The Cloud
Computer Science: OCR GCSE, topic 1.3.14
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Data centres
- Cloud services exist in giant data centres all around the world.
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.
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.
Test yourself on The Cloud
Why might a user choose to use cloud-based applications?
Toggle until all are correct: What are features of data centres?
Where are cloud services located?