What is cloud computing?

A few years ago, cloud computing was considered a trend. Today, it has already come true. Cloud computing, a term from the English “ cloud computing ”, became popular due to the market's need to have services that offer portability and mobility, since the use of devices such as tablets, notebooks and smartphones has become the most common form of use in the field. personal or professional.

The name cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that is often used to represent the Internet in flowcharts and diagrams. But do you really know what cloud computing is?

Well, we can already say that one benefit of using cloud computing services is that companies can avoid the upfront cost and complexity of owning and maintaining their own IT infrastructure and, instead, simply pay for what they use, when they use it. use it.

To make this understanding even clearer, we are going to present from now on what this technology represents and what its main characteristics are so that you have no more doubts.

What is cloud computing or cloud computing ?

Some time ago, many of the files and data were installed and stored on the computer itself. When you store data or run programs on your hard drive, it's called local compute storage. Everything you need is physically accessible, which means access to your data is limited.

Cloud computing has arrived to change this scenario and make it possible to store this data on servers that can be accessed from anywhere . In this way, it is no longer necessary to store documents, photos, audios and videos on a computer, CD or pendrive. When storing these items in the cloud, all you need is access to the internet and all of them can be viewed.

The first and main advantage of this is to eliminate the situation where all files are lost if the computer has problems, for example. That is, talking about cloud computing means the possibility of accessing files, executing them and editing them anywhere.

There is no need to install any application and there is no specification of devices that can access the cloud, as your files and data are not on a specific computer or device, but on the network.

Practical example of the use of cloud computing in our daily lives

When it comes to the daily use of digital tools, as they already have an advanced use within our routine, it is difficult to delimit the differences between local computing and cloud computing.

This is because the cloud is part of almost everything on our computers these days. You can easily have local software, such as Microsoft Office, which already uses a form of cloud computing to store files, such as Microsoft OneDrive.

Google also offers a suite of cloud-based applications, within Google Drive, which have fully online versions based on cloud computing principles of applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Other well-known and widely used services around the world are Dropbox and Slack :

• Dropbox: This is a simple and reliable file sync and cloud storage service, which has been improved over time with many collaboration features for online file editing;
• Slack: Slack is considered a cloud computing service because you communicate in real time with a community of people, each using a different type of device, and you can keep all the history saved online, without the need to install anything.

Features of cloud computing

As mentioned above, the main advantage perceived by those who use cloud computing is the fact of accessing and using applications directly from the Internet, without the need for storage or installation on the computer. But cloud computing also has other characteristics. Check out some of them:

• The user can access some applications regardless of the hardware or operating system he uses on his device;
• It is not necessary to worry about factors such as maintenance, security control and backup procedures , as this is the responsibility of the service provider;
• It is much easier and more practical to share data, as any number of users can access it in the same place: the cloud.

For all these features to be effective, there is behind the cloud an entire layer of infrastructure spread across the world that supports all online operations.

It is also important to highlight that a cloud can be private or public. A public cloud sells services to anyone on the internet. A private cloud is a proprietary network or data center that provides hosted services to a limited number of people, with certain access settings and permissions.

Whether private or public, the goal of cloud computing is to provide easy and scalable access to computing resources and IT services .

Cloud computing scenario in Brazil

In national territory, cloud computing has matured quickly. Companies of all sizes have already adopted this technology and the tendency is for more and more companies and individuals to start enjoying all the benefits of cloud computing.

Digital transformation the market, is a factor that further drives the advancement of cloud computing in the country. Several solutions appear every day already adapted for this scenario.

The fact that cloud computing securely stores documents and files regardless of computer or hard disk problems makes it of great importance for companies. In addition, its large storage capacity means that it is not necessary to have a machine with a lot of space at hand , as each file is stored on remote servers.

And does your company already use cloud computing? Get to know here several case organizations that have already adapted to provide solutions directly in the cloud! 

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