2What Is the “Cloud”?

“Behind every cloud is another cloud.”

—Judy Garland

The Cloud

The “Cloud” is a term—more of a metaphor really—that has come to mean so many things to so many different people, that it defies simple classification. When people talk about the Cloud, they could be referring specifically to “Cloud Storage”, “Cloud Computing”, or “Software as a Service” (each of which deserves its own explanation), but mostly they just mean “in the Internet”. What the Cloud ultimately represents, though, is an abstraction of Information Technology (IT).

If you look at practically any company, there’s almost always some requirement for computer hardware and software. Whether it’s for scheduling appointments, tracking orders, or sending emails, ...

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