The Cloud – What’s all the fuss about?
The Cloud Computing revolution is well underway – but what is the cloud and how can the NBN help in bringing the benefits to Australians?
One of the many great benefits that the National Broadband Network (NBN) is designed to bring is the ability to make use of the Cloud Computing revolution. I’m sure you’ve heard plenty of references to ‘the cloud’ in the media and maybe even in your workplace or from your more tech-savvy family members – so let’s shed some light on it.
Storing data on the Internet
When you get down to it, the cloud is really about using the Internet to store, access data and applications rather than doing so on your own computer or digital video recorder. Basically when you use the cloud you are plugging your computer or TV into the Internet to both store and access data. To really get the full benefit you need to have good upload and download speeds and a generous data allowance.
Are you already using the Cloud without realising it?
In fact, millions of Australians are already using the cloud – perhaps without even realising it by…
- Uploading photos to social media like Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
- Saving documents to programs like Dropbox, GoogleDocs or Microsoft’s OneDrive
- Retrieving music from Apple iTunes or other media content from iCloud
What that means in practice is that you can get access to your favourite content or access your business information, anytime, anywhere! Because it’s not stored on the PC in your study at home or work it’s in the cloud and accessible from anywhere you have an Internet connection.
What role does the NBN play in the Cloud?
The NBN is going to be a key enabler for cloud services in Australia, allowing both homes and business to access a whole bunch of new services which they couldn’t properly access previously.
Perhaps best of all, the rollout of the NBN will progressively allow millions of Australians to finally rid themselves of that pile of CDs/DVDs or USB-sticks they have been storing all their old photos and family videos on – because they can finally upload them to the cloud!