Written by Tess Walsh, Technology Training Specialist.

You may have noticed the word “cloud” floating around the internet, news reports or in applications. Messages such as Save your photos to the cloud for more space and Download from the cloud pop up as we’re sending emails, typing essays, or taking pictures. But what is the cloud, really? And why should we use it?

If you like analogies… you can think of files as money—both are valuable and necessary to modern life. You can keep your money in cash in your wallet or under your mattress and you can keep your files saved to a single computer or hard drive. Alternatively, you can keep your money in a bank account, and you can keep your files in the “cloud”.

Once your hard-earned cash is in a bank account, you’re able to access the funds in this account at any store, withdraw them from any ATM with a debit card and a PIN, or login to a website to transfer funds. Similarly, if your files are in the cloud, you can access and edit them from any internet-connected device using your account information. This method also makes sure that your valuables are less susceptible to accidents and emergencies, such as a lost wallet for your cash, or a damaged laptop for your files.

In more technical terms, the cloud is a file storage space on the internet linked to a specific account rather than a specific device. Most well-known tech services, including Microsoft, Google, and Apple, have their own versions of the cloud. Clark University offers community members five terabytes of storage (which is a lot!) on Microsoft cloud storage – Microsoft OneDrive.

There are many benefits to saving files to the cloud, including:

• File protection if your computer fails or malfunctions
• Ability to access and edit files from multiple devices, including phones and tablets
• Integration with your Clark Outlook account
• Microsoft encryption and security for your files
• Easy collaboration with colleagues and peers

Interested in learning more? LinkedIn Learning provides lots of information about Microsoft OneDrive and other cloud services free to all members of the Clark community. Staff and faculty can schedule an appointment with Clark’s technology training specialist to learn more.