Cloud computing is a general term used to describe a collection of computing resources that are connected via the internet.
The entire spectrum of devices and the network together form a platform to share computing resources for utility computing. The platform framework conceals the intricacies of the underlying infrastructure from the consumers who run their applications through application interfaces. The philosophy that drives cloud computing is demand based service any place (no geographical barriers), anytime (always accessible), anywhere (on any device).Computing resources often provide more computational power than required by a normal user. On the other hand, the devices may not have the required configurations such as networking, software packages available that are available to perform certain tasks. In cloud computing an industry or individual hosts the hardware, software and network for accomplishing the task. The consumer is provided with a secure access to the infrastructure on which they can accomplish those tasks. These tasks may be as simple as editing a document and saving it or hosting a webserver or even a fully integrated working operating system.
The cloud platform offers the infrastructure facilities as a service that is flexible, scalable. The cloud platform offers their service with flexibility to pay only for the services availed. Online storage vendors such as DropBox, OneDrive are examples where you pay only for the storage used for files. When the consumer feels the need for more storage space, the platform is scalable and more storage is only a few clicks away.
Cloud services are usually divided into three categories: private, public and hybrid. In the private cloud, a business hosts the infrastructure for its employees alone and no third party will have access to the services. In the public cloud, a third party service provider hosts the services over the internet and consumers are charged based on the usage. In the hybrid model, a part of the services is accessed via private and the rest are offered by public service providers. Often, small and medium business enterprises opt for this model to protect their private information while availing cheaper public services for other services.
The cloud platform offers wide range of services and brings them to you with the only condition that you be connected to the internet.
There is no more the hassles of complex configurations and finding space. Secure access to data anytime, anywhere without the fear of data loss is an added boon.