The Cloud
Published: 2023-06-19 04:46:39



Everyone has heard this term before and most people already know what it is, right?  It's a magical cumulonimbus that we can send our data to, to be stored forever and ever. Wrong! The word cloud is an all-encompassing term that refers to a system of servers that host software and data infrastructures. We are all probably familiar with the term cloud storage. This makes understanding what a 'cloud' system is very simple so let's start there.

So what happens when you run out of storage on your device? Simply upgrading your system's storage may be arduous. Many devices are tough to work on and may require technical expertise. In the event that you run out of local storage, you may be persuaded to upgrade your device entirely. 
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What if you could move data to another device, and asked that device to send you back that data when you need it? This is exactly how cloud systems work. Data is sent to a server in a data center to be stored and is sent back upon request. Here is a prime advantage of cloud storage. When the available storage is depleted locally, pictures, videos, and other data can be transferred to a remote location. Data can be retained locally after it has been uploaded should the user choose so as well. This is another advantage of cloud storage. Important data can be duplicated and safely stored on the cloud. 
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If a device is lost or damaged, its local data won't go along with it. It should be noted that an internet connection is required to both upload and access cloud storage, thus data that needs to be readily accessed without internet connectivity should not be stored solely in cloud storage. Cloud storage is a great way to safely store important data that could be lost along with a device. When purchasing a new iPhone, the buyer gets five gigabytes of cloud storage free with their purchase.  Should their data consumption exceed that extra five gigabytes, more storage can be leased, again making storage expansion effortless.

Cloud systems can do more than just store data. Entire applications can be moved to the cloud. If an application is particularly computationally expensive, it would be wise to run it on a very large powerful computer. This tactic would eliminate the issue of users not having ideal devices to run the application. Luckily a large and powerful computer is all a data center is. The desired action can be sent to the cloud application and the result of that action can be sent back. Businesses utilize this functionality often because of two key advantages. Using cloud applications can be very cost-effective. Much simpler and more affordable devices can be purchased to use necessary applications as the application only needs to be accessed by each device rather than run. Additionally, the scalability of the application is improved. Should the application become more complex, more cloud space can be purchased to manage the excess. Likewise, if the application becomes more simplified, the amount of cloud space that is being leased can be decreased as well. All the while, the devices accessing the applications can remain the same. Cloud applications may seem only pertinent to large corporations, but small businesses find this useful also. After all, a website is just an application. Some larger companies can afford to host their websites from private servers, but most cannot. Having a website has only become more and more necessary both to operate a business and also to promote it. Most gravitate towards this approach for its cost-effectiveness as well as its scalability.
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Cloud applications can be used as well for entertainment as they can for business. Many people enjoy playing video games, but gaming computers and consoles can be quite expensive and out of many people's budgets. Many companies allow users to play games on their personal computers that may not have the necessary computational power or graphics processing. This has the same advantages as before. The user doesn't have to worry about needing more storage or needing more processing power as time goes on, but there is a disadvantage in this case. Running programs remotely will most likely show a rise in latency. The time between a key or mouse input and seeing your character react will always be longer than if you were running the application locally. Latency isn't often a concern on a website, because most of the interaction between the user and the page can be computed locally. Then, the local inputs can be submitted to the cloud application, to be processed and when the result is returned the page can be updated. When gaming, we want the interactions between our character and its environment to be processed as quickly as possible, but the computer has to wait for the application on the cloud's response. Many issues arise from this point. Input lag can be detrimental to a game's feel, and strongly impact the way a game plays, often making games meant to have smooth movement seem clunky. Many games require precise movements to avoid obstacles and others employ time-sensitive missions to keep the player on the edge of their seat. Latency issues can cause players to misstep into obstacles that may slow them down or ultimately lead to their peril. For these reasons, many gravitate away from cloud gaming if they can afford to purchase a personal computer or console.

While seeming like a myth or a legend, "the cloud" is real, relatively simple, and well-utilized. As with everything, cloud systems have their caveats, but their benefits are proven by their ubiquity. As technologies continue to progress, our need for fast, smarter, and larger computers will grow as well. For these reasons, I believe that cloud systems will continue to improve and grow in usage. Hopefully, this helped you gain some insight as to how cloud systems work and the advantages they can provide to you.





work cited
https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/cloud/what-is-the-cloud/
https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/what-is-cloud-gaming-explained/
https://www.zoho.com/en-au/tech-talk/what-is-the-cloud.html
https://fullscale.io/blog/what-is-software-scalability/
https://www.avinteractive.com/features/buying-advice/av-needs-keep-lock-key-secure-08-04-2019/