Easy Access vs. Controlled Access
For home users, the biggest advantage of cloud computing is interoperability. By using cloud services, their accounts give them access to their data and digital rights on all of their digital devices. Access is easy and available anywhere you have an internet connection, including on your mobile or tablet.
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Meanwhile, companies utilize cloud computing to tightly control data. Employees can easily access what they need in the field or while telecommuting, yet security is simplified by having a single point of entry. Some companies worry about placing all their data in cloud servers, but these servers tend to be pretty secure thanks to tight encryption systems.
Shared vs. Protected Data
Streaming media is central to the home cloud experience, with users buying access to data instead of the data itself. That means one file is spread across enough servers to meet demand from users with account access, instead of creating physical media to meet each user’s demand. You pay for space and access, not data necessarily.
Business cloud hosting works two ways: Some applications may be shared, like data on a streaming service, letting multiple businesses share a single copy of software that the developers can maintain and update, while internal applications and data are held on servers controlled by the company, only allowing use by the business. By sharing applications using cloud servers, companies can use proprietary software or choose what operating system works best for their needs.
Scaling
Cloud computing saves companies money by replacing physical servers with virtual servers that can increase or decrease in size as needed. Companies pay only for the computing power they actually use, and downtime is rare since physical servers can be replaced without affecting the virtual server running on them.
Home users have minor needs mostly served by the devices they already own. Scalable virtual servers have attempted to replace custom gaming machines, but the Internet can’t yet deliver the 100% lag-free response needed to make these games playable. Scaling, then, is more important for business needs.
Social Media
Although social media’s importance is often recognized, it’s easy to forget that it’s also part of cloud computing. For home users, these services give them an easy way to connect to their friends by moving photos, text and video into the cloud for easy access. For companies, it lets them keep in touch with their users either directly or by analyzing posts related to their business. Companies are also swarming to social media for their marketing needs.
Two Sides of the Same Coin
For home users, cloud computing is about addressing the explosion of Internet-connected consumer devices, connecting them in a way for easy access to data. For business users, cloud computing provides more flexibility and lower costs while allowing easier control of access. No matter your use, however, cloud computing continues to envelop more and more of our technologies.
