Executive Summary

Cloud computing is simply this: the same stuff you do with your computer, such as office
tasks or storing files, except done online.

The term ‘cloud computing' comes from the visual image of a cloud of data that floats
out on the Internet, and which can be accessed from anywhere there's an Internet
connection, on any computing device.

Perhaps the flagship cloud product is Google Docs, which offers a word
processor, spreadsheet, and presentations package, all of which are accessed through your web
browser. You don't have to save files to your hard disk--all data is saved automatically in Google's
data cloud.
Many cloud services are accessed through a browser, as clumsy as that might seem.
This is why companies like Google, Microsoft and Mozilla are paying a lot of attention to
the speed of their browsers. Fast browsers are needed to run cloud applications well,
especially as they get ever more sophisticated.

In addition to applications, the cloud also offers storage. This is where files are stored
online, instead of (or in addition) to being stored on your hard disk. For
example, DropBox adds a folder to your computer's hard disk and automatically uploads
any files saved there to the DropBox cloud