The Age Old Question: What is the Cloud?

“Your Cloud storage is almost full”

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We’re sure you’ve seen a notification pop up that says “Your Cloud storage is almost full” once or twice. Let’s be honest, it may have popped up a few hundred times. Some of our Cloudwize team members proudly wear t-shirts that say “There is no cloud, it’s just somebody else’s computer”! And like most people, you also probably don’t know what “The Cloud” even is. Well lucky for you, we are here to tell you exactly what it is. 

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The Cloud

The Cloud is simply a location where your data is stored that’s not your own computer – it’s just somebody else’s computer after all!

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There’s a few ways that your data can be stored elsewhere:

1. Software as a Service (SaaS) – these are cloud-based applications which you subscribe to and access via a web browser.  Your data is stored at the software’s datacentre of choice.  A great example of a cloud-based application is Xero.‍‍
2. ‍Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – hosting your applications and data at a datacentre of your choice. You effectively “rent” servers at a datacentre and run your IT network from there rather than on server hardware you have purchased and installed at your office.  If you have key business applications that are not available in SaaS form, then IaaS is for you.‍
3. Platform as a Service (PaaS) – this is a bundled solution where a total solution is provided by a 3rd party.  It scales with business requirements and usually involves less complexity.  Many businesses that run off the Microsoft suite of products and without specialised software they need to run themselves, can effectively utilise this technology to go “serverless”.  Microsoft’s 365 platform can be configured to operate just like this, removing the need for a server and providing for great collaboration to boot.

There’s a number of variations of each of these and obviously a lot more complexity to make it all happen, but to save you anymore confusion about “The Cloud” we will stop there. If you have any more questions about the cloud, we urge you to have a conversation with your IT expert to understand what type of cloud a really good start would be.  It’s just somebody else’s computer, after all!

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Contact Us

We know “The Cloud” can be a confusing concept, but we are here to help. Feel free to reach out to a Cloudwize representative to answer anymore questions.