Cloud Computing - Why to use cloud computing
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There are many reason to use cloud computers over traditional computers. First let's take a look at the hardware aspects. Without the need for advanced hardware, you can make cloud computers a lot smaller and don't have to worry about the thermal issues as much. Every user would have the same computer, so no one can say that one computer is faster then another. If one goes down, all you need to do is replace it and the user is good again.
With cloud computers, you will not need to order parts from manufacturers or worry about having compatible hardware for the PC. When testing out new software or updates, it becomes very easy to see if anything special needs to be done before roll-out or if you should even hold off on the update for a bit. If it works on one machine, it will probably be fine for all of the computers on the network.
Cloud computing also has some benefits for management as well. The biggest benefit is that there is no hard drive. Most people don't back up their data, and when hard drives go, so does your data. Data can occasionally be recovered before the drive totally goes, but sometimes there isn't a program out there that can save the data. Your only option is spend a nice chunk of money on a data recovery service. With could computing, the hard drive image is stored on a server, and if you follow the best business practices, that hard drive on the server holding all the images should be backed up routinely.
Other than redundancy, cloud computing offers better security as well. Not having any data on the computers means that someone wanting access would need to have access to the server, and not just a computer on the network. This would be great for all the mobile users that loose their laptops with data on it.
Some users don't use nearly as much power as their computer has, while others use all of the power they can get from it. With cloud computing, everyone is happy. The person that doesn't use much of their computer power will not to be bothered with slowdowns, and the power user can utilize more CPU power on the server since not everyone has their CPU maxed out.
You can think of this as backwards-distributed computing. Instead of breaking the work up to be done by different computers, it consolidates the work of multiple computers into one server. It will provide a much better overall utilization of computing power.
Next: Disadvantages of cloud computing >>
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