understending cloud computing Essays - Cloud Computing,

Understanding cloud computing: Cloud computing represents a major change in how we store digital information and run computer applications. Instead of running programs and storing data on an individual desktop computer, everything is hosted in the "cloud" an assemblage of computers and servers accessed via the Internet. Our applications and documents are in the process of moving from the desktop into what experts call the cloud thousands of computers and servers, all linked together and accessible via the Internet. With cloud computing, everything we used to do on our desktop computer is now done over the web; we can access all our programs and documents from any computer that's connected to the Internet. How does cloud computing work and how will it affect the way we work? The software programs we use are stored computer we own. The documents we create are stored on the computer on which they were created. And, although documents can be accessed from other computers on a network, they can't be accessed by computers outside the network. With cloud computing, the software programs we use aren't run from our personal computer, but are rather stored on servers housed elsewhere and accessed via the Internet. If our individual computer crashes, the software is still available for others to use. The same goes for the documents we create; they're stored on a collection of servers accessed via the Internet. Anyone with permission can not only access the documents, but can also edit and collaborate on those documents in real time. The applications and data served by the cloud are available to a broad group of users using different operating system platforms; access is via the Internet. Any authorized user can access these docs and apps from any computer over any Internet connection, using the common web browser. It isn't apparent whether cloud services are based on HTTP, HTML, XML, JavaScript, or other specific technologies; to the user, the technology and infrastructure behind the cloud is invisible. In short, cloud computing enables a shift from the computer to the user, from applications to tasks, and from isolated data to data that can be accessed from anywhere and shared with anyone. The user no longer has to take on the task of data management; he doesn't even have to remember where the data is. All that matters is that the data is in the cloud, and thus immediately available to that user and to other authorized users. Inside the Cloud: How Cloud Computing Works? In cloud computing, a network of computers functions as a single computer to serve data and applications to users over the Internet. The network exists in the "cloud" of IP addresses that we know as the Internet, offers massive computing power and storage capability, and enables wide-scale group collaboration. Simply, the cloud is a collection of computers and servers that are publicly accessible via the Internet. This hardware is typically owned and operated by a third party in one or more data center locations. The machines can run any combination of operating systems; it's the processing power of the machines that matter, not what their desktops look like. Individual users connect to the cloud from their own personal computers or portable devices. To these individual users, the cloud is seen as a single application, device, or document. The hardware in the cloud is invisible .This cloud architecture is deceptively simple, although it does require some intelligent management to con nect all those computers together and assign task processing to multitudes of users. Understanding Cloud Storage One of the primary uses of cloud computing is for offsite data storage. With cloud storage, data is stored on multiple third-party servers, rather than on the dedicated servers used in traditional networked data storage. When storing data, the user sees a virtual server?that is, it appears as if the data is stored in a particular place with a specific name. But that place doesn't exist in reality; it's just a pseudonym used to reference virtual space carved out of the cloud. In reality, the user's data could be stored on any one or more of the computers used to create the cloud. The actual storage location may differ from day to day or even minute