What is the Cloud

The cloud is a term most people know but one that a lot of people don't really understand.

First things first. No, it doesn't mean anything in the sky. What you are looking at, really, are huge data centres. Building with racks and racks of servers connected to the internet. They are generally used to sync data between devices as well as sharing data with others and for many businesses it has replaced the need for physical servers.

Common Cloud Services

iCloud: This is Apple's service. This is the one most people use if they have Apple devices (iPhone, iPod, Mac). It provides a convenient way to sync photos and files and can be set to back up your device. It can be used with PCs as well and is often the easiest way to transfer photos from an iPhone to the PC

Google Drive: Google's cloud service does a similar job for android phones with the backup service and also works with PCs but they have dropped the photo backup comonent from the PC app. It neatly integrates with their Workspace with Docs, Sheets and other online productivity apps.

One Drive: Microsoft's home user targetted, OneDrive, comes as part of their office subscription model. It is available across many devices  but doesn't integrate as neatly with mobile