What is the Cloud? Why do we need it?

Simply speaking, the Cloud is a collection of computers, made available by a branded supplier that you borrow or rent space on using the Internet. Period. Recent advances allow companies to offer Cloud services, such as word processing that they traditionally offered on the desktop. When you know how, using Cloud services is more convenient and cost-effective than using equivalent desktop software. The Cloud isn’t new, it’s just more powerful; in fact, you probably already use it for online banking, email, and social networking. One company that offers Cloud services for business is Microsoft; their flagship Cloud service is Microsoft Office 365: word processing, spreadsheets, email, storage and more.