What is cloud computing and how to leverage it

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Cloud computing is a technology, a concept and a trend. It basically means accessing applications and storage space remotely through Internet connection. Theoretically it is not a new phenomena.

Ever since the advent of the Internet everything you have been accessing so far has existed on a remote location. For instance, even when you access your e-mail you access it through a remote server whether you use a desktop client or a web interface. When you access a website you are accessing something that resides on a "cloud" (unless you're using intranet). So what's new if it has always been happening?

A phenomenal change in cloud computing is that these days even the mainstream applications such as CRM/ERP, document management and collaboration, image editing and accounting, for example, are also being installed in the cloud instead of local machines and servers.

In cloud computing instead of running your applications and managing your data on local servers and PCs you use cloud computing to achieve the same results (in a better manner, of course). All the applications and the related data is hosted in the cloud (on the remote server) and you just need a browser (or an application specifically designed to access your tools online).

A great thing about using cloud computing is you don't need sophisticated hardware and software to leverage even the most advanced business applications. This means even smaller businesses can utilise business intelligence tools that were up till now available to just bigger companies.

So whether you want to collaborate with a small team that is scattered all over the globe working on a single document or spreadsheet, or you want to run the entire corporate payroll system, you can have the entire set of running on a cloud. All you need is a contemporary browser and a decent Internet connection and you are ready to roll.

Another great advantage of using cloud-based applications is you don't have to go for the entire thing. Normally the companies providing cloud computing solutions offer modular packages so that you can scale them according to your requirement. Precisely this is the reason why cloud computing becomes so useful and affordable.

You can immediately cut costs by switching to online office suits such as Google Docs and Zoho. They have all the word processing, spreadsheets, databases and presentation management solutions remotely available to you. Just imagine, never having to worry about taking backups and the ability to access your documents from everywhere, from every location, and these days, practically from every device that can connect to the Internet.

You can also use online storage facilities such as DropBox (available on all major platforms) and Ubuntu One (primarily available on Ubuntu). The free versions give you 2 GB of server space. At a nominal fee you can avail more server space and keep all your important files there are so that you can access them from everywhere. Many people are using these online storage facilities to secure their backups. You can also stream your audio and video files from there.

Online applications like Aviary can easily help you carry out basic image editing tasks without having to install a heavy graphic editing tool on your PC or laptop.

Want to share some more thoughts on how to use cloud computing? Please use the comments section below to leave your feedback.

Amrit Hallan from StormDriver created this hub. Check out StormDriver.com to experience the Open Web Layer