What is ‘the Cloud’?
In the simplest terms, cloud computing means putting your documents, photos, music, and other data into ‘the cloud’, letting you access your files regardless of which computer or mobile device you’re using. It’s also a convenient way to back up and sync data to multiple devices. Think of the cloud as a disk drive that is owned by a company like Apple or Google, which stores all of your files in a remote location – typically at a data center. The cloud makes it possible to access your data from any computer with an Internet connection.
Google Drive: This is a pure cloud computing service, with all the storage found online so it can work with the cloud apps: Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides. Drive is also available on more than just desktop computers; you can use it on tablets or on smartphones, and there are separate apps for Docs and Sheets, as well. In fact, most of Google’s services could be considered cloud computing: Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps, and so on.
Storage plan: Free 15GB storage allotment. Paid accounts start at $1.99 per month for 100GB, and you can get 1TB for $9.99 per month.
Available on: Windows, Mac, Web, Chrome, Android, iOS
Apple iCloud: Apple’s cloud service is primarily used for online storage, backup, and synchronization of your mail, contacts, calendar, photos, and more. All the data you need is available to you on your devices. Naturally, Apple won’t be outdone by rivals, so it offers cloud-based versions of its word processor (Pages), spreadsheet (Numbers), and presentations (Keynote) for use by any iCloud subscriber. iCloud is also the place iPhone users go to utilize the Find My iPhone feature that’s all important when the phone goes missing.
Storage plan: Free 5 GB Storage. Paid accounts start at $ 0.99 per month for 50 GB, and you can get 200 GB for $ 2.99 per month or 1 TB for $ 9.99 per month.
Available on: Windows, Mac, Web, Chrome, Android, iOS
* Some features vary depending on the platform
Other Cloud providers include Amazon, DropBox, Mega and more. The Cloud is the delivery of on-demand computing resources over the Internet on a pay-for-use basis. Each company has its own pricing plan and each company offers a few gigabytes for free. While a very secure company like Mega offers 50GB for fre
