Idea Watch
the future is up5
I 46
F WE WERE TO COMBINE fact with humor, we could say that cloud computing seems to be taking over the world in the form of an operation called “project cloud.” An internet-based method of storing and processing data, cloud computing has become an intrinsic part of our daily lives. From texting and emails to annual reports and streaming video, we use the cloud in our everyday lives without even realizing it. The cloud is convenient and easy, but it is not without its risks. Neither an individual nor a business can afford to use the cloud without understanding both sides of this two-edged sword.
WHAT IS CLOUD COMPUTING? The term “cloud” is an artifact of network design drawings in which designers would draw the company’s resources—computers and their associated internal network components—reaching out to the computing resources in the remote
Issue 2 - february 2015
location to which their computers were connected. In between, they would draw a nebulous shape of a cloud. The cloud represented that part of the network connectivity that was managed by external entities, normally a large telephone service provider. So the cloud basically refers to the internet, and therefore is associated with the many facets of such an omnipotent medium. Cloud computing is simply a term to designate not only the computing infrastructure, but the process of sharing and storing content and data on the internet. Cloud computing is an alternative to on-site physical storage devices and expensive servers. From largescale super-computers and highspeed fiber optic communication lines to something as simple as a smart phone, cloud computing is the answer to data transmission, collection, and efficient processing to suit the modern needs of a world
constantly looking for ease of access to information. Cloud computing is now extremely common and the most preferred method of data storage and distribution as it provides an ease of access reminiscent of sci-fi novels. Cheap, yet fast and easily accessible through any portal that connects to the internet, it is the method of choice for the current technologically advancing world.
HOW DOES IT WORK? Cloud computing utilizes networks of servers to create an infrastructure of connected systems. In simple terms, one rents a server or servers for much less than the cost of purchasing. Connection to the cloud computing service is via internet, with transmission speed and bandwidth tailored to the requirements of the user. For example, if the company has to store large amounts of data, but without the need to rap-