Curious About a Private Cloud Server? Learn What “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? In short, a cloud is a lot of computers all hooked up together operating as a single ecosystem. A 2014 article from CNN Money states:
The cloud, simply, refers to software and services that run on the Internet instead of your computer…The cloud lets you watch half an episode of Breaking Bad on your TV at home and finish it on your smartphone while riding the train.
A cloud can be for a lot of things: content delivery, data storage, millions of applications. The services from the cloud can be accessed 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 date 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 are able 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.
Businesses both big and small can, essentially, create their own cloud with colocation data centers. Local Sacramento colocation data centers can provide space, equipment and bandwidth. Whether you are an individual or a business, keeping up to date on the advancements of technology and the specifications of the Internet are imperative to running a successful business—or simply being a tech-savvy consumer.
(Source: What is the Cloud http://money.cnn.com/2014/09/03/technology/enterprise/what-is-the-cloud/ September 2014)
