subject: Dip Your Toes in the Water Vapor of Cloud Computing [print this page] Dip Your Toes in the Water Vapor of Cloud Computing
Keeping up with technology is like chasing the carrot on the stick. No matter how hard you try, it's always one step ahead of you. I recently felt this way when a colleague and I dove into a conversation about cloud computing. Of course, I had heard of cloud computing before our water-cooler meeting. But, I found that I wasn't as well-versed as I should be. By the end of the conversation, my head was in a cloud of its own. So, what do I do when I need some clarity? A lot of research and a little writing. However, this isn't just for my personal gain. Hopefully, this will shed some light on cloud computing for other like-minded individuals.
Now, I'm writing this article under the assumption that you've heard of cloud computing, have a vague idea of what it is, but you're not really sure what it can do for you. So, in order to keep things succinct, let's confine this discussion to some common ground. We'll use Microsoft Office.
Businesses have a funny habit of producing a lot of Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations. Think about each computer scattered throughout your office, each loaded with dozens upon dozens of these files. For the most part, this is fine. Each individual has their own work and if they need to share it, they can drop it on a thumb drive. But, as you know, businesses move at a rapid pace. People need these documents, spreadsheets, and presentations instantaneously. And, worse yet, what if that worker's hard drive crashes? What then?
With cloud computing, this isn't an issue. In fact, it's a solution to a plethora of problems that plague the workplace. With cloud computing, these Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations exist in the cloud. They can be accessed by workers throughout the company, edited and worked on, and uploaded back into the cloud. And, if a hard drive crashes, the data isn't lostit resides in the cloud. Basically, cloud computing is the ultimate form of data backup and a simple way to make your business more efficient.
