Cloud computing is taking off! All of the buzz in the blogosphere, and tech mags pronounce the cloud as the wave of the future, and many of our customers want to know just what the cloud phenomenon is, whether or not being in the cloud is for them, and if so, how they can be down (or rather up) with it.

First off, cloud technology is something most of us are acquainted with. If you have a gmail or yahoo email account, then you’re using cloud technology. Basically, cloud technology is the access and use of applications and data stored on a remote server. By using Yahoo mail for instance, you are using Yahoo’s email application to access your personal email stored on Yahoo’s servers.

What’s got everyone’s head in the clouds now is the expansion of the technology by some major players like Amazon, the major player and Google. They have been causing some turbulence in the operating system and application software technology realms with their cloud offerings for several years now. Microsoft has also gotten into the cloud game with Microsoft 365. The innovation surrounding the cloud has lead bloggers such as Patrick Kiger, writer for science.discovery.com to describe the world of cloud computing as “a world in which we not only won’t have to worry about whether our software is compatible with our OS, but in which we won’t ever have to install any software again, period.” Essentially, every function for which we currently have an application stored locally on our computers will have a similar application hosted on a remote server accessible via whichever cloud service provider one chooses.

Is the cloud for you? The answer to this question boils down to two things: 1) cost and 2) your comfort level with security. The cost side is pretty simple. With the cloud being made up of a universal operating system, applications and storage media, upfront computer costs are drastically reduced for both personal and business PC users. This virtually eliminates the need for users to invest in high powered systems, servers, and storage media. The cost for cloud services can vary from as little as $5.00 per user per month, to $50.00 per user per month with some services being provided on a per hour usage basis.

The security concern, on the other hand, is not quite as simple. Individuals and business stakeholders will need to evaluate their level of comfort with having vital information outside of their immediate control. Fortunately, as with almost everything, there are happy mediums that can be obtained. To address these concerns, private cloud and hybrid cloud platforms have been developed. The cloud platform that we have been discussing so far is known as the public cloud, where data from many users are stored on the same servers. A private cloud is a server or group of servers dedicated to one group and a hybrid is a combination of both public and private clouds. To determine the best approach to cloud implementation, we recommend working with skilled IT specialists to help evaluate the risks involved and to devise a plan that will provide the level of security required while maximizing the cost benefits of using the cloud.

We’ve only skimmed the surface of what the cloud has to offer by describing what the cloud is, discussing whether it’s for you or not, and how to evaluate the possibility. For more information regarding the cloud you can check out the following links:

What The Private Cloud Really Means

Key Trends in Cloud Computing – Mid-2011 Update

Cloud Computing Use Cases

By: Shonda R. Furr
Administrative Professional for Stockton PC Repair

We are certified IT professionals with countless hours of experience in operating systems software, hardware, peripherals, and wire/wireless networking. We love technology with a passion and enjoy what we do.

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Here at Stockton PC Repair Our drive and passion is not just for technology because our customers are our first priority. We make sure every customer experience is a good experience, which means we get to the core of computer problems fast, communicate solutions in nontechnical terms, and in the end we provide our cost effective solutions that suit our customers’ needs.

The technology world is a fast paced world.  Things seem to change with every passing second.  We’ve designed this blog to help our customers stay up-to-date with this ever changing technology, so when it’s time to repair, upgrade or re-evaluate an entire IT infrastructure the answers will be here.

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