Connecting to "The Cloud"

There was a time in the not too distant past when "cloud" meant only a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the upper atmosphere.

But now "the cloud" has become a hot term in the data services industry. The cloud is used as both a representation of the internet in computer diagrams and a metaphor used to describe technologies such as server processing, data storage, security and voice applications that are gaining momentum among companies. The widespread use of the internet has given birth to the idea of using the internet as a shared, off-site data infrastructure

Another term used in conjunction with the cloud is "Cloud Computing." This term refers to the real-time delivery of services and technologies over the internet that allows end-users to instantly access data and applications over the internet from any device. Cloud Computing allows companies to get more bang for their computing buck by accessing services on a pay-as-you-go basis that they may not otherwise be able to afford.

There are several advantages to Cloud Computing.

One advantage of Cloud Computing is it enables small to mid-sized businesses to leverage storage space and application solutions without having to make significant capital expenditures on hardware or software. As a company's needs increase the service can scale to meet the demand. The company pays according to use. And not only is this often more economical for users or companies, it also means that the amount of on-site computing infrastructure is greatly reduced. This becomes important as smartphones and tablets come to populate the computing landscape.

Mobility is another benefit of Cloud Computing. Since the application and data are stored in the cloud it's easy to access them anytime, anywhere. This gives companies with virtual employees extreme flexibility and increased productivity.

Cloud Computing can facilitate user collaboration. Multiple users can easy work together on the same project

Another benefit of cloud computing is disaster recovery. The data and application software are off-site. The information is protected by multiple, geographically-separated data centers with backup, archive, and failover capabilities.

Cloud Computing is has been slow to gain widespread acceptance, but the value proposition is quite clear. Though, there are security issues that still need to be worked out, the technology provides both a reliable and scalable solution that has the potential to greatly reduce an organization's computing expense and boost employee productivity.

As time passes, the trend is toward our online life being in the cloud.

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