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How Does Cloud Computing Work?

Cloud computing is a phenomenon made possible because of the increasing speed of broadband Internet and the ability for people to access web pages at lightning fast speeds. Without these fast speeds, people would be unable to compute in the clouds. To better understand how cloud computing works, it is beneficial to understand what it is.

Cloud computing is a grid of computers that acts like the architecture necessary to provide software and data to other computers. Its purpose is to deliver software that might be put on the architecture by a company to individual computers connected to the Internet. For example, Google Documents is software that is “in the clouds” that delivers a word processing program to people without them needing to install it on their computer. And, with the power of Google’s servers, they can then save those files right “in the clouds” without needing to burden their own hard drive. How Does Cloud Computing Work?

How Does Cloud Computing Work?

To understand it works, it is important to think of cloud computing in two levels. The front level is the user level which is what you use such as your Google Email or Facebook or the webpage where you are downloading the latest version of Flash. The other level is the backend which is all of the hardware and the software architecture. It’s here that the actual Gmail or Facebook is held waiting to be accessed by you.

Because all of the different servers are running together in cloud computing, one application can have the computer power of many servers. This allows something like Facebook to run. Imagine trying to host Faecbook on your laptop. It just wouldn’t work.

Therefore, the cloud brings together a large number of computers to operate a single application. And anything that is stored anywhere other than your local hard drive—on your computer—is labeled as being in the clouds.

One of the main advantages of cloud computing is it allows companies to send files to customers without having to send an actual CD. For example, if you are using a Dell laptop and you need to get an upgrade for your Bios. Instead of having to have it sent to you, Dell can provide that to you right through the Internet. If Dell wants to sell you a new piece of software, they can do that right through the Internet and have it installed without needing the CD. It saves time and it saves money.

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Comments (5)

 

  1. Sushma says:

    what is the difference between the cloud computing and internet….
    please give me the answer

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    • memenode says:

      I’d say cloud computing typically represents using software not hosted on your local computer, but on the internet. So in a sense the internet itself can be considered a cloud, but when we talk about specific services and software we talk about specific networks which are a part of the internet. In other words, the internet is the network of clouds, the cloud of all clouds. I hope that makes sense.

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  2. Big T says:

    This all sounds very much like “Big Brother”. Do we really want sensitive data stored offsite?

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  3. David says:

    is it possible to send to an apple i cloud data from a non apple pc ?

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    • Marlon Franco says:

      Yup, via MobileMe application

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