With the passage of time, technology has also undergone unprecedented revolutions and innovations. There are so many conveniences of progress at our disposal, including the beauties, and endless utilities, of the cloud. A term, this, that may be unknown to most, but that for others immediately refers to a system of saving data that exploits the online. In reality, in order to understand what the cloud is and how it works, we must necessarily broaden our horizons, and go well beyond the concept of storage.
In this guide, we will discover together what the cloud means and what are its areas of application, examining in fact what are the scenarios in which cloud processing, also known as cloud computing, is most widely used. Consequently, not everything is reduced to the mere storage of documents, videos, photos and files in general: the many dedicated platforms on the market are able to provide the most disparate services, to cover the different needs of users.
Cloud: what it is and how it works
In spite of being a relatively young technology, but no longer experimental, understanding what the cloud is and how it works is not difficult. On the contrary, the basic principles of the platforms “in the clouds” are rather intuitive, at least to get a general smattering of what this feature offers, available on a bit ‘all the devices on the market, from mobile to the most canonical. Basically, the “cloud” is a virtual space that is always accessible with an Internet connection, regardless of where you are physically located and the device you are using.
The cloud allows you to consult previously stored data and to take advantage of management and calculation services through dedicated servers. To make it even simpler, we could say that it is nothing more than the technique of using a number of computers, located in various parts of the world, working together in order to perform common operations of various kinds. These may require storage space or processing power that cannot be obtained from a single location.
It is no coincidence that, from this point of view, the best known to the general public are the cloud storage services, which provide anyone interested with space on the Internet to save backup copies of their files. Once stored, the copies can then be viewed on different devices, such as PCs, smartphones, tablets and Smart TVs, either by using the browser or by installing specific software. As we have already mentioned, however, in the world of the cloud there are also other declinations. Generally speaking, cloud computing opens up data processing and service delivery for citizens and businesses without the need to install applications on different devices.
In a way, we could say that, net of the obvious digital revolution it represents, the use of “clouds” is something we all touch with our hands practically every day, but not always consciously. For example, the email box we use is in cloud service, with emails that are not directly downloaded on PC or cell phone, occupying precious memory, but are stored in special servers to be consulted once connected to the network. The same happens for the most famous social networks, but also for online platforms for productivity, such as Google’s Shared Documents, and for search engines.
Cloud computing therefore indicates the “clouds” in their entirety, while cloud storage refers to a subgroup that does not exist as an entity in itself but only as part of a computational whole. Without having to meet particular hardware and software requirements, cloud technology has potentially endless avenues and applications. So we have SaaS services, or software-as-a-service, which run remote software to process complex data, but also PaaS services, or _platform-as-a-service_, which put entire development environments at the user’s disposal.
Neither should we forget about IaaS services, which offer the possibility of making use of complex hardware equipment to perform tasks that require extremely high resources, which are impossible using an ordinary server. The distinctive element of these platforms, whatever their purpose, is however their nature that we could define as “abstract”: the services offered do not come from a single server or a single battery of PCs, but from a complex and well-designed network of processors that operate with a parallel and concurrent approach to perform different tasks capable of combining with each other.
The best cloud platforms
The cloud is designed to provide extreme access speed, data integrity and security, thanks to the presence of sophisticated distributed protection mechanisms. The architecture of these systems means that the companies’ servers are located in facilities called data centers, which are data storage and processing centers that coordinate the entire IT infrastructure and make it available to one or more companies.
Of course, depending on the services provided and the architecture needed to deliver them, the use of cloud platforms comes at a variable cost, with the amount of resources made available making a real difference. Now that we know what the cloud is and how it generally works, let’s take a look at the most popular services of this type and how they behave, so as to identify the one that best suits our specific needs.
Google Drive
Google Drive is the cloud storage service signed by Google. The Mountain View giant has designed it to create backup copies of your data, in the case of Android devices, even of your settings, which can be shared with other connected users and can be viewed and managed on PCs, TVs, the Web or mobile devices. The platform provides 15 GB of free space, which can be increased for a fee by subscribing to Google One. Prices start at €1.99 per month for an additional 100 GB, but can be modulated on demand. To use it, Google Drive requires a Google account, easily created with your own data. Not only that, but in addition to Drive, the American company also makes available on Android, iOS and Windows the Google Photos service, designed in particular for free storage of photos and videos taken using smartphones and tablets.
iCloud
Even Apple has not missed the opportunity, and the extraordinary benefits! to invest in a cloud storage service. We are referring specifically to iCloud, which allows you to create backup copies of your data online on a space called iCloud Drive and synchronize data and settings between the various devices of the bitten apple, and not only. The free version of the platform allows you to take advantage of 5 GB of free storage space, but even in this case you can increase the space at our disposal by subscribing to a paid subscription, prices start at 99 cents for 50 GB additional. What’s more, like its Big G counterpart, the Cupertino giant also requires you to be in possession of an Apple ID to access iCloud and all its features, whether on Apple devices, so iPhone, iPad or Mac, on Windows PCs or Web browsers.
Amazon and other services
Not everyone knows this, but even eShopping leader Amazon has created a proprietary cloud platform for its customers. Si tratta di Amazon Drive, riservato a tutti i possessori di un account Amazon. Il servizio mette a disposizione 5 GB di spazio di archiviazione gratuiti per salvare in rete foto, video e file personali. Il piano di espansione di memoria a pagamento ha costi che partono da 19,99 euro all’anno per 100 GB aggiuntivi. Come accade sui lidi della concorrenza, anche in questo scenario è possibile accedere ai file archiviati su Amazon Drive da applicazione per smartphone e tablet Android e iOS e da PC, utilizzando normalmente un qualsiasi browser per la navigazione in Internet.
Google, Apple e Amazon non sono però le uniche società ad aver investito nel settore del cloud storage e del cloud computing più in generale. Nella lista di competitor, troviamo:
- Samsung Cloud, che offre di base 15 GB di spazio gratuito, da utilizzare per sincronizzare foto, video, musica, documenti, rubrica, impostazioni, app e tutti gli altri elementi dei dispositivi della compagnia sudcoreana;
- ulteriore alternativa è Huawei Mobile Cloud, il servizio di archiviazione “tra le nuvole” offerto da Huawei, e che offre 5 GB di spazio di archiviazione gratuita sui principali dispositivi con lo stesso marchio;
- da non sottovalutare neppure Telegram Cloud, che, seppur dal funzionamento differente rispetto alle principali piattaforme, permette di scambiare facilmente i propri file tra molteplici dispositivi;
- in chiusura, ricordiamo pure Aruba Cloud, dedicata però ai professionisti IT e alle aziende che hanno bisogno di una massiccia potenza di calcolo per garantire la massima performance ai clienti: i suoi servizi spaziano dal noleggio di server privati virtuali all’utilizzo di intere piattaforme di elaborazione pre-configurate, con la gradita possibilità di ottenere assistenza dedicata e costante, oltre che prestazioni estremamente personalizzabili in base ai vari scenari d’impiego.