Cloud Computing

Over the past few years, a new phenomenon known as ‘cloud computing’ has grown in popularity within internet communities. It is based on the idea of storing data, software and information online rather than on your computer hard drive. Large companies such as Microsoft and Google ‘rent out’ space on their enormous servers, allowing the space to be used in a variety of different ways. 

Business Use

In 2002, Amazon Web Services became the first large company to offer ‘cloud computing’ possibilities to the general public. It was aimed at businesses and web-based software developers, allowing anyone to create and run online software or ‘apps’ (like the ones that have become popular on Facebook) without the need to run them from their own computer – instead, all the information and data was stored and managed in online ‘rented space’.

This development has steadily grown in popularity, leading to larger companies releasing their own versions: Google Apps was released in 2006 and has grown in size ever since; and in February 2010, Microsoft released their competitor, Windows Azure, to the general public.

These services have revolutionised the ways in which developers and businesses can create new software. However, cloud computing also has benefits to offer regular computer users.

Personal Use

Windows Live Skydrive is a service available to anyone with a Windows Live or Hotmail account. Users are entitled to 25GB of free online storage, which can be used to back up important files or folders from their computer’s hard drive. Stored files can be kept secure for private use only, or shared with others, such as in photo albums that can be viewed by other users.

A similar service is offered by Google, called Google Docs. This service places more emphasis on another advantage of cloud computing, namely file sharing and collaborating on documents. Google point out that when a group of people collaborate on a document via email, this can result in a several versions of the same document continually being passed back and forth between collaborators, potentially leading to much confusion. By uploading a document to Google Docs and sending all collaborators a secure link, it is ensured that all collaborators are working on just one version of a document at any given time. Previous versions of the document are also archived for future reference.

Another advantage to these systems is to look at them as a replacement for USB external hard drives. If a file or document is uploaded onto a Skydrive or Google Docs account, it can then be accessed and downloaded easily onto another PC, eliminating the need use a memory stick for moving files from one computer to another.

If you are looking to use one of these services, Windows Live Skydrive seems to be the best value, so long as you use a Windows Live email account. The 25GB of free space offered massively outweighs the 1GB offered by Google Docs, however further storage can be purchased on Google for $0.25 per GB.

It seems highly likely that online storage and ‘cloud computing’ is something that will only continue to grow over the coming decade. As more and more big names like Google and Microsoft weigh in with their competing services, the choices and options for both online businesses and everyday computer users are inevitably going to become far greater and far better value for money.