What is the Cloud?

You may have heard people using terms like the cloud, cloud computing, or cloud storage. But what exactly is the cloud? Basically, the cloud is the internet—more specifically, it's all of the things that you can access remotely over the internet. When something is in the cloud, that means it is stored on servers on the internet, instead of on your computer. It lets you access your calendar, email, files, and more from any computer that has an internet connection.

The Cloud

If you've ever used web-based email, then you've used the cloud—all of the emails in your inbox are stored on servers. However, there are many other services that use the cloud in different ways. Here are just a few examples:

• Dropbox is a cloud storage service that lets you easily store and share files with other people, and it lets you access your files from a mobile device as well.
• Evernote lets you type notes, clip webpages, take photos, and organize all of them from your computer or mobile device.
• Mozy and Carbonite can automatically back up your data in case your computer is lost, stolen, or damaged.