*Jozzua Notes from a Business and Marketing Strategist/Tactician

What Is Cloud Computing And Why Do You Need To Know About It?

Imagine yourself needing to write a letter to a friend. You reach out to this mysterious cloud and suddenly get a pen and paper. When you're done writing, you return the pen and paper to the cloud. You fold the written letter, throw it to the cloud. Soon, your friend receives this letter as it drops to him from the cloud.

Yes that's the magical mystery of THE CLOUD.

In fact, you do this everyday as you write emails. The cloud is the metaphorical representation of the Internet as we know it. It's out there - and we just need to touch it.

It's a buzz word. Yes. If you read Larry Ellison's comments on it, you'd be scratching your head and asking "Why the fuss?"

"The interesting thing about cloud computing is that we've redefined cloud computing to include everything that we already do. I can't think of anything that isn't cloud computing with all of these announcements. The computer industry is the only industry that is more fashion-driven than women's fashion. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I have no idea what anyone is talking about. What is it? It's complete gibberish. It's insane. When is this idiocy going to stop?" - Ellison

So just take a look at how Microsoft is taking advantage of all the cloud hype.

Within a month, Microsoft will unveil what Ballmer called "Windows Cloud." The operating system, which will likely have a different name, is intended for developers writing cloud-computing applications, said Ballmer...

Frankly speaking, you are already using the cloud my dear. Whenever you access your email on Yahoo or Gmail, you're doing cloud computing. When you use Google Docs, you're doing cloud computing.

What's a little different is how everything digital you use will eventually go through this internet cloud. Instead of buying a copy of Windows WORD, EXCEL or POWERPOINT, you just access the net for it whenever you need it. You can do that right now with Google Docs (for Free) and Zoho. In effect, you just need a browser (like FireFox and Chrome, which are also free). That frees up your computer for many other applications.

The catch is you need a pretty stable internet connection and bandwidth. To access those online apps, you actually have to be able to connect.

What the companies are doing right now is to position themselves in the cloud front. When you reach for something in the cloud, they want you to reach their applications. Eventually, with a stable user base, they'll make money from you through ads (like YouTube and Google) or through subscription payments.

And that's why you need to be aware of this. They will make money from you. You get something of value, right? How can you pay them back? Are you ready to pay for subscription? Are you willing to see all those ads?