Applications on Cloud Nine

If you want to learn what the crazy buzz is all about surrounding cloud computing, then better listen up. For years cloud computing has been in the scene, growing bigger not only in its market but also in its offered technologies that aim for the specific needs of its targeted consumers. Cloud computing companies know exactly what can generate millions of users based on their daily activities that are made easy by accessing various software online. For those living under a shell, there has been a new wave of applications made available without having to drain your personal savings in purchasing that software. Cloud applications which are often referred to as Software-as-a-Service have certainly made an impact on the lives of businessmen, on-the-go professionals and the youth who mainly patronize these applications. As mentioned, one of the main reasons for such constant support is the opportunity to cut on costs not only on the software application but also in the installation, maintenance, technical support, and purchase of computers with higher memory or faster performance. Look at it this way, if you own a small IT company, you’d be able to reduce your overhead with fewer hardware, fewer employees to monitor each hardware and fewer customer service agents to face irritated consumers that use different versions of the product instead of just one uniform version online. On the part of the end-user, cloud applications allow for the most needed convenience they have been searching for in their, well, digital life. One of the most basic and popular examples of this incredible benefit is Google Docs which provides the platform for anyone to create, store and share documents and spreadsheets with intended people. The capability to store information somewhere that you cannot really touch or hold but is definitely and often securely there is the bread and butter of cloud applications. Without having to get stuck on your desktop computer at home, you can access any information or file on the cloud by just bringing your laptop or mobile phone anywhere with a simple connection to the Internet. The flexibility of these applications makes them a sure-fire hit with the modern consumer. Sharing of these data also requires minimal time and effort instead of slow uploading, sending via email or saving on flash drives. No matter where the intended addressee is, he can easily get a hold of these files by just connecting to the internet. Dropbox is also a good example of this main feature. Pictures often have high resolution and take a longer time to upload or attach. By just sharing a folder in Dropbox, anyone can quickly view and have a copy of their most cherished photos. The storage capability of these cloud applications also come in handy for any user when their main computers break down. By having their files on the cloud, they immediately have a back-up drive that won’t just crash at any moment. These applications are as we have said, quite inexpensive compared to the back up hardware that you could be paying for especially for big businesses. Scalability is also a strong suit for any of these cloud applications since user needs are often diverse and changing as the need arises. The scope of services offered by cloud applications is also evolving and getting better by the hour. More than storage functions, available cloud applications now conquer customer relationship management, sales database, and finance applications among others. While some simple applications are free, others could charge the consumer but at a very affordable price than actually hiring someone to build and run a needed database. The only hard pill to swallow with regard to cloud applications is the question of security for any shared information online. Since you are basically putting your information out there, confidentiality is put to the test especially for the cloud hosting company. How safe will your data be on the cloud when control is primarily not in your hands? The guarantee that it won’t be used by the company for advertising campaigns or be uploaded into Youtube should be your one and only motivation to find a cloud application that provides a highly secure and safe environment that respects your privacy. For all its immense benefits, cloud applications must first and foremost uphold what they promise, which is ultimate customer service including strict user protection.

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Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.     About the Guest Author: Rodolfo Lentejas, Jr. is a fulltime freelance writer based in Toronto. He is the founder of the PostSckrippt, a growing online writing business dedicated to producing top quality, original and fresh content. To know more about him, please visit www.postsckrippt.ca. Like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.