Syllabus details

  • Purpose of cloud computing. 12 ATAR
  • Advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing. 12 ATAR 

 

What is cloud computing?

  • Cloud computing refers to accessing data and programs over the Internet as opposed to your Computer's hard drive.
  • It can be seen as relying on your Internet connection to store, retrieve and even process your data

 

What is the purpose of cloud computing?

  • Cloud computing allows users to run particular software, as well as have access to their stored data anytime, anywhere and on any computing device.

 

What are the advantages to the cloud?

  • Cost efficiency
    • Users can save money on storage devices as their data is hosted externally
    • Program licensing costs can be reduced as software can be hosted and used externally
  • Convenience
    • The cloud can be accessed wherever there is an Internet connection available
    • Users have peace of mind knowing their data is hosted externally, as it eliminates the risk of leaving data at home or in another environment
    • Data is available whenever and wherever its needed
  • Backups & Recovery
    • Backups can be made online without hassle
    • Recovery is easy as data is stored online and can be accessed from anywhere
  • Storage Capacity
    • The Cloud often offers more data storage capacity compared to physical hardware
    • Cloud servers have a large amount of storage available
    • The cost for storage is much, much cheaper than the cost for an equal-sized physical storage device

 

What are the disadvantages to the cloud?

  • Privacy & Security
    • As your data is hosted elsewhere, it's not easy to ensure the privacy and protection of it
    • Each company has different policies on how they store your data and what it can be used for
    • Security is another factor that needs to be addressed, as personal information because available to the world wide web
  • Downtimes and Unavailability
    • Sometimes hosts can go down
    • This means that your data may be inaccessible if a company hosting your storage has a downtime
  • Limited Functionality
    • In terms of programs and hardware, functionality is limited to the company's discretion
    • Features and performance of the hardware is dependent on the company's architecture
    • As many users will often use the same resources, certain aspects of the cloud may be slow

 

Further Research

  1. Why Cloud Computing is called "Cloud Computing" here
  2. Examples of Cloud Computing services here

 

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