Tech industry love to use buzzwords like the Big Data, Terrabytes and 5G. The problem is that these terms don’t make it clear what they actually mean to users.
“The cloud” is one of those terms.
When tech companies say your data is in the cloud, or that you can work in the cloud, it has nothing to do with the clouds in the sky. Your data isn’t actually in heaven or in the wind. It has a home. It’s stored somewhere and the network of servers find what you need and deliver it.
The cloud refers to software and services that run on the Internet, instead of locally on your computer. Most cloud services can be accessed through a Web browser like Firefox or Google Chrome, and some companies offer dedicated mobile apps.
Some examples of cloud services include Google Drive, Apple iCloud, Netflix, Yahoo Mail, Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive (plus many more!).
The advantage of the cloud is that you can access your information on any device with an Internet connection. It’s what allows you to make edits to a file on your home computer, and then pick up where you left off when you get to the office. Colleagues can even collaborate on the same document.
