What Is Cloud Computing?

The cloud is a somewhat recent invention, but has already revolutionized the way top businesses manage their data. While it has improved data management, it can also render you and your customers vulnerable to security threats. Studies have found that 81% of business owners today consider security to be one of their most important concerns. Fortunately, if you manage it right, the cloud can be one of the safest places to protect your data.

While cloud computing comes with many advantages, not everyone fully understands cloud computing and how to enjoy the benefits it can provide.

So what is cloud computing and how can you and your customers use it to your advantage? Read on to learn all about the most important things to understand about cloud computing and how to safely use it to benefit a business!

What is cloud computing?

The top tech companies in the world rely on cloud computing technology to improve their performance and overall business. After all, in today’s competitive tech landscape, no business should ignore a potential way to improve efficiency.

You have probably been using Google and Facebook for years — both of which use cloud computing. But what exactly does that mean?

Cloud computing exists in contrast to local computing. Local computing is when the calculations that you need a computer to run are actually run by the hard drive that is physically located in your building.

In contrast, cloud computing refers to vast sources of computing power in distant locations. When people need something computed, they send that request off to the cloud to take advantage of all of that processing power.

As noted with the two organizations above, people often do this without realizing it. Many software tools and website applications are built to send requests to the cloud without users knowing that they are relying on the cloud.

The importance of cloud computing security

Some people may be a bit hesitant at the idea of sending so much information to another location — particularly to store their information elsewhere.

The cloud can be an extremely safe place to store data and send computing requests, but it is important to apply smart security practices when using cloud computing.

One of the best ways to make sure the cloud is used safely is by encrypting data. End-to-end encryption is an extremely powerful method that is seemingly unbreakable.

You and your customers can feel secure knowing that their data will not be revealed simply because they are sending it to the cloud.

Of course, encryption won't help if somebody gets a hold of passwords. Many people make the mistake of responding to phishing emails or other scams that trick them out of their passwords.

Alternatively, some people have very weak passwords. However, you can apply a simple trick to create an extremely powerful password.

The best passwords are all about length rather than complexity. All you have to do is pick four or five words that are easy for you to remember and you'll have a password that is practically impossible to discover.

Benefits of cloud computing

Sometimes you will need massive amounts of computing power and other times very little. Either way, without the cloud, you will still have to buy extremely expensive processors.

However, the cloud allows you to only access huge amounts of processing power when you actually need it, making it much more efficient and allowing you to save money.

Cloud computing is also just generally cheaper. Because cloud computing processing power is purchased in bulk, it has a lower cost per calculation.

How does cloud computing work to preserve your data?

If your customers are going to store their data in the cloud, it is especially important to set up a backup system in case something goes wrong. Fortunately, there are plenty of effective solutions for creating backup data.

For example, Microsoft Azure helps businesses and individuals easily create backups of their data, protecting them in case anything goes wrong with their cloud storage.

It also protects them from things like ransomware, and other threats associated with the rise in cyber crime. With an extra backup of data on Microsoft Azure, your customers can rest assured knowing they are protected from these threats.

Understand the advantages of cloud computing

We hope learning a little bit more about cloud computing will benefit both you and your customers. There are many different ways of defining cloud computing, but they all emphasize the incredible benefits of cloud computing services.

Cloud computing is a huge step forward in efficiency and cost savings. The more you understand about it, the more you’ll see opportunities to use it to your benefit. To learn more about cloud computing or to speak with cloud computing experts, feel free to reach out and get in touch with us here at any time!