"Cloud Computing" - What is it?

When I first heard of the term “cloud computing” I wasn’t really sure what to think?  At the risk of sounding ignorant the first thing that came to my mind was sitting on a puffy cloud while using your PC or Mac.  I know, I know, completely idiotic, but I am just being honest.  I soon found out that “cloud computing” can be a pretty efficient and cost effective way to manage the IT infrastructure of your business. So what on Earth is “cloud computing?”  Simply put it is moving software applications which would typically be on the user’s network infrastructure out onto the internet by having control remote servers to maintain data and applications.  Did I say simply put?  I know, confusing! So basically you are having your IT hardware being shared amongst many companies.  By sharing costs including electricity, internet bandwidth, data storage, security and IT management, cloud computing can provide higher quality resources at a lower cost than most companies can provide with their own resources. Another example to explain this would be if you want milk, do you need to have a cow living in your backyard?  No, let the grocery store handle that for you!  Another advantage to “Cloud” environments is that they are generally managed in a secure, disaster-ready environment.  So if a major flood, tornado, or earthquake takes place, your equipment will remain safe. Now that you know that “cloud computing” isn’t working with your computer up in the sky, it is up to you to decide whether or not it is right for your business.   A lot of business’s today use a combination of “cloud” and “on-site” technology to handle their needs.  Whatever your choice is, it is nice to have an option of having your own in house infrastructure or sharing it with other companies.