that are essential.
When taking photos I have it immediately in my laptop and tablet and also I can
share it with friends. Furthermore, when changing my phone I can have my list
of contact in the new one just pressing a button. Another innovation is if you
lost your phone you can know where it is from your laptop or tablet.
Here I
add you some links with handy information:
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