Cloud computing is the biggest advancement we’ve seen in the IT industry since the explosion of WWW. Essentially, what cloud computing accomplishes for businesses is saving them astronomical server costs associated with hosting. Traditionally, small businesses had to rely on outside IT support when network errors happened. With newer systems in place, now the IT professional can perform all network tasks remotely and efficiently without the headaches of travel and other expenses associated with performing on-site maintenance.
Cloud Computing
When a company uses the cloud, they are doing two important things. First, they are enabling documents and other media to be shared with co-workers and associates across the world. Second, the business has their data on a system which performs regular back-ups which are stored in multiple locations across the world to ensure a redundant strategy for contingencies.
Businesses and individuals of all sizes can use the cloud. You may already be using the cloud if you use services like Amazon, Netflix, Gmail, Dropbox, and other services found online for massive amounts of users. If you use the cloud for personal backups, be aware that your data is stored on a remote server and if you ever lose your internet connectivity then you will not be able to access your data on the cloud.
Offline storage is recommended even if you are using the cloud. There are times when the internet will stop working and I assure you that’s when you’ll need your data the most. Think of using cloud computing as a way to bridge your projects to the world. Try not to think of it as your new desktop. Many experts claim we are heading to a 100% cloud based world. Although I don’t see it becoming this intrusive, one cannot deny that cloud computing is here to stay and it’s only becoming more cost effective and logical to implement.
Article by Scott Huotari, President CCSI, Google | LinkedIn
