The cloud was once a buzzword known only to a select few. Now,
it's fully integrated with the collective consciousness, making a name for
itself in ads, product descriptions and casual conversation. Many people,
however, remain unaware of what the cloud actually means, and telling them that
it's a type of distributed computing doesn't always clarify the issue.
The
Cloud Explained
The cloud is just a more specialized form of computer network. Like any regular office or enterprise network, it consists of connected computer hardware. The main difference, however, lies in the way it's put to use and how it fulfills its purpose.
Traditional network architectures are built around machines that use data connections to augment their efficiency and capabilities. With the cloud, networking is integral to functionality. Purpose-built cloud apps work to get the most out of networking by storing information more efficiently, running programs with the aid of increased computing power or ensuring that data is always available to remote users. Although you can theoretically create a cloud computing implementation in the same data center or local server pool that you'd use for a regular network, the software tools that you include in your deployment make a big difference in its functionality.
Different
Kinds of Cloud Computing
Distributed computing in the cloud takes various forms. For instance, you can set up a media server implementation that lets users stream content such as films or music. Or you can create an app that allows multiple team members to access documents remotely and share their edits. Cloud implementations power everything from mapping software and social networks to basic remote storage tools that let subscribers save local space on their personal and office machines.
Why Are
so Many Companies Using the Cloud?
It's worth noting that the cloud can handle most of the programs that you might run on a local server and vice versa. This begs the question: If you could just use a local machine, then why would you make the switch?
Distributed computing has a number of advantages over more traditional alternatives. Chief among these is the fact that since cloud software has its roots in internet-connected network architectures, it's much easier to create apps that people can access from anywhere. Cloud-based storage appeals to those who want to save space on their devices, share information and retain the ability to access their data no matter where they are. Running enterprise or consumer-ready software in the cloud gives businesses the power to deliver full-featured, instantly available apps with native collaboration and sharing built in, which helps companies stay competitive in an increasingly data-hungry modern world.
NuoDB:
How Does Cloud Storage Work?
Of course, the cloud isn't perfect, and one of its unique problems lies in the realm of data storage. Traditional cloud database architectures like SQL make it impossible to scale up on-demand. Although alternatives like NoSQL resolve some of these issues, they force you to insert your data management code into the application layer or adhere to a small subset of usage cases, which can pose huge problems when you want to add new features. NuoDB helps you solve these problems with a novel approach known as NewSQL.
NuoDB's technology permits intelligent, shard-free scaling that minimizes storage complexity and actually leverages distributed computing to run faster as new servers are added. Unlike many implementations, it's also made to scale predictably, comply with SQL and free you from having to work with a single vendor to get the flexibility that your cloud deployments deserve. Learn more about the advantages by visiting nuodb.com.
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