1.3.13

The Cloud

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The Cloud

'The cloud' is a term that refers to storage, services, and applications that exist on the Internet, rather than on a local secondary storage.

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File storage and sharing

  • The cloud is often used to store files and allows them to be shared easily. For example:
    • Google Drive.
    • Dropbox.
    • iCloud Drive.
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Streaming services

  • The cloud is often used to store audio and video which can then be streamed by users.
  • For example:
    • Spotify.
    • Netflix.
    • BBC iPlayer.
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Applications

  • Many applications are now accessible through the cloud, so there is no need to install them on secondary storage. For example:
    • Google Docs.
    • Microsoft Office 365.
    • Gmail.
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Server hosting

  • Many people now choose to use cloud services to host their websites. For example:
    • Amazon Web Services (AWS).
    • Microsoft Azure.

Data Centres

Although the end-user does not need to install any software, the content of the cloud must be stored somewhere.

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Data centres

  • Cloud services exist in giant data centres all around the world.
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Storage

  • Data centres are essentially rooms full of secondary storage devices, so that we can store our data and access it again.
  • Data centres usually opt for very expensive devices because the time taken to access the data needs to be minimised.
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Location

  • The end-user does not know the geographical location of the data centre where their data is stored.
  • There is no guarantee that the data will even be kept in the same country.
  • Large websites often have at least one data centre per large country they provide services to.

Jump to other topics

1Computer Systems

1.1Systems Architecture

1.2Memory & Storage

1.3Computer Networks, Connections & Protocols

1.4Network Security

1.5Systems Software

1.6Ethical, Legal, Cultural & Environmental Concern

2Computational Thinking, Algorithms and Programming

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