The “Cloud”, Demystified

Despite the seemingly embarrassing blunder of an explanation now Vice President Kamala Harris made back in 2010, the “Cloud” does exist in physical spaces and it is not difficult to understand. once a clear explanation has been provided. The trouble is, VP Harris may have spoken too soon, or perhaps she was making a guess based on what she thought she knew about the Cloud. Either way, as a former Prosecutor and current VP running for U.S. President, I hope she has a better understanding of what it is today.

But before we explain dive further into the Cloud let’s step back and think about the bigger picture.

What role will the Cloud play in business?

Technology will always play an integral role in the operation, scalability, and sustainability of businesses worldwide. Local, regional, national, international, and global businesses will all use technology to reach more people, sell goods and services, and build their brands. Websites will become more than simple informational or marketing sites. Interaction and immersion will be at the forefront, using exhilarating visuals, ASMR-style audio, 3D effects, videography, and photography to create a truly unique user experience. Hybrid Web experiences — think augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) — and cross-platform Internet experiences — ones that can carry over from one device to another — will become more popular. For this reason, the Cloud is something business owners should understand fully and implement accordingly.

The Cloud in Physical Terms

To better understand the Cloud, let’s think about it in real-world terms. Sorry, Kamala. This is the only way to clear things up.

Say there’s a business owner named Clark McDaniels who owns a small Beauty brand called Clark’s Beauty (😂). Clark has a storefront located in Dover, CT where customers can try out and buy products. The company also ships products globally, directly to consumers, from its shipping facility.

Using parallels with the example above, let’s now break down how it correlates to the digital realm.

There are three layers — or parallels — to this comparison.

• Your website is your physical location. It’s the front-facing image of your business. Using the example above, it’s the storefront in Dover, CT. It’s where customers can interact with Clark’s beauty products and purchase goods.
• Your domain name is your street address (ex. 1111 Elm Street, Dover, CT). It’s how people FIND your business. After all, if you were Clark but your storefront had no address and wasn’t listed in Google, people couldn’t find you. A website with no domain name is non-existent. People cannot find you. Google cannot list you. You need to register your domain name before proceeding forward with anything else.
• The Cloud, then, is your storage facility. It’s where all your physical goods are stored. It’s where all your important files are stored. Similarly, The Cloud is where all of your website’s digital files (images, videos, databases, templates, etc.) are stored. It’s also where your domain “lives”. Sometimes, your domain registrar and your web host are the same. Sometimes they’re not.

Consider this. Without an actual storefront (website), the Dover, CT address (domain) is no more than an undeveloped property. A blank canvas. A non-existent place. You must have all three — a physical address (domain), a storefront (website), and a storage facility (the Cloud) to operate your business effectively.

Okay, let’s break that down even more clearly one last time.

• Storefront or Office == Website or Web Application
• Domain name == Street Address
• The Cloud == Storage Facility

The Cloud, Demystified

Okay, so now that we used real-world examples to understand the role of the Cloud, let’s talk about what it is.

Are you ready?

Are you sure?

Okay, then, here we go…

The Cloud is… just a… computer!

No, really.

What is the Cloud?

The Cloud is a global network of physical servers that store and deliver data over the Internet. These servers, housed in “server farms,” hold your website’s data and information. Similar to a computer’s hard drive, a Cloud Server’s only job is to store, process, and deliver information.

Some Cloud infrastructures, like those provided by Site Assembly’s Cloud Service Department, combine various types of servers and delivery networks to create what’s known as a Hybrid Cloud Solution.

Additionally, cloud services are typically fully managed.

Fully Managed Cloud Hosting means an assigned Systems Administrator or Cloud Specialist creates, optimizes, and manages your cloud environment and related infrastructure. This is especially helpful if you’re uneducated in Cloud Infrastructure or Server Management. It’s quite easy to “break” something on your server or website and cause server delays or website downtime. If you’re unsure, always ask a Site Manager.

Site Assembly’s Custom Cloud Infrastructure

Before we head out, I think it’s important to share what Site Assembly’s preferred Cloud Infrastructure is for our Corporate Clients. The various resources listed below may change, but generally speaking, this is our server stack:

• Liquid Web. Cloud servers and cloud hosting.
• Amazon s3. Media offloading and offsite backups.
• Cloudflare. Server firewall and Content Delivery Network (CDN).
• GSuite. Email client and domain registrar.
• Gemini. AI toolset and software storage.
• Google Cloud. Gemini project hosting.

In addition to the resources listed above, we may use other tools or resources to create a custom server stack for our client’s needs.

So, now that you know what The Cloud is, how it compares to real-world things, why it matters for business, and a few more helpful details… do you have any other questions?

If you do, we’d love to hear from you! Drop us a comment below and let’s keep the conversation going.