"To the Cloud" is a term used in Microsoft's Windows 7 advertisement campaign to give a woman the family nature never could. When I first began hearing this term "The Cloud" in Microsoft's ads I wanted to find out more information on what the cloud actually was. Before MS advertisements I had heard about "The Cloud" in IBM's ads as well. I've also heard some people talk about the cloud as well without having a firm understanding of what the cloud consists of. The goal of this article is to explain what the cloud is and how it is reshaping business.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology defines "The Cloud" as being a metaphor for the internet. The Cloud is really just that; a metaphor. Companies use the term loosely to define the structure of their technology. In the basic sense, the cloud is a cluster of systems that make up a technology. Gmail is an example of cloud technology. The GUI, or graphic user interface, that you use to navigate and interact with your Google email system is the face the cloud that powers Gmail. There are many servers and systems that interact with one and other to make Gmail a working system. Emails, photos and attachments saved and archived can be saved over multiple servers that power the cloud. Google uses cloud technology in many of their services.

Small and Medium Enterprises should utilize cloud computing to host their email and web site servers because cloud technology offers much of the same infrastructure and services at a fraction of large enterprise cost. This is possible because resources that power the cloud can be self-maintaining and added and removed when necessary. Major companies such as RackSpace and Amazon offer the same services as large companies to small and medium companies at the same cost platform. The benefit of using a cloud is the ability to upgrade and expand resources based on need with little effort.

The term "Cloud" is an excellent metaphor for technology. Small water particles, as with individuals servers, are useful to a certain extent but when grouped together are very powerful. Clouds are ever expanding and contracting, as is dynamic cloud computing. Next time someone says something about "The Cloud" you will know what they are talking about and can help clarify misinformation that the cloud is just a cluster of servers that power technology. The internet is one such cloud.