Cloud computing in social networks

Social network platforms have rapidly changed the way that people communicate and interact. They have enabled the participation in digital communities as well as the representation, documentation and exploration of social relationships.

I personally believe that as “apps” become more sophisticated, it will become easier for users to share their own services, resources and data via social networks. At the same time, social media sites have large number of users all across the globe, and this makes them ideal candidates for cloud adaptation.

Social networks help boost internet usability by storing heavy multimedia content in cloud storage systems. Videos and photographs are the most popular content on social media, which essentially use up the maximum space allocated to them. They have the capacity to slow down applications and servers with all of their resource demands. Cloud computing vendors such as Salesforce and Amazon nowadays provide varied services including Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). As they deliver these things through cloud servers, clients can use the flexibility and scalability of the system without purchasing standalone software or hardware.

Apart from data storage, the social networks are now also using clouds for various other tasks. For example, this can be ideal for big data analytics. One of the benefits of using cloud systems is that users can access vast amount of structured and even non-structured data easily. Just take a look at the much-improved analytics provided by sites like Facebook, especially for its business users.

Another way cloud computing becomes helpful is by reducing the cost of data backup and recovery in case of a disaster. If the data is only stored in one central location, it becomes much riskier. If something happens there, it is almost impossible to recover the data. But through cloud they remain accessible through shared resources across the globe. This is especially useful for social networks as the store personal data of its users, and so cannot afford to lose even one part of it.

Overall, it can be said that cloud computing has several usages, and some of them are still being discovered. For instance, in the near future, personal secure clouds are likely to gain ground. New age social networks and messaging apps such as Snapchat thrive on privacy and they will eventually utilize such resources to offer a more secure and faster service to its users.

Cloud Computing and Social Network Sites are among some of the most controversially discussed developments in recent years. The opportunities of using powerful computing resources on demand via the web are considered as a possible driver for the growth of the world economy. As I said before, cloud is a reality and will remain the most distinguished technological breakthrough, transforming the way business is done.

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