People are scared of “The Cloud”. Okay, maybe skeptical is a better word. In either case, not knowing exactly what “The Cloud” is makes it something that deters people from using it. We should know. Our software is a cloud-based application that helps salon owners and hair stylists manage their business.
However, once our customers start using our cloud-based software, that skepticism goes by the wayside. In fact they begin to realize that they’ve been using “The Cloud” all along.
Chances are you are too. Here’s how.
Facebook/Twitter
Yes, your favorite social media platforms are cloud-based applications. Cloud-based software and applications just mean that the storage is hosted elsewhere. The entire Facebook platform isn’t saved locally to your desktop, your mobile phone, or to an external hard drive.
Anytime you upload a photo to Facebook or send out a Tweet, they are stored in “The Cloud”. This is why you can go back and access them at a later date.
Apple
If you haven’t guessed it yet, Apple iCloud, uses cloud storage enabling you to backup your data. All of your phone’s contacts and images can essentially be backed up to Apple’s remote servers so that the next time you spill on your phone and lose your data, you can easily get it back.
YouTube
YouTube is a great example of “The Cloud”. Over 1 billion unique visitors visit YouTube each month. Most of those 1 billion intend to watch a video on YouTube. All of those videos are uploaded by users and stored onto YouTube’s cloud servers.
Google Drive
You may or may not be familiar with Google Drive. For those of you that aren’t, it is essentially Google’s free cloud storage for users who create a Google ID. They currently provide each user 15 gigs of free storage. On Google Drive you can upload images, documents, folders, and even create working documents that are shareable with others. All of these are stored on Google’s servers allowing you to access them from your phone, your computer, your office, or anywhere else you can get an internet connection.
Dropbox/Box
Dropbox and Box are both cloud-based storage applications. They are an extension of your computer’s hard drive and any external storage that you have. So instead of saving files locally to your PC or laptop, you can save the files to your Dropbox or Box account. This lets you keep your computer free of bulky files that may hinder its performance.
So to summarize; you are already using “The Cloud” in all its infinite glory. Not so terrifying when the mysterious “cloud” tag is dropped, huh?
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