Learn All About What the Word “Cloud” Really Means

Many regular consumers, the ones not exactly up-to-date on all the nooks and crannies of the Internet may become confused at the word “cloud.” The cloud, as it is commonly referred to, can be a multi-layered term. For those who are interested in finding a quality Sacramento data center and learning about the benefits of a private cloud server for their business, a quick education of the word might be in order. What is the cloud? Where did this word come from and what does it mean exactly? The cloud can be broken down fairly easily, as it’s meaning is quite broad.

While cloud computing is very much a term of the 21st century, the concept itself has roots that reach as far back as the 1950s. Remember the days of huge server rooms filled with gigantic computer mainframes? The mainframes were shared by multiple users via connections through shared terminals, with most of the computation occurring on the mainframes themselves.

Take that concept and add the distance of an Internet between the terminal and mainframe and it starts to look an awful lot like cloud computing, cloud storage, and other cloud services of today.

A cloud is a vast array of computers that are hooked together and meant to operate as a single ecosystem. Clouds are configured to offer one or more services (e.g. data storage, content delivery, or applications) and users, like you and me, can access these services remotely.

In short, a cloud is a lot of computers all hooked up together operating as a single ecosystem. A cloud can be for a lot of things: content delivery, data storage, millions of applications. The services from the cloud can be access remotely via other computers. No one knows exactly why the word “cloud” was chosen for this, however it’s somewhat easy to imagine the idea behind it. A cloud is something that inhabits millions of particles but from far away a cloud looks like one singular entity. In computing, the cloud is similar in this sense.

There are a few different types of clouds. A “private cloud” is a term you may have heard before and not truly understood the meaning. A private cloud is designed for use by a single organization or entity. A private cloud is generally located off the premises in another data center. A private cloud can be managed internally or by a third party. A public cloud is different, in that it is open to the public. A public cloud functions exactly the same as a private cloud, the only difference is that only specific people a reable to access a private cloud.  There is also the hybrid cloud. Not surprisingly, a hybrid cloud is a combination of both a private and public cloud. This usually happens due to company expansion. The final cloud type, the community cloud, is when a private cloud is shared amongst multiple organizations.

Sacramento colocation services can be an important part of your cloud strategy so include that in your research before diving into the world of the cloud. Whether you are an individual or a business, keeping up to date on the advancements of technology and the specifications of the Internet are essential for running a successful business, or being a tech-savvy adult.

(Source: What is the Cloud? http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/cloud-2/ August 2014)