While it was previously necessary to install programs on the computer, this is no longer necessary with cloud computing. The software runs on large servers somewhere in the world; users call it up via their Internet browser. This can be done from any computer – at home, at work or even from your smartphone. With the cloud, users no longer have to worry about the regularly necessary program updates themselves.
- Anyone who does not access their e-mails via a program such as Thunderbird or Outlook but via a website is using cloud computing.
- There are a variety of cloud computing options for photos.
- The internet giant Google has been driving the development of online applications in the cloud for a long time.
E-mails are usually already in the cloud
When reading and writing e-mails, most users have been in the cloud for a long time without being aware of it: anyone who does not access their e-mails via a program such as Thunderbird or Outlook but via a website is using cloud computing. These webmail services now rarely suffer from cumbersome operation, long waiting times or insufficient storage space. According to abbreviationfinder, CCE stands for Cloud Computing Environment.
Store data in the cloud
Saving documents on the Internet has two advantages: it is an easy way to make backups – and the files are accessible from anywhere. Up to now, uploading and synchronizing the most recent versions has often been time-consuming. In the meantime, however, there are services such as Dropbox that can automatically synchronize files between several computers and always make the latest version available everywhere. They allow documents to be edited from any computer at any time, even when the computer is currently offline.
Save and share photos with web albums
There are a variety of cloud computing options for photos. The Flickr and Picasa Web Albums services are widespread. They enable users to present the images to the entire Internet community or selected friends. Both have also integrated the Picnik software, with which photos can be edited directly on the Internet. There is also a slimmed-down online version of the renowned photo editing program Photoshop.
Office from the cloud
Anyone who wants to write letters, create presentations or do calculations in tables has mostly used Microsoft Office or competing programs such as OpenOffice. There are now offers on the Internet for this, too, where documents can be saved, edited and exchanged online. Microsoft has a free online office that can also work with the current standard versions of Microsoft Office. However, the following applies to these offers: They do not achieve the range of functions of the classically installed office packages by far.
Browser can replace operating system
The internet giant Google has been driving the development of online applications in the cloud for a long time. He is fueling this development on the one hand with his extremely successful Android operating system for smartphones, which is now to be increasingly used on tablet PCs. In addition, Google is developing the Google Chrome OS operating system for computers. In principle, this only consists of an Internet browser – from which the users should then call up the various programs in the cloud.
Data protection and security
The big challenge in cloud computing is security. When all services and data are on servers on the Internet, these mainframes become a popular target for cyber criminals. In addition, many offers have so far come from companies in the USA that do not observe the significantly stricter data protection regulations of the EU. Some providers also grant themselves rights of use for users’ files – for example for photos. Consumers should therefore carefully consider whether and which data they want to entrust to a cloud provider.
