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Cloud Computing

There is currently a lot of chatter about Cloud Computing being the future of computers and smart devices. We thought it would be a good idea to look at exactly what it is and what is currently available.

So, definition first: Cloud Computing is where your data is stored on the Internet (i.e. computer servers) and not just on your local device. This can occur in a variety of ways. All your data can be hosted elsewhere without any of it being locally held (where in essence your device is just a dumb terminal giving a view to remote information). Alternatively, the data held elsewhere can be synchronised with your data held locally, offering a backup of sorts.

Currently, on the Macintosh platform there are a number of Cloud Computing services available. Apple's own Mobile Me service keeps a copy of your emails, addresses, calendars, bookmarks and settings on their Cupertino servers. This is useful for maintaining exactly the same information across different computers and iPhones.

Google Docs is also available as a form of Cloud Computing. In this instance, a free web-based set of Office programs are available online, where they are available from any computer's web browser. Google offers free email, calendar, address book, word processor document, spreadsheet and presentation services. There is even a way for different people to collaborate on the same document over the Internet.

Other cloud-based offerings available on Macs include accounting software and specialist databases for certain industries.

There are some inherent dangers with Cloud Computing. When your data is available online there is the risk of hackers accessing it, or even bad behaviour in the form of companies selling off your personal data.

Cloud Computing will certainly expand across the technology field. Apple has already launched iWork.com to rival the Google Docs service. There is speculation that Mobile Me will become more comprehensive and will sync a lot more than just addresses, calendars and bookmarks.