One Cloud to Store Them All
Cloud computing is the storage and access of data through the Internet, which can be accessed through various devices. Companies offering computing services are called cloud providers and they charge customers based on usage. People use cloud computing daily, whether they know it or not, either to send an email, watch a movie/TV show or store pictures and important documents.
Why cloud computing is used:
- Creating new apps and services
- Store, back up and recover data
- Video and audio streaming
- Data analysis
Cloud Computing Arrangement:
There are three ways to arrange cloud computing resources, which are through: public cloud, private cloud or hybrid cloud.
Public clouds are operated by third-party cloud service provider, offering computing resources like servers and storage. These companies provide a certain amount of storage for free, after which they will charge the customers.
Private cloud is for business or organization uses, and are not available to the public. These servers are used for higher protection of important information.
Hybrid cloud are a combination of public and private clouds, allowing data and applications to be shared between them. This gives the businesses greater flexibility and provide them with more storage options.
Some examples of cloud computing:
Google Drive: A cloud computing service where people can work online using the apps: Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides. The drive is accessible through the desktop computers and handheld devices like iPad and smartphones. Most Google services are considered cloud computing, which includes Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Calendar.
Apple iCloud: This cloud service is mainly used for online storage, backup and synchronization of mail, contacts, pictures and many more. The data is available through iOS, Mac OS or Window Devices (if the iCloud control panel is installed). Like Google Drive, Apple offers cloud-based versions of word processor (Pages), spreadsheet (Numbers), and presentation (Keynote) for iCloud subscribers. iCloud also allows iPhone users to use the Find My iPhone feature in case their handheld device goes missing.
Amazon Cloud Drive: This storage is mainly for music, preferably for MP3s that were purchased from Amazon, and images, for Amazon Prime users. Amazon Cloud Drive also holds any purchases from Kindle. This storage is essentially for storages for any digital purchases made through Amazon.
Other examples like Box, Dropbox, and SugarSync are hybrid services as it works in the cloud storing synced version of the file online as well as locally. Synchronization is key for cloud computing, even if the files as accessed locally.
