Understanding Cloud Computing - Copy

Understanding the Basics of Cloud Computing
While many fleet owners have implemented cloud computing to manager their fleets, a large number are unable to articulate what that actually means.

To better understand the basic principles of cloud computing and how it works, here is a brief overview that will help fleet owners and managers better understand how the “cloud” is storing and sharing their company’s vital information.

What is Cloud Computing
The term “cloud computing” refers to the delivery of information over a secure Internet connection, as opposed to hosting and operating those resources locally, such as on a company’s network. These resources include items such as applications and services, as well as the infrastructure on which they operate. By deploying infrastructure and services over a network, a company can purchase these resources on an as-needed basis and avoid the costs of software and hardware.

Who is Using the Cloud
Cloud systems are growing in the fleet industry through e-mail use and even analytics storage. When a fleet is using a web-based model, they are storing their information in the cloud. Items such as scorecards that monitor fuel economy, safety performance and others are all typically delivered via cloud computing.

How Does the Cloud Work
With cloud computing, companies obtain IT services from remote providers, and then access these resources over the Internet. Software is hosted by the provider and does not need to be installed or maintained on individual computers or mobile devices by members of a business. Companies pay only for the resources they use, and employees can access the applications and files they need from virtually any Internet-connected computer or mobile device.

The Significance of Cloud Data
Cloud computing is a profoundly different model of operation, one that takes advantage of the web applications and networks to provide its services to an entire organization. Cloud providers specialize in particular applications and services, and this know-how permits them to resourcefully manage upgrades and maintenance, backups and recovery functions. Because of this, companies typically see increased reliability. With cloud computing, organizations can monitor current needs and make immediate modifications to increase or decrease capacity, accommodating any immediate rise in demand without having to pay for unused capacity during down times.

Future of Cloud Computing
The emergence of cloud computing as a viable option for a growing number of IT services showcases the level of Internet penetration and infrastructure maturity that did not exist just a few years ago. Because of this, a growing number of companies are switching solely to a cloud-based system.

However, cloud computing is not for every fleet. While many companies may use web-based applications like scorecards or dashboards, they may decide to continue with their own IT infrastructure.