Wondering if email counts as cloud computing? Let’s break down this tech concept that’s everywhere – from big companies like Microsoft and Apple to your daily digital life. Cloud computing lets us access computer resources on demand, storing and managing data online.
Cloud Computing Services
So before we get into the details on whether email is an example of cloud computing, we need to understand the basics of cloud computing. This technology has a wide range of uses, and chances are you are using it even without knowing.
They are three major types of services that cloud computing provides. These include:
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): This is the most common type of service. SaaS is a service that allows users to use the software even when you don’t have the application on your device. Instead, you can access it with any browser of your choice. You will also require an internet connection. Every household that makes use of the internet must have used this service at some point.
By now, examples of this service are pretty obvious. Examples include Square, Google apps (like Google Drive, Calendar, Contacts), Zoom, Facebook, and Dropbox.
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS): This service provides a virtual infrastructure where users can run their services. As the name suggests, the users get the computing infrastructure to run their apps. This includes security, servers, networking, and storage.
IaaS helps its clients avoid purchasing and managing complex physical servers or software. Unlike SaaS, IaaS gives more freedom to the user. Examples of Iaas include Microsoft Azure, IBM Cloud, Oracle Cloud, and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS): This service provides developers with all they need to build an application. It provides services like the operating system, web servers, database, and programming language execution environment. Hence, it is a platform for building software.
Examples of PaaS are Salesforce.com, Google App Engine, and Heroku. To build such apps, all that the developer requires is an internet connection. They can build the application from a web browser.
Is Email an Example of Cloud Computing?
Before answering this, it will be helpful to know how email works.
Electronic mail (email) is a popular method of sending and receiving messages on the internet. The email system is made up of two key components. The first is the email client. This is an app installed on a user’s phone or computer. They enable users to compose, send and receive emails. Examples include Eudora, Outlook, and Thunderbird.
The other component is the email server. These servers are responsible for storing, receiving, delivering, and forwarding emails from users. Emails can be stored on the server, email client, or both. Email servers run on data centers somewhere in the world. Users can access services on these servers even without knowing where they are located.
The email provider is responsible for maintaining the software. Users can access email services anywhere through a browser or an email client. They will need an internet connection to connect to the servers. Also, email services are scalable depending on the user’s needs. This means that the allocated resources can be added when required or reallocated when not in use.
With this simple explanation, we can conclude that email is an example of cloud computing.
What Type of Service Is Gmail?
Now that you know the different types of services offered in the cloud, you must be wondering which type of service is Gmail or other emails.
Gmail (Google mail) is a free web-based electronic mail service that allows users to send, receive, and store messages.
First, it is paramount to note that Gmail is offered through the cloud. You can have the email client installed on your phone or computer as a user. These apps only help you access emails and other services in the cloud. Therefore, while you can have an email stored on your computer, a master copy is stored somewhere in Google’s data center. This is why you can always recover emails even if your computer or phone crashes.
With the explanation from the cloud computing service section, you might already know which type of service is Gmail. It falls under the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) category.
Benefits of Cloud Computing
Now that you know that email is an example of cloud services, you must be wondering what the benefits of using cloud computing are.
Some of the benefits of cloud computing include:
Flexibility and Mobility
Cloud computing provides convenience and mobility to users. For example, a user can access their emails from anywhere in the world. Since the service is running on the cloud, you can use any device to access your emails. All you will need is an internet connection and login information.
Efficiency and High Speed
Without worrying about infrastructure costs and maintenance, companies can quickly develop new solutions and get them into production. Using services such as PaaS, a developer will not need to invest in a data center. Instead, they can use the cloud at a fraction of the cost.
Security and Reliability
The primary concern of every business today is the security of their data. We all know the consequences of a data breach. They can range from financial loss, reputation loss, and even wiping out businesses. Fortunately, cloud computing offers advanced security. The cloud service provider is in a better position to protect the data. Also, the duplication of data helps speed up the recovery process.
Scalability
Firms with cloud services can quickly scale up or scale down their requirements depending on their business needs. Through the pooling of computing resources, the users can get more resources. They can also reallocate the available resources when not in use. This reduces the cost for the businesses.
Collaboration
Cloud computing supports collaboration by allowing users who stay in different regions to work together. Team members can quickly work using cloud-based platforms like Google Wave, View, and Mikogo. Such services allow users to create files and securely invite others to view, comment, and edit them.
Unlimited Storage
One advantage of the cloud is its unlimited storage. It provides a pay-as-you-go service, meaning you pay for only what you’re using. Therefore, you can increase your storage on the cloud at a monthly fee. Again, this fee is way cheaper than that of buying storage drives.
Cost-Effective
As said earlier, most cloud computing services provide a pay-as-you-go service. Thus, regardless of the service type, you will only pay for the service you use. This is more effective compared to investing in a data center. Moreover, in case of a surge of tasks, a cloud environment can easily scale up to provide the services.
Disadvantages of Cloud Computing
Cloud computing also has its fair share of downsides. These include:
Data Confidentiality Problems
There is always a possibility that hackers could access information hosted on the cloud. Since everything is accessible through the internet, hackers can target the data. For instance, emails can easily be hacked. However, users are advised to maintain security measures.
Built Upon Internet Connection
Cloud computing depends on the internet. Citizens of developing countries with poor internet or no internet connections won’t be able to access data on the cloud. Also, you can be locked out of your data if, for some reason, you cannot access the internet. A slow connection will also affect the experience.
Cloud Downtime
Another downside is that the cloud can experience downtime. This is possible since cloud service providers also face network outages, power loss, and maintenance at some point. During this period, the users will experience downtime. Fortunately, cloud providers are striving to ensure minimal downtime.
Varied Performance
Cloud computing applications run on servers that simultaneously provide resources to other businesses, and any attack on the servers may affect the performance of the shared resources.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cloud Computing
- Should I move to cloud computing?
Moving your services to the cloud has many benefits. These include enhanced security, faster services, less downtime, and scalable services. Along with these benefits, cloud solutions provide adequate, performance-driven, easy-to-use-and-reach file storage. Due to these benefits, many firms have moved their services to the cloud.
However, we all have different needs. As such, cloud services may not be the best alternative for some businesses. Before moving your business to the cloud, first, compare the potential benefits against the disadvantages of on-site hosting.
- Who are cloud computing providers?
Cloud computing providers are companies that own the cloud. These tech giants have invested in powerful data centers that make up the cloud. They are responsible for managing the hardware and software components of the cloud. Users can rent computing services from these providers.
Some include Google, Oracle, IBM, Dropbox, Apache Stratos, and Openshift. What makes cloud services cheaper is that these companies pool resources and assign them to users when needed. This technique drastically reduces the cost because one processor can serve many users.
- Why is cloud computing critical?
Cloud computing is critical because it is the backbone of most organizations. Due to its low cost, most people prefer using the cloud. Consequently, many critical services run on the cloud. For example, hospital systems can run on the cloud. Banks also use the cloud to store and process data. Even daily activities like streaming a movie on Netflix use cloud services. As such, it is a critical service.
- Where is cloud computing used?
Cloud computing is used everywhere. Common uses include data storage, education, data backup and recovery, communication, business processes, government services, health care, etc. Many people may not even realize when they are using the cloud. For example, basic services such as emails, streaming movies, booking tickets, and many others are built on the cloud.
- Where are cloud computing servers located?
Since all your data is held on a cloud server and is managed by cloud computing providers, they still have to be stored on a physical server somewhere. This place where your data is stored is called a server farm and is only accessible to you through the internet. You can picture a server farm as an enormous storeroom with servers working every second of the day.
However, you can’t visualize where a server resides. Like real-life clouds, users are aware that these servers are located somewhere. Nonetheless, they cannot point out its exact location. Many cloud providers store their server farms in places different from where their company resides, and others outsource it to satellite locations.
The data on the cloud is also duplicated and stored in different locations. This ensures that you can still access the data even when the data center is inaccessible.
- Who else has access to data?
Cloud service providers provide high security to ensure that you alone have access to your data. They also have preventive measures put in place, like duplicating your data severally in case of any security breaches. Moreover, your information is encrypted such that even if someone accesses them, they will still need to decrypt it.
Conclusion
Cloud computing is something we use in our everyday life. So whenever you stream music online, backup your data, attend a Zoom or Skype meeting – you’re using cloud services.
Emails are a popular method of sending messages through the internet. While we all know how to use it, it may be surprising that most people do not understand how they work. If you have ever wondered if email is an example of cloud computing, your suspicions are correct.
Email services are built on the cloud. You can use an email client installed on your device to access messages stored in the cloud as a user. However, the actual software offering the service is running on the cloud. If you have any doubts about cloud services, you can refer to our frequently asked questions for answers.