A Users Guide Review Of Cloud Computing For Your Home Or Business

howtousecloudcomputingToday as well as any other day can now be sunny while having your head buried in the clouds, and that is a good thing. Cloud computing is now taking on a whole new meaning when it comes to computing and the Internet. Although cloud computing has been kicked around for a while now, mostly in theory, and though it’s still in its early stages, cloud computing is now set to completely revolutionize the computing industry as we know it. Cloud computing will eventually reach significance levels of public adoption such as you finally being able to watch uninterrupted video on the Web, or online secure payments being accepted as a “safe” method of payment when making purchases. Cloud computing will impact households, small businesses and Fortune 500 companies. The chances are also very good that you may be already using it.

So What Exactly Is Cloud Computing
Industry professionals will often define cloud computing in a variety of different ways. But a quick definition in a nutshell, cloud computing refers to a completely different approach to performing all of your various computing tasks, when it comes to the management and the usage of your business or personal data files.

All of your software programs and applications, as well as your multimedia content that you currently use, will not longer be resident on your personal desktop computer, your businesses in-house network servers, or any other local devices for that matter. Cloud computing will significantly reduce storage space, increase security, reduce maintenance costs and offers more flexibility and accessibility to your data.

All of the data that you use on a daily basis is stored on a remote server that’s located somewhere in the world. This data can be your company spreadsheets, your word documents, or all your accounting and sales information.

You have most likely used a Web-based email service, the most popular and prominent being Google’s Gmail, then you’re already using cloud computing. Although Gmail does allow you to reconfigure it to re-route the email directly to your computer, most do not bother to do so, as they will just read, write and send their email messages directly through the online interface on their browser.

This is the basic concept of cloud computing. When you send a simple email message to someone sitting say 10 feet in front of you in your office, that email will travel around the world to wherever Google stores their remote Gmail servers, and reach their Gmail box on their browser. The actual content never reaches or is stored directly on their hard drive.

So Why Use Cloud Computing In The First Place
The basic core benefit of using cloud computing is you or your company can immediately and simultaneously access any and whatever data or information that you need, at anytime, and anywhere you may be. You can be sitting in your office, or in a hotel room half way across the world, or at home, provided that your mobile device has a Web connection.

Although the Gmail example may be simplistic, you will be able to manage all of your email on your home computer, a tablet PC, or on a laptop while at the airport, or on your smartphone while in your board meeting, and have complete and instant access to the data using any of these devices. There is absolutely no synchronizing that’s required between any of the various devices.

Now extend that kind of convenience and flexibility of the “anytime” as well as the “anywhere” accessibility to all of your office data and documents. The information that you or your employees or co-workers uses, whom all needs or simultaneously shares from multiple locations with multiple collaborators.

It’s not only the office data or the documents and the files that are stored in the cloud, but the software programs and the applications that created them as well. Since everyone has the identical access if they are working directly with the same basic set of software tools, cloud storage eliminates the risk of any file or data being incompatible between any of the different platforms and programs.

One other significant benefit of using cloud computing is that it will reduce the amount of physical as well as the virtual footprint space you will need to store the data. Conceivably, the cloud storage that you use or is required can expand and grow as you need it, yet you will never need to purchase another server, computer or need a bigger hard drive.

Also, it minimizes the risk of any data loss as well. Making backups of data on a daily basis is something that everybody knows that they should be doing, but the majority do not. When you have all of your data stored in a secure cloud, all of that data is backed up automatically without you ever having to bother with it.

Examples Of Cloud Computing

Along with the various Web-based email services, the home office or corporate business examples mentioned, there are additional ways on how cloud computing can be of help:

• There is automatic secure and systematic back-up of your valuable data and documents on a cloud based storage facility
• You can store specific work or personal files in the cloud, and they will remain accessible regardless if you’re in the office, across town, traveling across the country, or any other locale in the world that has Web access
• You will be able to synchronize all of your personal or business contacts across multiple devices or computers. One update will update the entire network at once
• You can upload and store your family photos to a cloud photo sharing site for you, your friends or family to view on a tablet or desktop PC, smartphone, or your HDTV anywhere in the world
• There are infinite possibilities of using cloud computing, as the data and the storage is located on a remote secure Web server that’s located anywhere in the world

So You Heading Into Cloud Computing
How will you or your company begin utilizing cloud computing. You can begin with any type of computing or mobile device which is connected to the Internet, these devices include: smartphones, tablet PCs, netbooks, notebooks, laptops, desktop computers, smart HDTV or business network servers and workstations. The list is only bound to grow. Cloud computing is easy to set up, secure from viruses and convenient for use by anyone.

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