THE CLOUD — WHERE IS YOUR STUFF REALLY GOING?
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It’s your data, in the sky!
“The cloud” is a technological term that has been thrown around a lot lately, but which few people truly understand. The name in itself is confusing — are these pictures of my cat really going up into the atmosphere? What is holding them? What if they float away? What if it rains?
Some people think that absolutely everything is in the cloud, and is ripe for the picking. My mother is one of these people.
“I don’t have any music on my phone, is it in the cloud?” “No, Mom, you just haven’t downloaded any music.”
“Are your baby pictures in the cloud? I want to show my work friends.” “Mom, they’d only be in the cloud if you put them there.”
If you are like my mother, or if you are like me and you’d like to learn how to better explain the Cloud to your mother, then read on.
If it’s not a real cloud, what is it?
The first thing to understand about the cloud is that it is in no way an actual cloud in the sky. The reason for the name is that Cloud Computing resembles the structure of a real cloud.
“In the same way that a normal cloud is a dense cluster of water molecules that appears as a single object from a distance, a computing cloud is a dense cluster of computers working together in such a way that to a normal observer they all appear to be one giant computing resource.” (Source)
In short, the Cloud is things that appear to be running on your computer, phone, tablet etc., but are actually “running over the internet on an array of computers that are sharing resources with each other”(TechQuickie).
The Cloud is provided as a service to users by companies that use the internet to store data. How do these companies provide this service to millions all over the world?
They use data centers in order to house their cloud services and cloud-based resources (big buildings with lots and lots of computers). Cloud service providers often have data centers in different places around the world in order to safeguard during outages and other failures.
Below is a quick video that explains the Cloud and data centers further — with the help of some fun cartoons!
Who is involved?
Now that we know what the cloud is, and can explain it to our mothers (with the help of Frank the dog), let’s take a look at who offers the cloud as a service, and what different groups use it for.
Google Apps
Google has some of the most accessible, easy-to-use Cloud Computing applications. These include Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets — all of which fall under the umbrella of their Google Drive service.
Google Docs, a personal favourite of mine, allows customized access to a document to several people and the ability to edit that document simultaneously. As opposed to previous methods, which included emailing word documents between collaborators in order to edit together, this introduces a new kind of efficiency.
And, of course, you can access these files anywhere that has wifi, and on any device that can receive wifi, simply by logging into your Google account. You can go without ever having to use Word again, with a virtually unlimited storage capacity for all of your files. The downside of this, of course, is that if you trust Google with all of your files and find yourself in a space without wifi (say, on the train on your way to class), you cannot continue working on your documents.
These services come free from Google. However, for their “Google Cloud Platform”, which guarantees a highly reliable Cloud Computing network and privacy security, there is a fee. There are set prices for Storage, Network, and Operations per month.
Dropbox
Dropbox is a website that allows you to store your files directly onto their site (with an account, of course). The files you store are synced with their apps, so, similarly to Google, you can access your files from anywhere. However, you can also access these files without an internet connection.
Recently, Dropbox teamed up with Microsoft which “lets you open Office files stored in your Dropbox, make changes in the Office mobile and web apps, and save those changes directly back to your Dropbox.”
A Dropbox Basic account, which is free, holds 2GB of space. For improved space, quality and/or content, there are other options:
Dropbox Pro: $12.99 a month
Dropbox Business: $17 per user a month, $85 charged monthly
The Downsides?
- The main downside to using Cloud Computing is the fear most people have that their files aren’t truly safe
- Third party cloud services could have direct access to your data
- If the internet goes down, so do you (unless you favourite your files on Dropbox)
Why use Cloud Computing?
If you’re not convinced yet, here is a short excerpt that quickly explains the main reason why using the cloud is beneficial — and what the alternative is.
- More cost effective because you can pay over months, fluctuating your use, rather than a flat rate for hardware.
- The expertise needed to use the same amount of storage off-cloud is rare and takes a long time
- The Cloud is easily accessible
- You have access to the basic services for free
- Zero hassle
- Copies of your files spread across the globe so that you always have backup files for your files
Cloud computing is an efficient, cost-effective and easily accessible method for storing our data that seems to outweigh the risks.
So now that you know that a mysterious internet cloud in the sky isn’t going to start raining data on you, you can fully utilize the benefits of cloud computing with a new savvy approach — one that your mother will be envious of.
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