What is Cloud Computing?

Everyone is talking about “the cloud.” But what does it mean?

More and more, we are seeing technology moving to the cloud. It’s not just a fad—the shift from traditional software models to the Internet has steadily gained momentum over the last 10 years. Looking ahead, the next decade of cloud computing promises new ways to collaborate everywhere, through mobile devices.
So what is cloud computing? Essentially, cloud computing is a kind of outsourcing of computer programs. Using cloud computing, users are able to access software and applications from wherever they need, while it is being hosted by an outside party — in “the cloud.” This means that they do not have to worry about things such as storage and power, they can simply enjoy the end result.

Life before cloud computing

Traditional business applications have always been very complicated and expensive. The amount and variety of hardware and software required to run them are daunting. You need a whole team of experts to install, configure, test, run, secure, and update them.
When you multiply this effort across dozens or hundreds of apps, itn’s easy to see why the biggest companies with the best IT departments arenn’t getting the apps they need. Small and mid-sized businesses don’t stand a chance.

Cloud computing: a better way

With cloud computing, you eliminate those headaches that come with storing your own data, because you’re not managing hardware and software — that becomes the responsibility of an experienced vendor like salesforce.com. The shared infrastructure means it works like a utility: you only pay for what you need, upgrades are automatic, and scaling up or down is easy.
Cloud-based apps can be up and running in days or weeks, and they cost less. With a cloud app, you just open a browser, log in, customize the app, and start using it.
Businesses are running all kinds of apps in the cloud, like customer relationship management (CRM), HR, accounting, and much more. Some of the world’s largest companies moved their applications to the cloud with salesforce.com after rigorously testing the security and reliability of our infrastructure.
As cloud computing grows in popularity, thousands of companies are simply rebranding their non-cloud products and services as “cloud computing.” Always dig deeper when evaluating cloud offerings and keep in mind that if you have to buy and manage hardware and software, what you’re looking at isn’t really cloud computing but a false cloud.

The benefits of cloud computing

Traditional business applications have always been very complicated and expensive. The amount and variety of hardware and software required to run them are daunting. You need a whole team of experts to install, configure, test, run, secure, and update them.
When you multiply this effort across dozens or hundreds of apps, it’s easy to see why the biggest companies with the best IT departments aren’t getting the apps they need. Small and mid-sized businesses don’t stand a chance. The affordability of cloud-hosted data makes it an essential tool for these types of situations. Here are some other benefits of cloud computing.
Adaptable
Cloud computing allows for adaptable programs and applications, that are customizable, while allowing the owners control over the core code.
Multi-tenancy
Cloud software provides the opportunity to provide personalized applications and portals to a number of customers or tenants.
Reliable
Because it is hosted by a third party, businesses and other users have greater assurance of reliability, and when there are problems, easy access to customer support.
Scalability
With the Internet of Things, it is essential that software functions across every device and integrates with other applications. Cloud applications can provide this.
Secure
Cloud computing can also guarantee a more secure environment, thanks to increased resources for security and centralization of data.

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