Back in the “good old days” ( I must be getting old ) you would buy your computer and your software take your computer home or to work , install all the software , look for the updates ( hopefully ) and get to work.
That was how it used to be.
Now the times are changing as we now have “the cloud.”
The cloud is where your software and files are stored on a server ( computer) not on your machine.
You then log onto the service to access the files and the software needed for these files & or application.
For example Gmail is my primary mail client and it resides on the web. That means that if I have a problem with my computer or it is stolen I will always access to my E Mail because it resides at Google.
All my documents are synced through Dropbox , so that whichever computer or device I use my documents are always there and in sync
Cloud applications mean that you do not have to install these applications on your computer. This also means , no maintenance as updates are all done on line.
Lets gave a look at some other examples.
- Need an alternative to Microsoft office , try Google Aps , remember no software to install.
- Need a note software try Evernote
- Need task management software try Remember The Milk
- Back Up Software and syncing software try , Windows Live Sync , Dropbox
There are a myriad of applications appearing on the net so if you are online try taking advantage of the “cloud “