Cloud Computing Advantages And Disadvantages

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Cloud computing represents a major change in how we store information and run applications. Instead of hosting apps and data on an individual desktop computer, everything is hosted in the "cloud"—an assemblage of computers and servers accessed via the Internet.

This type of web-based computing frees you from the tyranny of desktop computing and opens up new forms of group collaboration. But as attractive as all that sounds, cloud computing isn't for everyone. Let's take a look at how the average end user can benefit from cloud computing—and why some end users should avoid these web-based applications, at least for now.

Advantages of Cloud Computing
We'll start with the many advantages offered by cloud computing. Here's what you get when you
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You don't need a high-powered and high-priced computer to run cloud computing's web-based applications. Since applications run in the cloud, not on the desktop PC, your desktop PC doesn't need the processing power or hard disk space demanded by traditional desktop software. When you're using web-based applications, your PC can be less expensive, with a smaller hard disk, less memory, more efficient processor, and the like. In fact, your PC in this scenario doesn't even need a CD or DVD drive, as no software programs have to be loaded and no document files need to be saved.
Improved performance. With fewer bloated programs hogging your computer's memory, you'll see better performance from your PC. Put simply, computers in a cloud computing system boot and run faster because they have fewer programs and processes loaded into memory.
Reduced software costs. Instead of purchasing expensive software applications, you can get most of what you need for free. That's right—most cloud computing applications today, such as the Google Docs suite, are totally free. That's a lot better than paying $200+ for similar Microsoft Office software—which alone may be justification for switching to cloud
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Cloud computing offers virtually limitless storage. Your computer's current 200 gigabyte hard drive is peanuts compared to the hundreds of petabytes (a million gigabytes) available in the cloud. Whatever you need to store, you can.
Increased data reliability. Unlike desktop computing, in which a hard disk crash can destroy all your valuable data, a computer crashing in the cloud shouldn't affect the storage of your data. That also means that if your personal computer crashes, all your data is still out there in the cloud, still accessible. In a world where few individual desktop PC users back up their data on a regular basis, cloud computing is the ultimate in data-safe computing.
Universal document access. Ever get home from work and realize that you left an important document at the office? Or forget to take a file with you on the road? That's not a problem with cloud computing, because you don't take your documents with you. Instead, they stay in the cloud, and you can access them whenever you have a computer and an Internet connection. All your documents are instantly available from wherever you are; there's simply no need to take your documents with