Cloud Computing

What is Cloud Computing?

The way we use technology is ever changing. It’s an evolution of how and where we access our private, personal and work related data. From the earliest days of the home computer, accessing data and entertainment from cassettes, to the rise of the Internet and terabytes of storage, technology has revolutionised the way we interact with the world around us.

One particular form of this technological evolution is the cloud. The cloud is a term used often without knowing exactly what ‘the cloud’ is, what it does, how it works and what it can offer both the home and business user. The cloud offers many great benefits for those who use it Storage, email, development, collaboration, sharing, streaming, the list goes on.
Throughout the following pages we look at what makes up the cloud, how it works and what’s on offer for both the consumer and business user. We look at better ways for you to implement the cloud into your business or lifestyle, and even how you can go about creating your own personal cloud.
The future of work and entertainment lies in the cloud. So let’s see what silver linings cast a gleam on this modern way of life.

The Definition of the Cloud

What is the cloud? Where is it? What can you do with it? How does it work? These and more are questions that home and business users ask on a regular basis. The term ‘cloud computing’ has been bandied about for so long, it’s become just another technology phrase; what does it mean though?

SILVER LININGS

The meaning of the cloud has changed somewhat in recent years, more as it became the new buzz-word that pundits and marketing executives liked to throw about. In its most basic, layman’s terms, cloud computing is simply accessing some form of digital resource or service, that isn’t installed locally on your computer.
For the home, consumer user, that could mean accessing Gmail, Google Drive, Dropbox or, in some circumstances, even viewing content through the likes of Netflix or listening to music via Spotify. It’s a loose interpretation of what a cloud is but essentially it’s the same.
From the point of view of the Small Medium Enterprise (SME), it’s a way of consolidating digital resources into an on demand, online and accessible solution. This way, mobile workers can access the company’s content as can any clients and there isn’t necessarily a need to employ technical expertise to constantly maintain the company servers and hardware. The ability to offer those shared resources without the technical or financial impact of setting it up or keeping it maintained is another benefit of using a cloud solution. Therefore it makes a more appealing proposition to both consumer and SME users.
In 2011 the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) brought together a final definition of the term cloud computing. “Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction”
The NIST then went on to list five essential characteristics of cloud computing: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling rapid elasticity or expansion and measured service. Furthermore there are three listed Service Models: software, platform and infrastructure, and four Deployment Models: public, community, hybrid and private.
The cloud, therefore, has quite a wide definition, encompassing almost everything we do and interact with on a daily basis. Throughout this book, we’ll take a deeper look into the cloud and see what it’s made of, how it works for you as an individual or business user and how we can build our own cloud service.

CLOUD BENEFITS

We’ll look more into the cloud later but for now here are some of the benefits a company or an individual can expect from cloud computing.

Dropbox Paper

Dropbox Paper is a new feature that is, to quote Dropbox itself, “more than a doc, Dropbox Paper is a flexible workspace that brings people and ideas together”. It’s where you can create content to share and work with others.
FOUR FAB …
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Dropbox Sharing

Sharing content with others is an easy process to set up in Dropbox regardless of whether you’re using a business account or the free, basic plan. Dropbox has all bases covered when it comes to creating shared files and folders.
FOUR FAB …
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iCloud Desktop Documents and Folders

With macOS Sierra and iOS 10, you can not only store documents on your iCloud but also files and folders on our desktop. It’s done automatically, so a file on your Mac’s desktop is accessible from your iOS device, and other Macs.
DESKTOP DOCS …
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How to Use the iCloud Keychain

Do you get sick of entering your username and password every time you go on an Internet forum or shopping site? With iCloud Keychain, you can store all your password information on the cloud and sync it between your Apple devices using iCloud.
…
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Safari in iCloud

With iCloud, browsing history, bookmarks and passwords can be synced with just a few clicks. Apple has gone to great lengths to ensure ease of use for its user base when dealing with its cloud services.
ON SAFARI
Apple’s iCloud is surprisingly …
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iCloud Photo Library

iCloud Photo Library lets you store all your photos in the cloud and view them on all your devices. Despite the bad press of recent years, chiefly the leak of celebrity images via iCloud, it’s still regarded as an excellent and secure online …
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Upgrading iCloud Drive

A new iCloud account comes with 5GB of free storage available. If you use your iCloud Drive a lot though, you may run out of space, especially if you also back up your iOS device to the cloud.
MORE iCLOUD
Thankfully, it’s easy to purchase more …
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How to Use Apple’s iCloud Services

Keep your important files safe in remote online storage and have them instantly accessible from all your Apple devices (your Mac, iPhone and your iPad), with Apple’s revolutionary cloud storage service iCloud. The files you want to keep safe …
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Basic Consumer Cloud Services

The cloud focuses a lot on businesses and what a company can get from it to make itself more successful, often with very little regard to what the home user can get. Thankfully, the consumer isn’t completely left out in the cold where the cloud …
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Why Cloud?

Why should you use a cloud computing solution when having your own in-house IT setup is the more traditional way? What is it that makes using a cloud provider more sense in today’s interconnected world?
AHEAD IN THE CLOUD
We’ve touched on a …
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Anatomy of the Cloud

Talking about connected technologies, all accessing a central cloud infrastructure across several geo-redundant datacentres can be a little difficult to visualise. How is it all connected, where do you and your computer or device fit in to the …
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Cloud Problems

While the cloud may sound like the ideal solution to any company or individual’s technology needs, it isn’t without its concerns. Due to the nature of the cloud, an issue with just a single element could effectively bring a business to a virtual …
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