•••• FUTURE FOCUS
The cloud – it ’ s not an illusion
JENNY MATHEWS
54
‘ I ’ VE LOOKED AT CLOUDS FROM BOTH SIDES NOW ; FROM UP AND DOWN , AND STILL SOMEHOW , IT ’ S CLOUD ’ S ILLUSIONS I RECALL ; I REALLY DON ’ T KNOW CLOUDS AT ALL ’ ( Joni Mitchell )
At a recent media roundtable ,
Ag Outlook 2016 , Ernst Janovsky of Absa Agribusiness remarked that we need to embrace technology . Technology will play a key role in helping farmers to thrive and meet global food demands . We have already looked at a few different useful technologies which are available like drones and computer-driven tractors , but this month my thoughts are of CLOUDS !
Like most farmers I tend to watch the skies closely . I love watching clouds in all their majestic formations . Clouds heighten my awareness of God the Creator and fill me with awe ! I love it when thunder clouds roll in bringing rain . I also remember happy moments lying on my back , watching clouds drift by , trying to identify the shapes against the blue sky … But never could I have imagined that one day I would be thinking about “ the Cloud ” as a tool for my business !
A recent phone call from Son No . 2 had me listening to his sad tale that his faithful computer from university had “ crashed ” and
OKT / NOV 2016 • SENWES Scenario
he ’ d “ lost EVERYthing ”!!! All his information , all his photo ’ s … ALL gone . The technician said the laptop ’ s brain was “ fried ” - What a calamity ! IF ONLY my son had been using “ The Cloud ” then all his information would have been stored there , the computer could have “ crashed ” - and the biggest disaster would have been the need to purchase a new computer !
Actually , most of us are using the cloud already , whether it ’ s via email , instagram or facebook uploads . But there is a difference to using the cloud through these tools and actively choosing it as a tool and getting to know how to use it to our own benefit .
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS THE CLOUD ? It is not a physical thing or place ; rather it is a network of servers . When something is ‘ in the cloud ’ it means it ’ s stored on Internet servers instead of on your computer ’ s hard drive . If you take a photo with your cell phone it is stored on your phone ’ s internal memory drive but once you upload and post that picture to Instagram , Pinterest or Facebook you are effectively uploading it to the cloud .
WHY DO PEOPLE CHOOSE TO USE THE CLOUD ? The main reason for using the cloud is convenience and reliability . All web-based email services like Gmail and Yahoo use the cloud ; so the information is stored on servers and not the computer ’ s hard drive . This means you can recover your information from any computer with an internet connection . It also means that if anything happens to your computer , your emails are recoverable . This is why many students actually email themselves their files at the end of a work session - Imagine the heartbreak if an almost completed dissertation were to be lost on a “ crashed “ computer !
All types of information can be stored in the cloud including files , emails , photographs and video clips . Then these are accessible from any computer or mobile device with internet connection . The cloud is a useful way to ‘ back up ’ data . You can even set your computer to automatically back up your data to the cloud , so if ever your computer is lost , stolen or damaged the files are still recoverable from the cloud . The cloud also makes it possible to share files with several people at the same time if you so wish . For example , you can upload a batch of photos to a folder which you then share with interested friends or team members by adding them as interested parties .