Cloud computing is the use and storage of data and computer resources without direct management by the user. Cloud computing can be broken down into three different types. There’s virtual IT, which supplements a company’s internal IT network from remote servers; software that can remotely host applications; and network storage. Instead of housing data in on-site servers, organisations can store it in large data centres, to retrieve and manipulate it at any time. These data centres typically have more advanced technology than on-site servers would, so they’re able to manage and store large amounts of information.

Cloud computing solutions are techniques or services businesses and individuals can use to complete regular computing tasks or solve computing problems. These include server management and housing, data and machine storage, running your network over the Internet, or VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol, a method of IP telephony). By hosting some or all of your business solutions with cloud services, you reduce your need for on-site resources.

Some examples of the biggest cloud computing applications are Microsoft Azure, Office 365, VMware vCloud, Google Apps, Rackspace. Different models offer different services, which your business may or may not require.

There are software-as-a-service, or SaaS solutions, like Gmail and other Google products. The software you use is part of a larger platform, so some vendors offer platform-as-a-service or Paas products like virtual servers or operating environments. Finally, you can choose infrastructure-as-a-service or IaaS cloud computing solution, which deals with physical servers and other networking components. DigitalOcean is an example of both PaaS and IaaS cloud computing.

The cloud computing service that fits your business will depend on your IT needs. Some companies only house part of their functions with cloud services, others use full cloud management for all of their computing and IT requirements. Ultimately, you should consider the kind and size of files you’ll be storing and sharing, how big your organisation is, and what your available bandwidth is. And these are only preliminary things to consider – there’s much more to think about when developing your cloud IT infrastructure.