simply pay to gain access to a huge pool of resources provided by, in this case, Microsoft.
These resources allow the business to host email and web servers, file storage serves,
databases, user directories, software, virtual machines; the list goes on.
As a business grows and their requirements become more intensive, instead of having to
upgrade their existing physical hardware, at huge expense, they can just purchase more
from the cloud. Cloud computing provides all the resources a business could possibly
require and, as demand grows, those resources are assigned as needed.
Let’s say, for example, that you are one of the executives for a large business. Your job
responsibilities include ensuring that all company staff is served with the hardware and
software they need to get their jobs done efficiently and effectively. Yes, every member
of staff has the computer they need but it doesn’t stop there; software licenses and
software must also be purchased. When you hire new staff, you have to do it all again to
ensure they have what they need. Stress levels can easily get out of control!
Cloud computing takes the hard work and the stress out of the job. Rather than having
to install the right software on the right computers for each individual member of staff,
because they won't all need access to the same, all you would need to do is install one
simple application. From there, your staff log in and access a service hosted on the web;
that service provides access to all the programs they need to do their jobs and all you
need to do is provide user permissions. Everything else is done remotely – from basic
email hosting to the most complex programs for data analysis.
No longer do local computers need to do the heavy lifting in terms of running the
applications. The cloud, made of a huge computer network, does it all for you. Demands
for software and hardware decrease and all your computer system needs to do is run the
cloud interface software for the system you choose.
Most of us already use cloud computing – email services like Yahoo!, Hotmail and Gmail
are all on the cloud as are many other services you use regularly.