Whatever the sector of your activity is, you can not ignore the Internet nowadays. The presence on the Web and the good use of this tool are, today, key elements of success. This obligation is binding on every creator or business manager, regardless of the size of the business, and requires the latter to develop a mastery of digitalization. In this context, the focus is on a very popular hosting solution, the cloud computing.
The cloud provides continuous, easy, and on-demand access to a shared network as well as important computing resources (networks, servers, storage, applications, and services). This computer model makes it possible to have functionalities through an online service without having to possess locally and physically the resources or the necessary equipment.
Advantages of Cloud Computing
The cloud offers many benefits. It is now commonly used by all Internet users to store their documents, photos or videos. This type of storage makes it possible to free up space on their hard disk and to protect them from an irremediable crash of the latter. A particularly secure delocalized backup solution.
This same approach is obviously possible at the company level. In addition to hosting sites, unlike traditional hosting solutions, companies pay only for the space they actually use. In this case we speak of “pay as you go”.
Cloud hosting also offers great flexibility for expansion. Imagine, for example, a merchant site that during a pay period suddenly needs more space or bandwidth. The cloud allows the site to grow easily and immediately by using more resources within it. A reactivity impossible and in any case expensive in case of traditional hosting.
Disadvantages of Cloud Computing
The disadvantages are essentially the security and confidentiality of the information. Cloud hosting involves by its very nature a group of networked computers, some security risks. The information entrusted to the cloud is indeed not stored on a server in one place, but transmitted regularly between several servers.
This movement of data generates vulnerabilities that can put off businesses that want to protect particular know-how or sensitive information. A data encryption solution can be proposed.
Example
Let’s make it simpler and compare the data processing to the video.
In the past, watching a movie would require:
- A DVD or VHS with the video content
- A DVD or VHS player
- A TV
Now, with VOD (Video on Demand) you’ll only need:
- A gadget with internet access;
We can compare the cloud to the VOD. If you rent a movie online, it won’t be necessary to have a dvd, blue-ray or vhs player in your house. The most important here is to be able to watch the movie.
In fact, we will use a service that replaces the hardware: we call it VOD.
(For your information, movies available for VOD stay on servers that are in the cloud).
Now let’s do the same comparison with cloud computing, and you’ll see that the cloud is a service.
Without the cloud
Before cloud invention, you could only store your photos if you had:
- A computer;
- A hard drive with enough space
Disadvantages
- If your computer stopped you would lose the access
- If your hard drive stopped you would lose the files/photos
- Your hard drive must have space enough to store all the files, otherwise you would have to have a new hard drive or a new computer
- You could only see the photos on your computer.
With the cloud
After cloud’s existence we can use a storage service
- A gadget connected to internet. It can be a smartphone, tablet, smart tv…
Advantages
- The photos are not stored at home, they are on computers that are secure and backed up: you can not lose them.
- You rent the necessary disk space. When you have no more, you rent bigger.
- You do not risk losing your photos because of a hardware problem (hard drive failure), it is the host who manages the hardware.
- You have access from anywhere and with any device: ATAWAD concept.
For individuals, the cloud comes down to online services. Among them, one of the most used is the storage of documents (also allowing sharing) such as: Hubic, DropBox, Google Drive, …
… but you can also find software for creating documents, image processing, drawing management and many more …
Conclusion
It is thanks to the concept of SaaS (Software As A Service) that the concept of Cloud has been able to impose on the front of the stage. This notion consists of offering online applications to users. These applications have the consume and payment on demand.
SaaS presents itself as a new economic model set up as a complement to already existing application models. Renowned software companies such as Microsoft, Sage or Adobe have already integrated this model and have already embarked on the proposal of software solutions, but also new services in “SaaS” mode.
Data recovery, no investment costs, mobility, competitiveness, security and increased collaboration are some of the benefits of cloud computing in its evolution. You will still hear about this concept for a long time.
