Information technology has enough terms to warrant a dictionary of acronyms for itself. The cloud is one of those terms and does not refer to anything you might associate with a weather system- however in terms of storage the sky truly is the limit.
Cloud computing is a way of outsourcing your IT infrastructure via the Internet. Rather than maintaining your own hardware and software environment, cloud computing provides computing resources on demand via a service provider.
Simply put, storing on a cloud means storing your electronic files on giant, off-site hard drives or using Web-based applications and accessing them through an online connection which means your files could actually be stored, say, in a giant server farm in Kansas.
Cloud services are often compared in their nature to utility services such as gas or electricity. It is there when you need it, as much as you need, and you pay as you go and only for what you consume.
Deepak Narain, regional presales manager, VMware Middle East, explains: "Cloud computing is an approach to computing that leverages the efficient pooling of on-demand, self-managed virtual infrastructure, consumed as a service. Sometimes known as utility computing, clouds provide a set of typically virtualized computers which can provide users with the ability to start and stop servers or use compute cycles only when needed, often paying only upon usage."
DATA ON THE GO
The ability to access data anywhere and pick up a computing task exactly where you left off makes accessing files much easier. Apple's iCloud already lets you sync your devices simultaneously whenever you update a file so that no matter which Apple device you're using, you have access to the exact same file. A word of warning though: you may pay a price for this free service--your privacy. In the user agreements for many services, including iCloud and Amazon Cloud, is a statement that allows the platform to share your data anonymously. That could mean more targeted ads.
According to Narain, the cloud has been defined in many ways, but many view it as an elastic, self-provisioning, billable on a usage basis, way to acquire computing needs. "This can be private (on-premise), public (hosted off-site), or hybrid (mix of on-site and off-site). Unlike the cloud, a hosted solution usually means there's a fixed rate to pay, like by month or by number of servers, as well as the inability to scale infrastructure on an as-needed basis," Narain said.
Normally, hosted services imply that a fixed set of computer resources are made available. Organizations are turning to cloud computing to improve IT efficiency and business agility. With cloud computing, you can enable more flexible service delivery and automate core IT processes, including both user and application provisioning and systems management.
Narain believes his product VMware virtualization solutions accelerate an organization's transition to the cloud, by abstracting complexity and creating an elastic pool of compute, storage, and networking resources.
"By virtualizing all assets in the IT infrastructure, you can create a private cloud that leverages the world's most trusted virtualization platform, VMware vSphere," he said.
CLOUD POTENTIAL
To summarize, here are some arguments on the potential of cloud computing:
- Deliver new IT services that fuel business growth. More rapidly create and deploy services that differentiate the business;
- Transform IT into a source of innovation. Unlock IT resources and reinvest in services that advance business goals; and
- Ensure IT efficiency, agility, and reliability. Deliver enterprise SLAs for tier 1 applications, securing the business even across diverse cloud environments.
In the business world, a cloud infrastructure provider can have a data center filled with hundreds of physical machines, with thousands of virtual machines operating on them, the use of which is sold to customers by the hour. Customers are then charged for use of these virtual machines and aren't required to buy any hardware or sign any long-term leases.
Do remember to back up your information though - which might seem slightly paradoxical to using the cloud in the first place, but Dropbox had a data breach in 2011 in which 25 million accounts were compromised.
Although only a tiny percentage of users were affected, you could be a hacker's next victim. Experts recommend an external hard drive with encryption. If a thief steals it, the data will be scrambled and unusable without your password.
© Zawya BusinessPulse 2013
