Before starting with the article, let me congratulate you, because you are quite lucky that you are living in a world with modern facilities. You are living in a world with Internet facility. You are living in a world having Cloud Computing. Huh? Cloud Computing? I know you must have seen this word many times unless you are living under a rock, and you don’t have Internet there. Confused on seeing this word again, while you don’t know its meaning? Well, you must be.
If you are noticing this word everywhere on the web, then it’s quite clear that the Cloud Computing is pretty trendy now and is touching the high sky of success, day by day. So let’s not extend time of your confusion and proceed ahead.
What is Cloud Computing ?
I know, to put an end to your the clouds of confusion in your mind, all of you have searched about this term many a times. Let’s not put the definition into the cave of complexity.
In simple words,. Cloud Computing means storing and accessing the files over the Internet. These files are saved on servers and access to them is provided by you from the service provider. You don’t need to put any load of having Software/ files in your hard drive. You don’t need to own them. You can use the ones of service provider by paying the amount, as fixed by the provider. This is Cloud Computing. We can say, this is convenience. If you are wondering about the name ‘Cloud’ as this is not used anywhere in the definition then let me tell you it has a logical origin. This term has come from the symbol of ‘Cloud’ that is often used to describe the Internet in flow charts. This service is related to Internet only and thus the ‘Cloud’ term has been adopted in its name.
Cleared about the term ‘Cloud Computing’? Ok! Now let’s move on to the Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing.
Advantages of Cloud Computing :
Plenty of advantages of using the Cloud Computing. Let’s discuss the most shining here.
Cost Effective :
The Cloud Computing does not cost you much. The cost was high in the starting time of this technology but now many big fishes have stepped into it, resulting in the tough competition and thus less cost. The Cloud Computing is a like a boon to IT companies as they don’t need to buy separate licenses for the software they use. They can now perform their tasks with the Cloud Computing at pretty cheap rate.
Backup of Data :
Your data is very important to you and your cloud service provider knows this well. As in this technology, your files are stored in servers which are secured by your cloud service provider. So there is always a better security and ease to take the backup of data. No need to fall in the burden of Physical devices for this purpose.
More Storage :
With Cloud Computing, you get more storage or say unlimited storage. You can store your files without worrying about the storage capacity. Many Cloud Service providers provide the unlimited storage at really cheap rates. So need to buy new hard drives, after filling the first.
Stay Up-To-Date :
As already stated, the competition among the cloud service providers is at its best. So every provider works hard to give you access to up-to-date versions of software that you use over the cloud. This is another plus point as you need not to go through the head aching tasks of updating your software again and again. Your Cloud Service provider does it for and does it automatically.
Access Your Files Anywhere :
The files and software stored in your hard drive are accessible only till you have physical access to your computer, which is always not possible. But when you save the files on cloud, you get an easy access to them. You can access them anywhere and anytime. All you need is access to Internet and nothing else. Pretty convenient! Isn’t it?
Plenty of more features of Cloud Computing, but limited the list of top ones only. Well, it’s obvious that every new feature/service has disadvantages as well. Same is with the Cloud Computing. Though not much, but it has disadvantages. Let’s have a look at them below.
Disadvantages of Cloud Computing :
Security :
If you use the Cloud Computing, then be clear in mind that you are sharing your important files with the cloud service provider. There may be security issues later on and your private or crucial files may get accessed by Cloud service provider. Although, it’s a big risk to use the Cloud technology for your files’ storage but you can put an end to this fear by opting for the most trusted service provider than going with any new or unknown provider. The choice is yours and extent of risk depends on your choice only.
Technical Problems :
Well, don’t forget that at last it’s another sort of technology and technology faces issues as well. This may be downtime issues or may be any other like hack etc. So it’s quite possible that you may also have to suffer from it, while using the Cloud technology. Nothing can be more wired than the situation, when you need to access your files stored in the Cloud urgently and at the same time, your service provider is facing some technical issues. In such situations, you can’t do anything but just can wait for your service provider to solve all the issues. Well, who knows that how much time it’s going to take.
Final Words :
Cloud Computing is boon of modern technology and really makes your tasks to get done with convenience at its best. There are Some disadvantages also, but it’s OK, nothing is perfect. So have you switched to Cloud Computing or not? What do you think about this rapidly growing technology? Share your views with us, via the comment box below.
