You may have seen the Microsoft adverts, “Go to the Cloud”…but what does that even mean?

Well, a cloud application means that you can house your applications on a web browser without having to install them on your desktop. When you receive updates these will just update on your web browser, saving you time and memory space on your computer. Great examples of cloud applications are the big, free personal email providers; Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail.  You have a personal inbox set up and an email address housing all your personal emails. However, the data contained within your account is not saved on your computer or server, it’s all safely housed with the provider’s offsite. You can access your data any time of the day, with great usability and updates whenever you need. You are also safe in the knowledge that should your PC be stolen or get a virus then your emails will still work just fine and no data will be lost.

Image via Wikipedia

Cloud application services enable users to house music, movies, DVDs and other data-heavy files in “the cloud”, which can be shared and stored remotely. For businesses, cloud applications are beneficial. For example, if you operate through a cloud your customers’ I.P addresses and locations can be logged.  Also if your company has a seasonal rise in output, or a short term client comes on board, you can use cloud applications to take over and store the excess data coming in and out of your business.

It’s not often said that a cloudy day can be a good day! But when it comes to I.T. applications it’s time to “go to the cloud”.