Getting to grips with the Cloud

Technology marches on at a relentless pace and it is hard to keep up with it all but Cloud computing is here and it’s here to stay. You come across the term cloud computing everywhere – at home and at work. So what is the cloud, and where is it?

Cloud computing simply means storing and accessing data and applications over the internet instead of through your computer’s hard drive. The cloud is really just a metaphor for the Internet, the term can be traced back to the days when the internet was regularly represented as a giant buffy white cumulus cloud accepting connections and handing out information as it floated along.

What we are most used to thinking about when we store data on or run programs is our hard drive. Using the hard drive of your computer is what is called local storage and computing. It means that everything you want to access is physically close to you, and that accessing your data is fast and easy, for that one computer, or others on the local network.

Cloud computing is not about your hard drive, it is not about having a dedicated network attached to storage hardware or a local server either.  To be properly considered “cloud computing,” you need to access your data or your programs over the Internet, or at the very least, have that data synced with other information on the Web. The end result is the same and with an online connection, cloud computing can be done anywhere, anytime making it way more mobile. HPS can help you understand and optimise the use of Cloud Computing in the Project, Programme and Portfolio Management workspace. Many vendors in this space are offering cloud services, accessible anywhere and at anytime, where you can rent the application and store it within your data in the cloud.

http://uk.pcmag.com/networking-communications-software-products/16824/feature/what-is-cloud-computing