Cloud computing may sound like something only the extreme computer-savvy will stumble upon. However, it is ubiquitous in our day-to-day activities.

For starters, what even is cloud computing? To put it simply, this is a technology which brings your data processing needs to a third-party server. Instead of the hardware of your mobile phones or tablets doing the grunt work, the Internet will do it for you. With cloud computing, businesses enjoy diminished operational cost and enhanced productivity.

Not only businesses benefit from cloud computing, though. You also benefit from the power of cloud computing.

Here are is a non-exhaustive list of ways you unknowingly use this technology in your daily life.

Streaming

Video streaming services like Netflix experience server load surges whenever they have to simultaneously cater to a huge number of users. In order to maintain their service quality without having to invest a fortune on IT infrastructure, they take advantage of cloud computing.

Communication

Messaging apps such as Skype do not store your conversations using your precious storage. Instead, they bring this over the cloud. In your end, this means wider accessibility, since you can access your messages from any of your internet-connected devices.

Storage & Backup

Online storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox are made possible by cloud computing. With the power of this technology, a virtually infinite amount of information can be stored for preservation and recovery purposes.

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter harness the computational capabilities of the cloud to provide you with relevant information such as people you may know or may want to know, to store the information you share with others, and to use this information to curate the content you see in your feed.

Smart Assistance

Smart Assistants like Siri and Alexa have to process a large amount of information real-time. The computing power of our devices just wouldn’t make the cut. With this, they use cloud computing as leverage so that they can respond to your queries and requests.