Following are five main characteristics that cloud computing offers businesses today.

On-demand capabilities

A business will secure cloud-hosting services through a cloud host provider which could be your usual software vendor. You can add or delete users and change storage networks and software as needed. Typically, you are billed with a monthly subscription or a pay-for-what-you-use scenario. Terms of subscriptions and payments will vary with each software provider.

Broad network access

Your team can access business management solutions using their smartphones, tablets, laptops, and office computers. They can use these devices wherever they are located with a simple online access point. Broad network access includes private clouds that operate within a company’s firewall, public clouds, or a hybrid deployment.

Resource pooling:

The cloud enables your employees to enter and use data within the business management software hosted in the cloud at the same time, from any location, and at any time. This is an attractive feature for multiple business offices and field service or sales teams that are usually outside the office.

Rapid elasticity

If anything, the cloud is flexible and scalable to suit your immediate business needs. You can quickly and easily add or remove users, software features, and other resources.

Measured service

Going back to the affordable nature of the cloud, you only pay for what you use. You and your cloud provider can measure storage levels, processing, bandwidth, and the number of user accounts and you are billed appropriately.

Cloud Computing has a number of advantages from a user’s point of view i.e. for the common man:

• Lower cost: Being an online service, Cloud Computing provides access to applications using a browser while applications are stored on distributed servers.

• Free access: Access of applications from any location makes users independent.

• More storage area: As Cloud Computing is distributed process, it maintains a storage den. It provides more storage than personal storage.

• Flexibility: Cloud Computing provides a tension-free environment by upgrading, managing, installing software on its own. It provides a download free zone.

• Mobility: The user can connect to the Cloud from any location.

• Ease of sharing: This is key component of Cloud

Computing. The information, resources and hardware sharing for instant delivery.

• Data safety: The files/data are safe unless the hard drive get stolen.

• Availability: There are several copies which can be owned as per user demand.

• Synchronization: Different experts from different issues, projects and locations.

• Rapid elasticity: migrating from one platform to another.