What is the Cloud?

The Cloud. We use this word daily — at work, with friends, online. It’s part of everyday life yet if someone asked you to explain what the Cloud is exactly, could you?

With the rapid growth of technology, it’s common for us to adopt new language without understanding what these new words mean. So, let’s break down what the Cloud is, shall we?

In simple terms, the cloud is an unlimited, secure storage space you have access to anytime, anywhere (with an Internet connection, that is). We say unlimited, but unlimited comes with a price. The more money you spend, the more space you get. And what can you store in this magical Cloud? Anything digital! Important (and not-so-important) documents, photos, music, movies, passwords, you name it.

Why do we need to store things in the Cloud? I mean, can’t we keep them where we can see them? And if we can’t see them, where are our files kept?

The Cloud is a network of remote servers – remote meaning off-site, out of your house, somewhere unseen by you. We store files remotely and in the Cloud because most devices have limited storage space. When we need to free up internal space, we move things to a remote server.

Let’s say you’re moving from a two-story house to a studio apartment. Unless you’re a minimalist or your new studio space has the same square meterage as your old home, you won’t have enough room. While it’s possible to sell, give away or toss old items, this is how the self-storage industry came to be. When things get too cramped in our studio with all this extra stuff, we rent out storage space to store things we may not necessarily need right now. Smart, right?

It’s not just for freeing up space, though. The Cloud is also a great management or business tool making sharing and collaboration amongst colleagues a breeze. You no longer have to email documents back and forth after every change or edit you make. Why? Because they’re all found, tracked and saved in their location in the Cloud!

You say we have access to our files anytime, anywhere, but how exactly do we access them?

The beauty of having your files on a remote server is that any device you own can give you full access. You don’t need anything fancy. Using the Internet and your phone, tablet or laptop is enough to access the Cloud. Whether straight from a browser (i.e. Firefox or Chrome) or with a dedicated app, your files are a few keystrokes or swipes away.

Give me some examples of a Cloud service.

No problem. Many of the services and apps we use on a daily basis completely operate or partially operate in the Cloud. “Some examples of cloud services include Google Drive, Apple iCloud, Netflix, Yahoo Mail, Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive.”, and let’s not forget about ourselves, Logitout, as we are a Cloud service too. We’re sure you recognize one or two of those names, if not all! Head to our site for more information on how Logitout can help you and your key & asset tracking needs.

We know the tech industry can get very, well… tech-y on us. Our hope is to educate and simplify some of these buzzwords no one wants to admit they don’t understand. We’ll leave you with one of our favorite explanations an expert gave for explaining the Cloud to a five-year-old.

Explaining Cloud to a child (sometimes us grown-ups too)

“Once upon a time, everyone’s computers used to feed off a box in their office, but the more and more we used, the more boxes we needed, until there was no room for people anymore! Now there is a man called Mr Cloud who lives in the sky and looks after all the boxes for us; Mr Cloud has magic powers which means he can give people the exact amount of power they need, whenever they need it and from wherever they need it!”