What is Cloud Computing?

One of the newest buzzwords on the technology front is ‘the cloud’. The term ‘cloud’ is a descriptive word that illustrates a fundamental characteristic of cloud computing – it is a virtual or remote service.

Cloud computing is a way of providing a service that is hosted from a remote network of computers. The services that cloud computing services provide can be any of three different categories – Software services, platform services and infrastructure services.

So what makes cloud computing different traditional hosting services? There are three things that make them different from each other. First, cloud computing services are sold based on demand – the services you get are billed to you by the hour, or even by the minute. Secondly, cloud computing is a far more flexible arrangement. It gives you the option to get as much or as little of a service, which makes it a good option if you want to scale a service to your actual needs. Finally, the cloud computing service is not managed by the user but the cloud computing service provider. This means, as a user, you don’t need a lot of equipment to avail yourself of the service. In fact, you only need a computer and internet access that can handle the software that will allow you to access the cloud computing network.

A cloud computing solution is a more economical solution since the burden of providing infrastructure to an individual or a company is shifted to the provider instead of on the user. Before cloud computing, if you have a particular computing requirement, you have to establish the infrastructure yourself – buying the equipment and the software needed and also hiring a person to manage the whole system. It’s time consuming and expensive. Cloud computing changed the whole game because everything is now provided to the user and he can determine how much of a service he wants to get.

Cloud computing is going to change the way many things are done in the future and provide the impetus for people to start their own business.

About The Author

Mark is writer that has been covering computer technologies for more than a decade. He has recently used cloud computing services from ProfitBricks for a new startup he has established.