the Cloud? Let’s go easy on this

Everyone is talking (everywhere) about the Cloud… I know, it is tricky to be on the edge of this topic and there is a lot of doubts are out there related to Cloud Computing.  Almost every new IT technology is labeled “cloud”. A huge amount of related information appears on a daily basis and this cause more confusion. Does Cloud Computing deliver business activities as a service? Does it provide new value for the enterprise? Is it going to be the next big thing around IT?

Let’s go easy on this… and try to make it simple:
What is the Cloud?
Cloud Computing (aka The Cloud) is an umbrella term for a bunch of technology trends currently being used, in which internet is a critical part, regarding its potential to facilitate how business operates computers and systems, presenting new horizons for their capabilities.
Is a means by which highly scalable and elastic technology-enabled services can be used on an as-needed basis.  We can say the Cloud is about moving away from using PCs and/or servers but placing content and material over the internet.

What is the advantage of the Cloud?
You can consider three key benefits:
One. The possibility for accessing your data from (virtually) anywhere only using an internet connection.
Two. The requirement for upgrading or downgrading the company systems, according to the organization needs.
Three. The ability to replace sporadic IT expenditure with predictable operational expenses; instead being worried for the maintenance of server farms (a lot of hardware, wires, plugs, routers…) and applications; you could outsource deployment and maintenance on those.

How can the Cloud be considered?
In the Cloud, everything is a service. With Cloud Computing, users can access the services they require without needing to be concerned with understanding or managing the core technology infrastructure that delivers the service. Every layer of the technology stack (including infrastructure, data, applications, and information) is available as a service, which can be virtually accessed using Internet, typically with a variable consumption and payment model.

What is the true value of the Cloud?
For non-sense it could sound, the worth is not related within the technology that underlies it, but in its pay-as-you-go, service-based nature. In cloud computing, both service providers and service users (whether people or organizations) have roles and perspectives distinctly different from those in a traditional IT models. The Cloud provider is responsible for everything that concerns the solution; meanwhile the Cloud user is only interested on the functionality, characteristics and quality of the consumed services being consumed; also doesn’t have to worry about predicting volumes or usage patterns.

Hope this clarifies a little bit, about this new thing named The Cloud