What is it? Cloud computing is computing in the clouds or using software as a service, hosted and stored somewhere else; accessible from the Internet. My idea of “cloud computing” was to host a software package, such as Microsoft Office onto a server, where multiple users could access, use, and store files, without the need for installation on every desktop or laptop system, reducing the need for massive installation and maintenance efforts. A software package that truly operates from the cloud is Google Docs and Google Drive. No software is required, it is free, and the documents are stored somewhere else; could be somewhere in Bangladesh or Egypt, but are accessible at anytime; secured by user account.
Microsoft says they offer cloud solutions, but Office 365 still requires a user license and download of the software on the machine to use it. They have at least advanced to no longer requiring a physical disk to install. With One Drive, a user can store and access their files, which are stored, somewhere; anywhere; I guess it doesn’t matter, unless it’s a matter of National Security.
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the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer.
Microsoft Azure: Focus on building great applications, not babysitting hardware
You don’t have to worry about patching, faulty hardware, or network issues. Use Azure Cloud Services to deploy your application, keep it continuously available during crashes and failures, and redirecting traffic from troubled instances to ones that are running smoothly. Automatic operating system updates mean that your application is always highly secure, without maintenance windows or downtime.
So, without 85 hours of Technical Reviews, formal education in computer programming, and 3 days of Internet research, I can just say “Cloud Computing” allows for businesses to run and scale applications across an enterprise without software installation at every device or even the need for a local server. I can grasp the concept of “Cloud Computing’s” benefits of reducing installation and maintenance nightmares, but it seems to be a development platform with managed servers, good for businesses who want to develop custom software, using Google’s Resources. Personally, I think its dangerous for businesses to develop their own custom software and recommend commercial solutions that are customizable and adaptable, but I’m no expert in the field.
I think these developers and programmers have their head in the clouds.
So, every Big business is expected to outsource their IT Departments and move to managed offsite solutions? Honestly, I can’t imagine big businesses such as Walmart, Target, Macys, Nordstrom and other E-Commerce businesses had a standard they were required to follow for selling products online. It seems unfathomable, considering Google’s strict requirements for shopping feeds and product information. I can only guess these were inventory systems that were adapted for the Internet, but by whom? The same people or entity pushing Cloud Services? I suppose then they’d move their Inventory System and E-Commerce sites to the Big Data providers, but by the looks of the Google Cloud Platform, it is nothing more than an Application with SQL, Datastores, Domains, and Queries.
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