Cloud Computing Purposes & Benefits and NuoDB's Positive Role
News stories and advertisements often mention "cloud computing," but the precise meaning of this phrase remains a mystery to many people.
Fortunately, it's not terribly difficult to understand. The cloud enables you to access your software and documents from a wide range of locations and computing devices.
How it Works
When you use cloud-based applications or data, you're connecting to distant computers via the internet. These high-capacity machines are known as servers. They supply massive amounts of storage space and perform an assortment of sophisticated tasks. This frees your device from the burdens associated with running complex programs or storing huge files.Common Purposes
You might already use the cloud on a regular basis. For example, internet map services let you view up-to-date atlas images that companies store on remote servers. Online gaming, streaming movies and web-based office applications allow people to replace software CD's with internet connections.Some computer users also benefit from remote file storage. This system makes it possible to upload photos, recordings, spreadsheets, documents and other files to the hard disk drive of a server. The data becomes available to anyone who uses the internet and has the correct password.
Gaining Access
You can choose to pay for a specific cloud service, such as a web-based office suite or adventure game. Many internet access providers supply customers with online file storage at no extra cost. These companies may reward clients with additional space when they spend more. Other services remain available for free; advertisements or donations support them.
Advantages
The cloud provides a variety of noteworthy benefits. For instance, a file will change on every device when you update it on one computer. You could edit a document on your home PC and print or proofread it at the office. There's no need to put the data on a flash drive.
Cloud services offer excellent backup solutions as well. If a fire damages your home or office, it may destroy your computer in addition to any backup equipment. However, it won't affect images or documents that you uploaded to the internet. This advantage holds great importance for businesses with valuable customer databases.
The cloud lets people easily move information from one device to another. Smartphones, tablets and computers frequently use different removable media. On the other hand, all of these machines can download files from an online storage service. They only need the ability to access the web.
Differences
Traditional computing involves using hard disk drives or memory chips to store files and programs inside of specific devices. Cloud software and storage deliver greater convenience by making these resources available to any machine with internet access. This conserves local hard disk space while reducing the negative impact of equipment failures.
For example, you don't need to print pictures to show them to other people. You could upload these files to an online storage service and send your aunt a link to the images. Likewise, Office 365 lets you run Excel on any computer without installing it from a CD.
About NuoDB
Many cloud-based services depend on sophisticated databases. NuoDB has developed an efficient relational database system that helps online applications work reliably. This affordable yet versatile software quickly scales to meet changing needs, and it's compatible with numerous platforms. Users don't have to pay an exorbitant licensing fee.
CauseSquare provides an example of a cloud application that has benefited from NuoDB. This app helps people find desirable charities and volunteer or contribute funds. The developers need to store detailed information about many nonprofit groups. After comparing several database systems, they chose NuoDB because of its scalability and coding ease.