It’s been a while since we’ve gone over Cloud systems in general, so I figured it would be good to go through the basics so that we’re all on the same page. A “Cloud system” is the general term for storing data on a remote server that you can access through the internet. There have been many different advancements in technology. One of the biggest game-changers that we have seen in recent history has been Cloud Technology. There have been updates to our technology, which had moved the needle a little with their influence, like when Printers had Scanners attached to them. When it comes to cloud tech, the needle has been blown entirely off the scale.
How it works – What used to happen was that because we all have hard drives on our computers, if we needed to save something, you would keep it to your hard drive. The issue was that, eventually, it would disrupt your computer’s ability to work because there is a finite amount of space on your hard drive. This could cause headaches, frustration, and I could imagine a few thrown machines. Now with Cloud services, what happens is that when you save documents, music, videos, etc. you are not saving them on your hard drive, you are keeping them to a hard drive that is not on your computer. What runs your computer is called Random Access Memory (or RAM), and its purpose is to run your programs and hold anything you save to your hard drive. Sadly if you save too many things to your hard drive, it takes away from the computer’s ability to run its programs. With Cloud Technology, it takes away that lag by saving all of your data on a hard drive that is not physically attached to your computer. This means that Your computer will have more horsepower to run your applications faster.
Why It’s good – I like cloud systems because it means that not only does it mean that your programs will run faster (as everything else saves on the cloud), but it also means that you can access your data from any internet-connected device. I also like that while you are saving your data to a cloud service, if you run out of space, you can upgrade nearly automatically. There is no need for new equipment or a complex process of purchasing a new computer, It’s just a matter of clicking a button, and instead of paying two bucks a month, you’ll be paying four (as an example).
How it can be susceptible – I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up some of the dangers of working with cloud systems. Yes, if you have your data on an internet-based system, there is a higher chance of someone gaining access to it than if you were to keep your information on your computer alone. Hackers are a risk, but it’s important to remember that every cloud service out there worth its salt will provide you with many layers of security. Extra security means that it makes it extra tricky for others to gain unauthorized access to your system. The other reason that it could be vulnerable is because of “user error.” This happened to me a few years ago. I was messing around with some of the settings on my iPhone, and one of the settings said something to the effect of “Clear iCloud cashe.” What I didn’t realize until I was going to go look at my filing system was that what it meant was, “Do you want to delete everything in your iCloud?” I didn’t intend to do it, but because I did, my entire filing system got erased! After panicking a bit, I realized that I regularly back up my filing system to a couple of external hard drives, so it was a simple matter of plugging them in and reloading the files.
The fact of the matter is that Cloud Systems are everywhere and will only become more prevalent. With more and more devices utilizing IoT and AI to meet your every need (a whole other blog post which I will save for the future), The information that our machines are creating needs to go somewhere. There are data centres all over the world whose sole purpose is to make sure that our data stays accessible to us. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be talking about Cloud Systems in general, so I figured a brief refresher on what it’s all about would be in order.
What do you use a cloud system for?
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