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If someone asked you to explain what cloud computing was...

9 replies

Doshusallie · 02/04/2013 20:29

... In the most simplistic terms, what would you say?

OP posts:
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OpheliasWeepingWillow · 02/04/2013 20:33

Electronic data of your choosing is stored online where you can access it using the Internet.

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PedroPonyLikesCrisps · 02/04/2013 23:12

It's like your hard disk, but on the Internet instead of in your house.

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MTSgroupie · 02/04/2013 23:29

A warehouse full of hard disks and is shared, via the Internet, by thousands/millions of people.

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MrAnchovy · 03/04/2013 02:22

Nope, all those three describe cloud data storage, which is to cloud computing what digital video tape is to the worldwide broadcast television industry.

I think the Wikipedia description is quite good: Cloud computing is the use of computing resources (hardware and software) that are delivered as a service over a network (typically the Internet).

Examples are also useful: Gmail and online banking are two important ones.

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MTSgroupie · 03/04/2013 09:18

'computing resources', 'hardware', 'network', 'digital video tape'. Yup, you can't get more simplistic than that description.

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niceguy2 · 03/04/2013 13:27

Cloud computing = storing your crap on the Internet and letting someone else look after it.

Is that simple enough? Smile

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titchy · 03/04/2013 13:38

Using stuff straight from Tinternet instead of from your computer's hard drive.

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MrAnchovy · 03/04/2013 14:40

No, cloud data storage is absolutely not cloud computing!

In niceguy2's terms, cloud computing is letting someone else provide you with everything you need (except a display, keyboard and mouse) to do what you want to do with one aspect of your crap - storing the crap is just a small part of it.

If your crap is pictures it is Picasa, with image editing, tagging, link sharing etc.

If it is emails it is Gmail.

If it is customer data it is Salesforce (or the much cheaper and UK-based Capsule).

If it is stuff people people working on a project together need to share it is Basecamp (or the more feature-rich and Irish-based TeamworkPM).

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flowery · 03/04/2013 14:45

Well my explanation would be "it's all up there somewhere", which would be accompanied by mysterious floaty hand gestures pointing vaguely upwards. Grin



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