Cloud Computing – what is it?

According to Wikipedia it is …

“… location-independent computing, whereby shared servers provide resources, software, and data to computers and other devices on demand, as with the electricity grid.”

OK so what does that mean in practical terms?

Well, your computer only needs access to the Internet and does not need any/many programs loaded onto it to serve your needs.

Instead of having, say, Microsoft Office, loaded onto your PCs you can access similar resources on the Internet using, for example, Google Apps instead.

You no longer pay quite expensive licensing fees to Microsoft and all the storage requirements of their programs on your PCs. You also don’t need a server to store your documents on. Your documents, spreadsheets etc, are stored on, in this example, Google’s servers. So you don’t need to buy, install and update the software. You don’t need to buy a server. Better still you can access everything from any PC anywhere and you and your colleagues can collaborate, again, from anywhere.

Their web site says, for business users, …

“Reliable, secure web-based office tools for your organisation

Powerful, intuitive applications: Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and more can help reduce your IT costs and help employees collaborate more effectively – all for just £33 per user per year.”

Of course there are other providers who offer similar services and it is just part of the overall service Computer Business Services offer to our clients is the advice on the various options to assist in selecting the most suitable solution for their individual needs.