Everyone’s got an opinion or definition as to what cloud computing is all about and why it might be beneficial so here’s mine.
First of all the standard definition:
“Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network (typically the Internet).” – Wikipedia
And in English:
“Rather than access software on your computer, you access it through a website.” – Leon
Why Cloud Compute? The Benefits:
- Cheaper or FREE,
- More secure,
- Easy access via any internet enabled device,
- Data backed up automatically,
- Syncing between devices,
- Flexibility,
- More Scalable.
The Downsides:
- Requires good internet,
- Less capable software (but maybe not for long!).
I’m personally switching as much stuff to the cloud as I can, here’s what I’ve switched so far:
- Email, Calendar, Contacts, Documents via Google Apps,
- Invoicing via Zoho Invoice,
- Business Website Hosting,
- Cloud Printing via Google Cloud Print,
- Computer Support via Chrome Remote Desktop,
- File storage and sync via DropBox.
I’m hoping to buy a Google Chrome notebook soon which is a laptop that pretty much only runs an internet browser (Chrome). That’s all I really need to run my business these days. In fact I could probably do it all from my phone too!
Leon