Cloud Computing: Do you really understand what it means?
“Cloud computing” is everywhere and it is being used by everyone. From conversations taking place in the world of IT to musings being posted on Facebook, the term “the cloud” has managed to fuse itself into the American lexicon, firmly becoming an accepted part of our daily lives.
But there is a catch: Despite its popularity, cloud computing continues to be one of the most misunderstood phrases used in our country today. At least that was what a recent survey conducted by Wakefield Research revealed.
During the survey, when asked “what the cloud is,” the majority of respondents said that it is “an actual cloud, the sky, or something related to weather.” And 51% of all respondents said that they believed that “stormy weather would interfere with their cloud computing.”
In addition to not knowing what the cloud is, 1 in 5 Americans admitted that they’ve pretended to know what the cloud is and how the cloud works.
Why all the cloud computing confusion?
The question becomes, “Why?” Why is the term, despite its popularity, creating so much confusion? Perhaps a great deal of the debate can be attributed to the many competing definitions. Because there is not one universally agreed upon definition, and because it means too many different things to too many different people, the result has been a lot of confusion about how the industry as a whole defines the cloud.
For example, take a look at all the different ways we try to classify the cloud:
Each of the above terms was created to give more insight into various cloud computing solutions. Unfortunately, instead of clearing things up, the result seems to be more confusion.
Your Roadmap to the Cloud
If you have every faked your way through a conversation about the cloud, or if you would just like to broaden your understanding, Expedient can help. Download our Roadmap to Cloud Computing to learn more.
