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Presentation Software Definition and Examples

Presentation software brings complex ideas to life, one slide at a time

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Many software suites offer a program designed to accompany a speaker when he or she delivers a presentation. The specific presentation program in this suite of programs is usually (but not always) in the form of a slide show. This category of program is well-established; it doesn't change much, and it supports not only online visual display but also, generally, the printing of related handouts and speaker notes.

Benefits of Presentation Software

These programs make it simple and often fun to create a presentation for your audience. They contain a text editor to add your written content; they support charts and graphic images such as photographs, clip art or other objects to enliven your slideshow and get your point across crisply.

For a deeper dive into some of the leading applications in this software category, check out:

Other Forms of Presentation Software

PowerPoint and its clones work on a slide-based logic: When you move to the next point in your conversation, you advance to the next slide. An alternative model of presentations sets aside the slide model in favor of some other navigation system. Examples include:

Prezi offers a visual navigation tool that allows for zoom-in/zoom-out detail across a logical map of your presentation.

Microsoft Sway

Besides PowerPoint, Microsoft also offers Sway, which is a presentation and newsletter designer that supports simpler and more image-focused designs along a familiar linear flow path.

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What is PowerPoint? A Beginner's Guide

What is PowerPoint? This blog provides the essence of PowerPoint, a versatile presentation software by Microsoft. Discover its features, uses, and the art of crafting compelling slideshows. Whether you're a student, professional, or simply curious, explore the power of PowerPoint and learn how to create impactful presentations effortlessly.

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According to Glassdoor , a PowerPoint designer's average salary in the UK is about £37,811 annually. In this blog, you will learn What is PowerPoint, its key features, its benefits, and how to use it, as well as learn some tips for creating effective presentations.   

Table of contents       

1)  What is PowerPoint?  

2)  Understanding the PowerPoint Interface  

3)  Key Features of PowerPoint 

4)  How to use PowerPoint to create a presentation? 

5)  Benefits of PowerPoint  

6)  Tips for Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations 

7)  Conclusion      

What is PowerPoint?   

PowerPoint is a versatile and popular presentation software developed by Microsoft (MS). It is a part of the Microsoft Office Suite and offers various features and tools to create visually appealing and engaging presentations. MS PowerPoint allows users to combine text, graphics, multimedia elements, and animations to convey information effectively .   

Evolution of PowerPoint   

Understanding the PowerPoint Interface   

The PowerPoint interface provides a user-friendly environment for creating and editing presentations. Familiarising yourself with its essential components will help you navigate the software efficiently. Here's a breakdown of the MS PowerPoint interface:   

1)  Ribbon : The Ribbon is located at the top of the MS PowerPoint window and consists of multiple tabs, such as Home, Insert, Design, Transitions, and more.    

2) Slides pane : The Slides pane is on the left side of the PowerPoint window. It displays thumbnail images of your presentation slides, allowing you to navigate and rearrange them easily. You can add, delete, duplicate, or hide slides from this pane.   

3)   Notes pane : The Notes pane is located below the Slides pane. It provides space for adding speaker notes or additional information related to each slide.    

4)  Slide area : The Slide area occupies the central part of the PowerPoint window. It displays the selected slide, where you can add and arrange content such as text, images, charts, and multimedia elements .    

5)  Task panes : Task panes are additional panels on the PowerPoint window's right side. They offer various functionalities such as formatting options, slide layouts, animations, etc. Task panes can be opened or closed based on your specific needs.   

Understanding the MS PowerPoint interface will help you navigate the software effectively and make the most of its features. Whether you are creating slides, adding content, or applying formatting, having a good grasp of the interface ensures a smooth and productive experience .  

Key Features of PowerPoint  

When it comes to creating captivating and professional presentations, MS PowerPoint stands out as versatile and feature-rich software. Its array of tools and functionalities enables users to bring their imagination and ideas to life. Moreover, it also helps engage their audience effectively .    

1) Slide Templates : PowerPoint provides a collection of pre-designed templates that make it easy to create visually appealing slides.   

2)  Slide Master : The Slide Master feature allows users to define the overall layout, font styles, and colour scheme for the entire presentation .   

3)  Animations and transitions : PowerPoint offers various animation effects and slide transitions to add visual interest and captivate the audience .   

4)  Multimedia integration : Users can embed images, videos, and audio files directly into their presentations, enhancing the overall impact .   

5)   Collaboration tools : MS PowerPoint allows multiple users to work on a presentation simultaneously, making it ideal for team projects and remote collaboration .   

6) Presenter View : The Presenter View feature gives presenters access to speaker notes, a timer, and a preview of upcoming slides, enabling a seamless presentation experience .   

These features collectively contribute to PowerPoint's versatility and make it a powerful tool for developing engaging and impactful presentations.  

How to use PowerPoint to create a presentation?   

Creating a presentation in PowerPoint is a straightforward process. Whether it's simple animations or explainer videos learning H ow to use PowerPoint is an extremely valuable skill. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create a presentation:   

1)  Launch PowerPoint and choose a template or start with a blank slide. 

2)  Add slides by clicking "New Slide" or using the shortcut key (Ctrl + M). 

3) Customise slide content by entering text and inserting visuals.  

4)  Rearrange slides for a logical flow by dragging them in the slide navigation pane.  

5)  Apply slide transitions for visual effects in the "Transitions" tab.  

6)  Add animations to objects in the "Animations" tab.  

7)  Preview your presentation by clicking "Slide Show".   

8)  Save your presentation and choose a format (.pptx or .pdf).  

9)  Share your presentation via email, cloud storage, or collaboration tools.   

By following these steps, you can create a well-structured and visually appealing presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint. Remember to keep your content concise, use engaging visuals, and practice your presentation skills to deliver an impactful presentation .   

Benefits of PowerPoint   

1) Visual appeal : Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to create visually appealing presentations with its wide range of design tools and features. You can use templates, themes, and customisable layouts to make your slides visually engaging and professional .   

2)  Easy to use : PowerPoint has a user-friendly interface, making it accessible to users of all levels. The intuitive tools and straightforward navigation make it easy to create, edit, and deliver presentations efficiently .   

3)   Flexibility : PowerPoint provides flexibility in terms of content creation. You can include various types of content, such as text, images, charts, graphs, videos, and audio files, to enhance your message and engage your audience effectively.   

4)   Organisation and structure : PowerPoint offers features to help you organise and structure your content. You can create multiple slides, use slide masters for consistent formatting, and arrange the sequence of slides to create a logical flow .   

5)  Presenter tools : PowerPoint includes built-in presenter tools that aid in delivering presentations smoothly. You can use presenter view to see your notes and upcoming slides while your audience sees only the presentation. Additionally, features like slide transitions and animations add visual interest and help you control the flow of information .   

6)  Collaboration and sharing : PowerPoint allows for easy collaboration and sharing of presentations. Several users can simultaneously work on the same presentation, making it convenient for team projects. You can also share your presentations via email, cloud storage, or online platforms, ensuring easy access for viewers .   

7)   Integration with other tools : PowerPoint can seamlessly integrate with other Microsoft Office applications, such as Word and Excel. You can import data and charts from Excel or copy and paste content between different Office applications, saving time and effort .  

8)   Presenter-audience interaction : PowerPoint provides features that facilitate interaction between the presenter and the audience. You can include interactive elements like hyperlinks, buttons, and quizzes to engage your audience and make your presentations more dynamic.   

9)   Portable and accessible : PowerPoint presentations can be saved in various formats, such as .pptx or .pdf, making them easily accessible on different devices. This portability allows you to deliver presentations on laptops, tablets, or even projectors without compatibility issues .   

10)  Time and effort savings : PowerPoint simplifies the process of creating presentations, saving you time and effort. The pre-designed templates, slide layouts, and formatting options enable you to create professional-looking presentations efficiently .   

Learn how to create customised slide shows in MS PowerPoint with our Microsoft PowerPoint MO300 Training .    

Tips for Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations   

1) Simplicity is key : Keep your slides clean and uncluttered. Use concise bullet points and simple visuals to convey your message effectively .   

2)  Visuals matter : Incorporate relevant, high-quality visuals such as images, charts, and diagrams to enhance understanding and engagement .   

3)  Limit text : Avoid overwhelming your audience with excessive text on slides. Use brief phrases or keywords to communicate key points .   

4)  Choose legible fonts : Opt for clear and readable fonts that are easy to read, even from a distance. Maintain consistency in font styles throughout your presentation .   

5)  Consistent design : Maintain a consistent design theme, including colours, fonts, and layout, to create a visually appealing and professional presentation.   

6)  Emphasise important points : Use visual hierarchy techniques, such as font size, colour, and formatting, to draw attention to essential information .   

7)  Use transitions and animations sparingly : Incorporate slide transitions and animations thoughtfully, focusing on enhancing content and transitions without distracting the audience .   

8)  S lide notes for guidance : Utilise the slide notes feature to include additional details, explanations, or reminders for a well-prepared and confident presentation.   

9)  Practice and time yourself : Rehearse your presentation to ensure smooth delivery and stay within the allocated time. Practice helps you refine your content and delivery.   

10)  Engage the audience : Encourage audience participation through interactive elements, questions, or discussions to foster engagement and make your presentation more memorable.   

By implementing these tips, you can create effective MS PowerPoint presentations that capture attention, communicate information clearly, and engage your audience effectively.  

Conclusion      

We hope this blog has helped you understand What is PowerPoint and how it can help you. It offers powerful features with a user-friendly interface for creating visually appealing presentations. With its tools for organising information, incorporating text and visuals, and delivering impactful content, PowerPoint is a valuable tool for beginners to communicate their ideas effectively .   

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• PRESENTATION SKILLS

What is a Presentation?

Search SkillsYouNeed:

Presentation Skills:

• A - Z List of Presentation Skills
• Top Tips for Effective Presentations
• General Presentation Skills
• Preparing for a Presentation
• Organising the Material
• Writing Your Presentation
• Deciding the Presentation Method
• Managing your Presentation Notes
• Working with Visual Aids
• Presenting Data
• Managing the Event
• Coping with Presentation Nerves
• Dealing with Questions
• How to Build Presentations Like a Consultant
• 7 Qualities of Good Speakers That Can Help You Be More Successful
• Self-Presentation in Presentations
• Specific Presentation Events
• Remote Meetings and Presentations
• Giving a Speech
• Presentations in Interviews
• Presenting to Large Groups and Conferences
• Giving Lectures and Seminars
• Managing a Press Conference
• Attending Public Consultation Meetings
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• Elsewhere on Skills You Need:
• Communication Skills
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The formal presentation of information is divided into two broad categories: Presentation Skills and Personal Presentation .

These two aspects are interwoven and can be described as the preparation, presentation and practice of verbal and non-verbal communication. 

This article describes what a presentation is and defines some of the key terms associated with presentation skills.

Many people feel terrified when asked to make their first public talk.  Some of these initial fears can be reduced by good preparation that also lays the groundwork for making an effective presentation.

A Presentation Is...

A presentation is a means of communication that can be adapted to various speaking situations, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting or briefing a team.

A presentation can also be used as a broad term that encompasses other ‘speaking engagements’ such as making a speech at a wedding, or getting a point across in a video conference.

To be effective, step-by-step preparation and the method and means of presenting the information should be carefully considered. 

A presentation requires you to get a message across to the listeners and will often contain a ' persuasive ' element. It may, for example, be a talk about the positive work of your organisation, what you could offer an employer, or why you should receive additional funding for a project.

The Key Elements of a Presentation

Making a presentation is a way of communicating your thoughts and ideas to an audience and many of our articles on communication are also relevant here, see: What is Communication? for more.

Consider the following key components of a presentation:

Ask yourself the following questions to develop a full understanding of the context of the presentation.

When and where will you deliver your presentation?

There is a world of difference between a small room with natural light and an informal setting, and a huge lecture room, lit with stage lights. The two require quite different presentations, and different techniques.

Will it be in a setting you are familiar with, or somewhere new?

If somewhere new, it would be worth trying to visit it in advance, or at least arriving early, to familiarise yourself with the room.

Will the presentation be within a formal or less formal setting?

A work setting will, more or less by definition, be more formal, but there are also various degrees of formality within that.

Will the presentation be to a small group or a large crowd?

Are you already familiar with the audience?

With a new audience, you will have to build rapport quickly and effectively, to get them on your side.

What equipment and technology will be available to you, and what will you be expected to use?

In particular, you will need to ask about microphones and whether you will be expected to stand in one place, or move around.

What is the audience expecting to learn from you and your presentation?

Check how you will be ‘billed’ to give you clues as to what information needs to be included in your presentation.

All these aspects will change the presentation. For more on this, see our page on Deciding the Presentation Method .

The role of the presenter is to communicate with the audience and control the presentation.

Remember, though, that this may also include handing over the control to your audience, especially if you want some kind of interaction.

You may wish to have a look at our page on Facilitation Skills for more.

The audience receives the presenter’s message(s).

However, this reception will be filtered through and affected by such things as the listener’s own experience, knowledge and personal sense of values.

See our page: Barriers to Effective Communication to learn why communication can fail.

The message or messages are delivered by the presenter to the audience.

The message is delivered not just by the spoken word ( verbal communication ) but can be augmented by techniques such as voice projection, body language, gestures, eye contact ( non-verbal communication ), and visual aids.

The message will also be affected by the audience’s expectations. For example, if you have been billed as speaking on one particular topic, and you choose to speak on another, the audience is unlikely to take your message on board even if you present very well . They will judge your presentation a failure, because you have not met their expectations.

The audience’s reaction and therefore the success of the presentation will largely depend upon whether you, as presenter, effectively communicated your message, and whether it met their expectations.

As a presenter, you don’t control the audience’s expectations. What you can do is find out what they have been told about you by the conference organisers, and what they are expecting to hear. Only if you know that can you be confident of delivering something that will meet expectations.

See our page: Effective Speaking for more information.

How will the presentation be delivered?

Presentations are usually delivered direct to an audience.  However, there may be occasions where they are delivered from a distance over the Internet using video conferencing systems, such as Skype.

It is also important to remember that if your talk is recorded and posted on the internet, then people may be able to access it for several years. This will mean that your contemporaneous references should be kept to a minimum.

Impediments

Many factors can influence the effectiveness of how your message is communicated to the audience.

For example background noise or other distractions, an overly warm or cool room, or the time of day and state of audience alertness can all influence your audience’s level of concentration.

As presenter, you have to be prepared to cope with any such problems and try to keep your audience focussed on your message.   

Our page: Barriers to Communication explains these factors in more depth.

Continue to read through our Presentation Skills articles for an overview of how to prepare and structure a presentation, and how to manage notes and/or illustrations at any speaking event.

Continue to: Preparing for a Presentation Deciding the Presentation Method

See also: Writing Your Presentation | Working with Visual Aids Coping with Presentation Nerves | Dealing with Questions Learn Better Presentation Skills with TED Talks

Presentation

• Written By Gregg Rosenzweig
• Updated: November 8, 2023

We’re here to help you choose the most appropriate content types to fulfill your content strategy. In this series, we’re breaking down the most popular content types to their most basic fundamentals — simple definitions, clarity on formats, and plenty of examples — so you can start with a solid foundation.

What is a Presentation?

A communication device that relays a topic to an audience in the form of a slide show, demonstration, lecture, or speech, where words and pictures complement each other.

Why should you think of presentations as content?

The beauty of content creation is that almost anything can become a compelling piece of content . Just depends on the creativity used to convert it and the story that brings it to life.

The long and short of it

Although the length of a presentation in terms of time can depend on the overall approach (Are you talking a lot? Are you referring to the screen in detail or not?), consider the number of informational content slides when tallying the overall presentation length. For instance, don’t include title slides in your tally when conveying length to a content creator.

A general guide to presentation length:

• Short Form (5 content slides)
• Standard Form (10 content slides)
• Long Form (20+ content slides)

Popular use cases for presentations…

Let’s consider TED Talks for a minute: one of the best examples (bar none) of how words, pictures, and a narrative can make people care about something they otherwise might not.

These “talks” pre-date podcasts and blend a compelling use of language and imagery in presentation format to spread ideas in unique ways.

TED Talks have been viewed a billion-plus times worldwide (and counting) and are worth considering when it comes to how you might use video-presentation content to connect with your customers in creative, cool, new ways.

Business types:

Any company that has a pitch deck, executive summary , sales presentation, or any kind of internal document that can be repurposed into external-facing content pieces — without pain.

Presentation Examples – Short Form

Presentation Examples – Standard Form

Presentation Examples – Long Form

Understanding Content Quality in Examples

Our team has rated content type examples in three degrees of quality ( Good, Better, Best ) to help you better gauge resources needed for your content plan. In general, the degrees of content quality correspond to our three content levels ( General, Qualified, Expert ) based on the criteria below. Please consider there are multiple variables that could determine the cost, completion time, or content level for any content piece with a perceived degree of quality.

Impress your clients, co-workers, and leadership team with exceptional content for your next presentation, product demonstration, and more. If you need help getting your message across in a succinct, attention-grabbing, and persuasive way, talk to one of our content specialists today.

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What is cloud computing? Everything you need to know about the cloud explained

What is cloud computing, in simple terms?

Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet ("the cloud") to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale.

How does cloud computing work?

Rather than owning their own computing infrastructure or data centres, companies can rent access to anything from applications to storage from a cloud service provider.

One benefit of using cloud-computing services is that firms can avoid the upfront cost and complexity of owning and maintaining their own IT infrastructure, and instead simply pay for what they use, when they use it.

In turn, providers of cloud-computing services can benefit from significant economies of scale by delivering the same services to a wide range of customers.

What cloud-computing services are available?

Cloud-computing services cover a vast range of options now, from the basics of storage, networking and processing power, through to natural language processing and artificial intelligence as well as standard office applications. Pretty much any service that doesn't require you to be physically close to the computer hardware that you are using can now be delivered via the cloud –  even quantum computing .

What are examples of cloud computing?

Cloud computing underpins a vast number of services. That includes consumer services like Gmail or the cloud backup of the photos on your smartphone, though to the services that allow large enterprises to host all their data and run all of their applications in the cloud. For example, Netflix  relies on cloud-computing  services to run its its video-streaming service and its other business systems, too.

Cloud computing is becoming the default option for many apps: software vendors are increasingly offering their applications as services over the internet rather than standalone products as they try to switch to a subscription model. However, there are potential downsides to cloud computing, in that it can also introduce new costs and new risks for companies using it.

Why is it called cloud computing?

A fundamental concept behind cloud computing is that the location of the service, and many of the details such as the hardware or operating system on which it is running, are largely irrelevant to the user. It's with this in mind that the metaphor of the cloud was borrowed from old telecoms network schematics, in which the public telephone network (and later the internet) was often represented as a cloud to denote that the location didn't matter – it was just a cloud of stuff. This is an over-simplification of course; for many customers, location of their services and data remains a key issue.

What is the history of cloud computing?

Cloud computing as a term has been around since the early 2000s, but the concept of computing as a service has been around for much, much longer – as far back as the 1960s, when computer bureaus would allow companies to rent time on a mainframe, rather than have to buy one themselves.

These 'time-sharing' services were largely overtaken by the rise of the PC, which made owning a computer much more affordable, and then in turn by the rise of corporate data centres where companies would store vast amounts of data.

But the concept of renting access to computing power has resurfaced again and again – in the application service providers, utility computing, and grid computing of the late 1990s and early 2000s. This was followed by cloud computing, which really took hold with the emergence of software as a service and hyperscale cloud-computing providers such as Amazon Web Services.

How important is the cloud?

Building the infrastructure to support cloud computing now accounts for a significant chunk of all IT spending, while spending on traditional, in-house IT slides as computing workloads continue to move to the cloud, whether that is public cloud services offered by vendors or private clouds built by enterprises themselves.

Indeed, it's increasingly clear that when it comes to enterprise computing platforms,  like it or not, the cloud has won .

Tech analyst Gartner predicts that as much as half of spending across application software, infrastructure software, business process services and system infrastructure markets will have shifted to the cloud by 2025, up from 41% in 2022. It estimates that almost two-thirds of spending on application software will be via cloud computing, up from 57.7% in 2022.

Top Cloud Providers

Top cloud providers: aws, microsoft azure, and google cloud, hybrid, saas players.

Here's a look at how the cloud leaders stack up, the hybrid market, and the SaaS players that run your company as well as their latest strategic moves.

That's a shift that only gained momentum in 2020 and 2021 as businesses accelerated their digital transformation plans during the pandemic. The lockdowns throughout the pandemic showed companies how important it was to be able to access their computing infrastructure, applications and data from wherever their staff were working – and not just from an office.

Gartner said that demand for integration capabilities, agile work processes and composable architecture will drive the continued shift to the cloud.

The scale of cloud spending continues to rise. For the full year 2021, tech analyst IDC expects cloud infrastructure spending to have grown 8.3% compared to 2020 to $71.8 billion, while non-cloud infrastructure is expected to grow just 1.9% to $58.4 billion. Long term, the analyst expects spending on compute and storage cloud infrastructure to see a compound annual growth rate of 12.4% over the 2020-2025 period, reaching $118.8 billion in 2025, and it will account for 67.0% of total compute and storage infrastructure spend. Spending on non-cloud infrastructure will be relatively flat in comparison and reach $58.6 billion in 2025.

All predictions around cloud-computing spending are pointing in the same direction, even if the details are slightly different. The momentum they are describing is the same: tech analyst Canalys reports that worldwide cloud infrastructure services expenditure topped $50 billion in a quarter for the first time in Q4 2021. For the full year, it has cloud infrastructure services spending growing 35% to $191.7 billion

Canalys argues that there is already a new growth opportunity for cloud on the horizon, in the form of augmented and virtual reality and the metaverse. "This will be a significant driver for both cloud services spend and infrastructure deployment over the next decade. In many ways, the metaverse will resemble the internet today, with enhanced capabilities and an amplified compute consumption rate," the analyst said .

What are the core elements of cloud computing?

Cloud computing can be broken down into a number of different constituent elements, focusing on different parts of the technology stack and different use cases. Let's take a look at some of the best known in a bit more detail.

What is Infrastructure as a Service?

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) refers to the fundamental building blocks of computing that can be rented: physical or virtual servers, storage and networking. This is attractive to companies that want to build applications from the very ground up and want to control nearly all the elements themselves, but it does require firms to have the technical skills to be able to orchestrate services at that level. 

What is Platform as a Service?

Platform as a Service (PaaS) is the next layer up – as well as the underlying storage, networking, and virtual servers, this layer also includes the tools and software that developers need to build applications on top, which could include middleware, database management, operating systems, and development tools.

What is Software as a Service?

Software as a Service (SaaS) is the delivery of applications as a service, probably the version of cloud computing that most people are used to on a day-to-day basis. The underlying hardware and operating system is irrelevant to the end user, who will access the service via a web browser or app; it is often bought on a per-seat or per-user basis.

SaaS is the largest chunk of cloud spending simply because the variety of applications delivered via SaaS is huge, from CRM such as Salesforce, through to Microsoft's Office 365. And while the whole market is growing at a furious rate, it's the IaaS and PaaS segments that have consistently grown at much faster rates, according to analyst IDC: "This highlights the increasing reliance of enterprises on a cloud foundation built on cloud infrastructure, software-defined data, compute and governance solutions as a Service, and cloud-native platforms for application deployment for enterprise IT internal applications." IDC predicts that IaaS and PaaS will continue growing at a higher rate than the overall cloud market "as resilience, flexibility, and agility guide IT platform decisions".

What is multi-cloud computing?

While the big cloud vendors would be very happy to provide all the computing needs of their enterprise customers, increasingly businesses are looking to spread the load across a number of suppliers.  All of this has lead to the rise of multi-cloud . Part of this approach is to avoid being locked in to just one vendor (which can lead to the sort of high costs and inflexibility that the cloud is often claimed to avoid), and part of it is to find the best mix of technologies across the industry.

That means being able to connect and integrate cloud services from multiple vendors is going to be a new and increasing challenge for business. Problems here include skills shortages (a lack of workers with expertise across multiple clouds) and workflow differences between cloud environments. Customers will also want to manage all their different cloud infrastructure from one place, make it easy to build applications and services and then move them, and ensure that security tools can work across multiple clouds – none of which is especially easy right now.

What are the benefits of cloud computing?

The exact benefits will vary according to the type of cloud service being used but, fundamentally, using cloud services means companies not having to buy or maintain their own computing infrastructure.

No more buying servers, updating applications or operating systems, or decommissioning and disposing of hardware or software when it is out of date, as it is all taken care of by the supplier. For commodity applications, such as email, it can make sense to switch to a cloud provider, rather than rely on in-house skills. A company that specializes in running and securing these services is likely to have better skills and more experienced staff than a small business could afford to hire, so cloud services may be able to deliver a more secure and efficient service to end users.

Using cloud services means companies can move faster on projects and test out concepts without lengthy procurement and big upfront costs, because firms only pay for the resources they consume. This concept of business agility is often mentioned by cloud advocates as a key benefit. The ability to spin up new services without the time and effort associated with traditional IT procurement should mean that it is easier to get going with new applications faster. And if a new application turns out to be wildly popular, the elastic nature of the cloud means it is easier to scale it up fast.

For a company with an application that has big peaks in usage, such as one that is only used at a particular time of the week or year, it might make financial sense to have it hosted in the cloud, rather than have dedicated hardware and software laying idle for much of the time. Moving to a cloud-hosted application for services like email or CRM could remove a burden on internal IT staff, and if such applications don't generate much competitive advantage, there will be little other impact. Moving to a services model also moves spending from capital expenditure (capex) to operational expenditure (opex), which may be useful for some companies.

• Business continuity is the ultimate killer application for cloud
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing?

Cloud computing is not necessarily cheaper than other forms of computing, just as renting is not always cheaper than buying in the long term. If an application has a regular and predictable requirement for computing services it may be more economical to provide that service in-house.

Some companies may be reluctant to host sensitive data in a service that is also used by rivals. Moving to a SaaS application may also mean you are using the same applications as a rival, which might make it hard to create any competitive advantage if that application is core to your business.

While it may be easy to start using a new cloud application, migrating existing data or apps to the cloud might be much more complicated and expensive. And it seems there is now something of a  shortage in cloud skills , with staff with DevOps and multi-cloud monitoring and management knowledge in particularly short supply.

In one report, a significant proportion of experienced cloud users  said they thought upfront migration costs  ultimately outweigh the long-term savings created by IaaS.

And of course, you can only access your applications if you have an internet connection.

What is cloud-computing adoption doing to IT budgets?

Cloud computing tends to shift spending from capex to opex, as companies buy computing as a service rather than in the form of physical servers. This may allow companies to avoid large increases in IT spending which would traditionally be seen with new projects; using the cloud to make room in the budget might be easier than going to the CFO and looking for more money.

Of course, this doesn't mean that cloud computing is always or necessarily cheaper that keeping applications in-house; for applications with a predictable and stable demand for computing power, it might be cheaper (from a processing power point of view at least) to keep them in-house.

• Cloud computing spending is growing even faster than expected  

How do you build a business case for cloud computing?

To build a  business case for moving systems to the cloud , you first need to understand what your existing infrastructure actually costs. There's a lot to factor in: obvious things like the cost of running data centres, and extras such as leased lines. The cost of physical hardware – servers and details of specifications like CPUs, cores and RAM, plus the cost of storage. You'll also need to calculate the cost of applications, whether you plan to dump them, re-host them in the cloud unchanged, completely rebuilding them for the cloud, or buy an entirely new SaaS package. Each of these options will have different cost implications. The cloud business case also needs to include people costs (often second only to the infrastructure costs) and more nebulous concepts like the benefit of being able to provide new services faster. Any cloud business case should also factor in the potential downsides, including the risk of being locked into one vendor for your tech infrastructure (see multi-cloud, above).

• Cloud computing: How to build a business case
• Cloud computing: What it's like to make the move

Cloud-computing adoption

Analysts argue that as the cloud now underpins most new technological disruptions in everything from mobile banking to healthcare, usage is only going grow. It's hard to see many new technology projects being delivered that don't harness the cloud in some way. Gartner says that more than 85% of organizations will embrace a cloud-first principle by 2025 and will not be able to fully execute on their digital strategies without it. The analyst says new workloads deployed in a cloud-native environment will be pervasive, not just popular, and anything non-cloud will be considered legacy. By 2025, Gartner estimates that over 95% of new digital workloads will be deployed on cloud-native platforms, up from 30% in 2021.

And if that sounds unrealistic, it may be that figures on adoption of cloud depend on who you talk to inside an organisation. Not all cloud spending will be driven centrally by the CIO: cloud services are relatively easy to sign-up for, so business managers can start using them, and pay out of their own budget, without needing to inform the IT department. This can enable businesses to move faster, but also can create security risks if the use of apps is not managed.

Adoption will also vary by application: cloud-based email is much easier to adopt than a new finance system, for example. And for systems such as supply chain management, that are working efficiently as they are, there will be less short-term pressure to do a potentially costly and risky shift to the cloud.

What about cloud-computing security?

Many companies remain concerned about the security of cloud services, although breaches of security are rare. How secure you consider cloud computing to be will largely depend on how secure your existing systems are. In-house systems managed by a team with many other things to worry about are likely to be more leaky than systems monitored by a cloud provider's engineers dedicated to protecting that infrastructure.

However, concerns do remain about security, especially for companies moving their data between many cloud services, which has led to growth in  cloud security tools , which monitor data moving to and from the cloud and between cloud platforms. These tools can identify fraudulent use of data in the cloud, unauthorised downloads, and malware. There is a financial and performance impact, however: these tools can reduce the return on investment of the cloud by 5% to 10%, and impact performance by 5% to 15%. The country of origin of cloud services is also worrying some organisations (see ' Is geography irrelevant when it comes to cloud computing?'  below)

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• Cloud computing security: This is where you'll be spending the money
• Security as a Service? We want it, say IT leaders

What is public cloud?

Public cloud is the classic cloud-computing model, where users can access a large pool of computing power over the internet (whether that is IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS). One of the significant benefits here is the ability to rapidly scale a service. The cloud-computing suppliers have vast amounts of computing power, which they share out between a large number of customers – the 'multi-tenant' architecture. Their huge scale means they have enough spare capacity that they can easily cope if any particular customer needs more resources, which is why it is often used for less-sensitive applications that demand a varying amount of resources.

What is private cloud?

Private cloud allows organizations to benefit from some of the advantages of public cloud – but without the concerns about relinquishing control over data and services, because it is tucked away behind the corporate firewall. Companies can control exactly where their data is being held and can build the infrastructure in a way they want – largely for IaaS or PaaS projects – to give developers access to a pool of computing power that scales on-demand without putting security at risk. However, that additional security comes at a cost, as few companies will have the scale of AWS, Microsoft or Google, which means they will not be able to create the same economies of scale. Still, for companies that require additional security, private cloud might be a useful stepping stone, helping them to understand cloud services or rebuild internal applications for the cloud, before shifting them into the public cloud.

What is hybrid cloud?

Hybrid cloud is perhaps  where everyone is in reality: a bit of this, a bit of that. Some data in the public cloud, some projects in private cloud, multiple vendors and different levels of cloud usage. 

• Infographic: Companies are turning to hybrid cloud to save money
• What does 'hybrid cloud' mean? It depends on whom you ask
• Managing the multi-cloud: It's complicated

What are the cloud-computing migration costs?

For startups that plan to run all their systems in the cloud, getting started is pretty simple. But the majority of companies, it is not so simple: with existing applications and data, they need to work out which systems are best left running as they are, and which to start moving to cloud infrastructure. This is a potentially risky and expensive move, and migrating to the cloud could cost companies more if they underestimate the scale of such projects.

A survey of 500 businesses that  were early cloud adopters  found that the need to rewrite applications to optimise them for the cloud was one of the biggest costs, especially if the apps were complex or customised. A third of those surveyed cited high fees for passing data between systems as a challenge in moving their mission-critical applications. The skills required for migration are both difficult and expensive to find – and even when organisations could find the right people, they risked them being stolen away by cloud-computing vendors with deep pockets. 

Beyond this, the majority also remained worried about the performance of critical apps, and one in three cited this as a reason for not moving some critical applications.

• Cloud computing migration: More expensive and complicated than you thought
• Technology migrations are more painful, and cloud isn't making them any easier
• Where does the NAS fit in an increasingly cloud-centric world?

Is geography irrelevant when it comes to cloud computing?

Actually, it turns out that is where the cloud really does matter. Geopolitics is forcing significant changes on cloud-computing users and vendors. Firstly, there is the issue of latency: if the application is coming from a data centre on the other side of the planet, or on the other side of a congested network, then you might find it sluggish compared to a local connection. That's the latency problem.

Secondly, there is the issue of data sovereignty. Many companies, particularly in Europe, have to worry about where their data is being processed and stored. European companies are worried that, for example, if their customer data is being stored in data centres in the US or (owned by US companies), it could be accessed by US law enforcement. As a result, the big cloud vendors have been building out a regional data centre network so that organizations can keep their data in their own region.

Some have gone further, effectively detatching some of those datacenters from their main business to make it much harder for US authorities – and others – to demand access to the customer data stored there. The customer data in the data centres is under the control of an independent company, which acts as a "data trustee", and US parents cannot access data at the sites without the permission of customers or the data trustee. Expect to see cloud vendors opening more data centres around the world to cater to customers with requirements to keep data in specific locations.

Cloud security is another issue; the UK government's cyber security agency has warned that government agencies  need to consider the country of origin  when it comes to adding cloud services into their supply chains. While it was warning about antivirus software in particular, the issue is the same for other types of services too.

What is a cloud-computing region? And what is a cloud-computing availability zone?

Cloud-computing services are operated from giant datacenters around the world. AWS divides this up by  'regions' and 'availability zones' . Each AWS region is a separate geographic area, like EU (London) or US West (Oregon), which AWS then further subdivides into what it calls availability zones (AZs). An AZ is composed of one or more datacenters that are far enough apart that in theory a single disaster won't take both offline, but close enough together for business continuity applications that require rapid failover. Each AZ has multiple internet connections and power connections to multiple grids: AWS has over 80 AZs.

Google  uses a similar model , dividing its cloud-computing resources into regions that are then subdivided into zones, which include one or more datacenters from which customers can run their services. It currently over eight zones: Google recommends customers deploy applications across multiple zones and regions to help protect against unexpected failures.

Microsoft Azure  divides its resources slightly differently . It offers regions that it describes as is a "set of datacentres deployed within a latency-defined perimeter and connected through a dedicated regional low-latency network". It also offers 'geographies' typically containing two or more regions, that can be used by customers with specific data-residency and compliance needs "to keep their data and apps close". It also offers availability zones made up of one or more data centres equipped with independent power, cooling and networking.

Cloud computing and power usage

Those data centres are also sucking up a huge amount of power: for example, Microsoft struck a deal with GE to buy all of the output from its new 37-megawatt wind farm in Ireland for the next 15 years in order to power its cloud data centres. Ireland said it now expects data centres to account for  15% of total energy demand by 2026 , up from less than 2% back in 2015.

• Cloud computing: IBM overhauls access rules at Euro data centre
• AWS just sold some of its cloud computing infrastructure in China

Which are the big cloud-computing companies?

When it comes to IaaS and PaaS, there are really only a few giant cloud providers. Leading the way is Amazon Web Services, and then the following pack of Microsoft's Azure, Google, and IBM. According to data from Synergy Research, Amazon, Microsoft and Google continue to attract well over half of worldwide cloud spending, with Q3 market shares of 33%, 20% and 10% respectively. And with growth rates that are higher than the overall market, their share of worldwide revenues continues to grow. However, that still leaves plenty of revenue for the chasing pack of companies – about $17 billion. "Clearly there are challenges with the big three companies lurking in the background, so the name of the game is not competing with them head on,"  said the analyst .

AWS, Azure and Google Cloud – what's the difference?

The big three cloud companies all have their own strengths. AWS is the most established player and was behind Amazon's ability to support huge seasonal swings in demand from consumers. Being first out to market with cloud services and pushing hard to gain market share has made it the market leader, and it continues to innovate. Microsoft's Azure has become an absolutely core part of Microsoft's strategy, and the company has the enterprise history and products to support businesses as they switch to the cloud. Google Cloud is the smallest of the big three players, but clearly has the might of the advertising-to-Android giant behind it.

Who are the other main cloud-computing players?

Beyond the big three there are others, such as Alibaba Cloud, IBM, Dell and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, that all want to be part of the enterprise cloud project. And of course, from giants like Salesforce down to tiny startups, pretty much every software company is a SaaS company now.  

Can cloud computing go wrong?

There are and will continue to be cloud outages. Those outages might happen at a local level because your internet is disrupted either by physical means (a digger cuts your broadband) or because of cyberattacks. But the big vendors have outages too and because, we are all increasingly reliant on their services, when the cloud stops, work stops. Few companies have backup systems to turn to in this situation. So long as cloud vendors keep outages to a minimum, then users will probably consider that using the cloud is more reliable than home-grown apps. But if outages become widespread, that opinion might change.

What is the future of cloud computing?

Cloud computing is reaching the point where it is likely to account for more of enterprise tech spending than the traditional forms of delivering applications and services in-house that have been around for decades. However, use of the cloud is only likely to climb as organisations get more comfortable with the idea of their data being somewhere other than a server in the basement. And now cloud-computing vendors are increasingly pushing cloud computing as an agent of digital transformation instead of focusing simply on cost. Moving to the cloud can help companies rethink business processes and accelerate business change, goes the argument, by helping to break  down data any organisational silos . Some companies that need to boost momentum around their digital transformation programmes might find this argument appealing; others may find enthusiasm for the cloud waning as the costs of making the switch add up.

• Why you're still scared of the Cloud (it's not about security or reliability)
• Cloud computing switch as digital transformation takes priority
• Moving to the cloud? Some advice to consider

Cloud-computing case studies

There are plenty of examples of organisations deciding to go down the cloud-computing route: here are a few examples of recent announcements.

• What's the best way to make the most of the cloud?
• US Air Force plots IT overhaul, aims for cloud
• DuluxGroup paints a future of procurement in the cloud
• Marketo to migrate to Google Cloud as part of multi-year deal
• AWS infrastructure is now behind three main streaming media providers
• American Airlines to move consumer-facing apps to IBM Cloud, says Cloud Foundry key

Previous coverage

The Art of the Hybrid Cloud

Cloud computing is gobbling up more of the services that power businesses. But, some have privacy, security, and regulatory demands that preclude the public cloud. Here's how to find the right mix.

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What is Cloud Computing? Introduction to the Cloud for Beginners

As the digital landscape continues to evolve and technology marches forward, cloud computing has remained an important topic for developers to learn.

You've probably encountered cloud requirements in job listings, heard people talk about it in conversations, or seen ads by companies offering cloud services – and now you're interested in learning more about it.

In this article, I'll demystify the cloud for you, breaking down complex concepts into easy-to-understand bits.

Here's what we'll cover in this article:

The World Before Cloud Computing

What is cloud computing, cloud service providers, different cloud services, challenges that cloud computing helps solve, how can cloud computing help you, cloud deployment models.

So let's dive in and learn cloud computing basics so you can start your journey into this growing field.

To understand cloud computing, it is important to understand the problem cloud computing tries to solve. This will help you understand its history and appreciate the convenience it brings into the world of technology.

Before the cloud, deploying web services was a very expensive process. To deploy a web application, you had to purchase servers with the correct amount of storage and memory, keep them on-site, setup these servers, and use them to host your application.

This comes with many additional costs, other than the original server costs, like electricity and the data required to keep your server up and online every time. There are also security concerns, as you'll need to prevent your server from being damaged or stolen by bad actors.

Beyond all this, many developers are not exactly server specialists. So you would either have to train your developers to become system admins or hire system admins to setup and configure the servers to work with your applications. Then to deploy a new application, you'd have to repeat the whole process with new costs.

Scaling applications wasn't easy before the cloud. If you tried to manage costs and not buy too many servers, or hire many system engineers, you might end up with insufficient compute power and you'd need to scale. Scaling means buying more servers (or replacing existing ones with better ones), configuring them to match existing configurations, and deploying your applications on them.

These are some of the issues we faced before cloud computing. Now, you might wonder, "how does cloud computing solve these?". Let's find out.

Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage (cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by the user. Cloud computing relies on sharing of resources to achieve coherence and typically uses a pay-as-you-go model, which can help in reducing capital expenses but may also lead to unexpected operating expenses for users. – Wikipedia

Think of Cloud Computing like renting a computer from a cybercafe. In a cybercafe, they have the computers ready for use – you just come in, pay for your desired time, and use the computer for that period.

In the case of cloud computing, you don't have to worry about buying the computer, or protecting it, or covering the running costs. The cloud provider covers all these worries. You rarely ever have to worry about software issues, or the absence of specific software on these computers. And the best part? You only pay for the computer you use, and only for the time you use it.

So in more relatable terms, say you have a web application to deploy. You go to a cloud service provider, select specific server requirements your application requires, select software dependencies, and deploy your application, with zero worries.

Cloud computing as explained to a five year old is "letting someone else manage your computing needs" . You have some website that you need to put online, or maybe a mobile app, or some other piece of technology, and instead of having to buy servers to deploy it, someone else buys and sets up the servers. You simply upload your files. Its almost the same as renting an apartment, but now you are renting compute space on another computer.

Companies that provide these cloud services are called cloud services providers. These companies already have many servers, and system engineers. They're concerned with all the stuff you don't have to worry about like server costs and running costs. They provide a web interface where you can access their servers and use them when you need.

Currently, the most popular cloud service providers are Google (Google Cloud Platform), Amazon AWS (Amazon Web Services), and Microsoft (Azure). These companies offer similar services, but with various different price models, features, and so on.

Here's a summary of what each of them offers:

They offer IaaS (Compute Engine), Containers As A Service, CaaS, (Kubernetes Engine), and PaaS (App Engine) services. They also offer data storage services, with tools like Google Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, and Cloud Bigtable.

This is the first cloud services provider. They offer IaaS (Elastic Compute, EC2), CaaS (Elastic Kubernetes Service, EKS)  and PaaS (Elastic Beanstalk) services. They also offer data storage services, with tools like Amazon S3, and DynamoDb.

They offer IaaS (Virtual Machine), CaaS (Kubernetes Service, AKS), and PaaS (App Service) services. They also offer data storage services, with tools like Cosmos DB.

To maximise resources, cloud service providers have their clients sharing servers. The clients don't have to know or worry about this allocation.

Now let's understand what some of the above acronyms/terms mean so you have a better idea of what these cloud services are.

Cloud service providers offer plenty of different computing services. Here are the most common services:

SaaS (Software As A Service)

This service involves you just using some software without any knowledge of its source code or host environment or development details. You just use it and trust that it's being managed and updated properly.

PaaS (Platform As A Service)

Here, you focus only on your application development as everything has been handled (the hardware, computing environments, and required software).

IaaS (Infrastructure As A Service)

This is the most flexible of all cloud services. Here you have the most control over things. You can customise and change things as you see fit.

But you don't own the servers. The cloud service provider only provides you with the infrastructure you need, and you are responsible for creating your own computing environments and installing required software for your application to work.

The idea here is similar to buying hardware. The only difference is that now, you're renting it and it's virtual (to you).

Cloud computing removes the need to purchase and setup servers on-site every time a new application needed to be developed. This is a great advantage as it saves companies a lot of money – both on servers, as well as on the engineers who would setup and configure the servers to work for your applications.

Scaling isn't usually easy as it often involves a lot of setup and configuration. For example, to provide more storage for an application, you could get an external data store and connect to the current server. This definitely has its limits, though.

A point will likely come when you need a better server, or an additional server. Either way, every software that you installed to get it running on the former server would have to be installed again on the new server. Application files would have to be moved, and so on.

Also, these applications are often underutilising these hardware resources. This, from the business perspective, is a loss. An initial fix to this was virtualisation. This basically meant creating virtual (contained) environments where the application has all of its required software and can function well on the servers. These led to better utilisation of resources. But it definitely wasn't the perfect solution.

Cloud computing offers plenty benefits, some of which are highlighted here:

• It is cheaper to pay a subscription than to build a whole datacenter. You have plans that let you use only what you use.
• Scaling and management are responsibilities of the cloud service provider.
• Easy setup. Developers get to just focus on the code as all the actual server and hardware setup can be done using a user interface provided by the cloud service provider. This leads to faster development time, and applications are shipped faster.
• Accessibility. Cloud service providers tend to have multiple datacenters around the world, making sure your users always get access to your services as fast as possible.
• Data security. Because your data is not stored in your physical space anymore, it's more difficult for bad actors to come in and damage or steal your servers.

A cloud deployment model determines where your data (and applications) is stored and how your customers interact with it.

Public cloud

Here, everything is handled by the cloud service provider. It's the most popular model. When using a public cloud, you're not concerned about the server maintenance, and you're sure of high reliability and the possibility of unlimited scalability. This usually means you share servers with other people.

It is the cheapest model, and companies usually use a pay-as-you-go model (so you never have to commit too much upfront financially).

A potential issue with this is, having everything handled by the cloud service provider means you have little or no control over the services.

Private cloud

This is similar to the traditional ways of hosting applications. Here, you do have your own data centers. This means that only you get to use the servers and have unlimited control over them.

Now, the difference is, you provide a self service interface to users of your servers, usually developers in your company. You still have to manage the physical servers, and you're responsible for their maintenance and scaling.

This method can be more secure than the public cloud, as you have control and can setup as much security as possible. It also comes in very handy if you have data that must not get out due to compliance requirements.

But this method is way more cost intensive, although with a more predictable or fixed pricing model. These servers and hardware are expensive. Having them means having someone to manage them, which means more expense. Scaling also means buying new devices every time.

Hybrid cloud

This approach merges both the public and cloud methods. It basically allows you more flexibility. You get to use public services, and also setup your own when you need to. Here you're able to comply with regulations, through your servers, and also offer high accessibility, through a cloud service provider. This method is perfect for organizations trying to migrate from one model to another, keeping the business operation during the transition.

An example application of this would be hosting an application on a public cloud and connecting it to a database on a secured private cloud.

This method is also more expensive than the public cloud as you do have to cater for some of the servers. It could also get complicated as data gets distributed between multiple servers and applications.

How to Choosed a Deployment Model

The choice between public, private, or hybrid cloud deployment models depends on an organization's unique requirements.

• Public clouds offer cost efficiency and global reach
• Private clouds provide enhanced security and control
• Hybrid clouds offer flexibility and a strategic balance between the two.

The decision ultimately hinges on factors such as security needs, compliance requirements, scalability, and the level of control desired over the IT infrastructure.

Now you should have have enough information to kickstart your career in cloud computing.

If you have any questions or relevant advice, please get in touch with me to share them.

To read more of my articles or follow my work, you can connect with me on LinkedIn , Twitter , and Github . It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s free!

Experienced Software Engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the computer software industry. Skilled in PHP, JavaScript, and other Web Development technologies.

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Sometimes abbreviated as PP or PPT , PowerPoint is a presentation program developed by Microsoft that creates a slide show of important information, charts, and images for a presentation. PowerPoint is frequently used for business and school presentations.

Where do you find or start PowerPoint?

• PowerPoint example.
• Benefits of PowerPoint.
• Related information.

If you have Microsoft PowerPoint or the entire Microsoft Office package installed in Microsoft Windows, you can find PowerPoint in your Start menu .

Realize that new computers do not include PowerPoint. It must be purchased and installed before it can run on your computer.

If you do not have PowerPoint and don't want to purchase Microsoft Office to get it, you can try using Google Slides , a free online presentation program similar to PowerPoint.

If PowerPoint is installed on your computer, but you can't find it in your Start menu, use the following steps to launch PowerPoint manually:

• Open My Computer .
• Click or select the C: drive . If Microsoft Office is installed on a drive other than the C: drive, select that drive instead.
• Navigate to the Program Files (x86) folder, then the Microsoft Office folder.
• If there is a root folder in the Microsoft Office folder, open that folder. Then open the OfficeXX folder , where XX is the version of Office (e.g., Office16 for Microsoft Office 2016). If there is no root folder, look for and open a folder with "Office" in the name.
• Look for a file named POWERPNT.EXE and double-click that file to start Microsoft PowerPoint.

Start PowerPoint without using a mouse

Follow these steps to launch PowerPoint without using a mouse.

• Press the Windows key .
• Type powerpoint .
• Select the PowerPoint entry in the search results using the arrow keys and press Enter to launch the PowerPoint application.

PowerPoint example

The picture below is an example of how Microsoft PowerPoint appears, with a red description in each major area.

PowerPoint slides may contain only text, or they can include pictures, videos, or animated text and images. Text may be formatted in the same ways as Microsoft Word , with custom color, size, and font type.

While the look and feel of PowerPoint has changed over the years, the functionality has remained mostly the same.

Microsoft PowerPoint files have the file extension .ppt or .pptx .

Benefits of PowerPoint

PowerPoint provides multiple benefits to users, including:

• It is widely used and considered the "standard" for presentation software. If you create a PowerPoint presentation, it's more likely to be easier for others to open and view.
• It includes many optional presentation features, including slide transitions, animations, layouts, templates, etc.
• It offers the option to export its slides to alternative file formats, including GIF (graphics interchange format) and JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) images, MPEG-4 video, PDF (Portable Document Format), RTF (rich text format), WMV (Windows Media Video), and PowerPoint XML (extensible markup language).

Related information

• How to create or add a slide in Microsoft PowerPoint.
• How to insert a picture in Microsoft PowerPoint.
• How to add a video to a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.
• How to insert a sound file into a PowerPoint presentation.
• How to add or remove animations in a PowerPoint slide.
• How to start and stop a PowerPoint slide show.
• Microsoft PowerPoint help and support.
• Software help and support.

Business terms , CamelCase , Computer abbreviations , File viewer , Google Slides , Notes Pane , Office , Office 365 , Office Online , Presentation program , Productivity tools , Software terms , Transition

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Business Jargons

A Business Encyclopedia

Presentation

Definition : A presentation is a form of communication in which the speaker conveys information to the audience. In an organization presentations are used in various scenarios like talking to a group, addressing a meeting, demonstrating or introducing a new product, or briefing a team. It involves presenting a particular subject or issue or new ideas/thoughts to a group of people.

It is considered as the most effective form of communication because of two main reasons:

• Use of non-verbal cues.
• Facilitates instant feedback.

Business Presentations are a tool to influence people toward an intended thought or action.

Parts of Presentation

• Introduction : It is meant to make the listeners ready to receive the message and draw their interest. For that, the speaker can narrate some story or a humorous piece of joke, an interesting fact, a question, stating a problem, and so forth. They can also use some surprising statistics.
• Body : It is the essence of the presentation. It requires the sequencing of facts in a logical order. This is the part where the speaker explains the topic and relevant information. It has to be critically arranged, as the audience must be able to grasp what the speaker presents.
• Conclusion : It needs to be short and precise. It should sum up or outline the key points that you have presented. It could also contain what the audience should have gained out of the presentation.

Purpose of Presentation

• To inform : Organizations can use presentations to inform the audience about new schemes, products or proposals. The aim is to inform the new entrant about the policies and procedures of the organization.
• To persuade : Presentations are also given to persuade the audience to take the intended action.
• To build goodwill : They can also help in building a good reputation

Factors Affecting Presentation

Audience Analysis

Communication environment, personal appearance, use of visuals, opening and closing presentation, organization of presentation, language and words, voice quality, body language, answering questions, a word from business jargons.

Presentation is a mode of conveying information to a selected group of people live. An ideal presentation is one that identifies and matches the needs, interests and understanding level of the audience. It also represents the facts, and figures in the form of tables, charts, and graphs and uses multiple colours.

Related terms:

• Verbal Communication
• Visual Communication
• Non-Verbal Communication
• Communication
• 7 C’s of Communication

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Published: 14 February 2024 Contributors: Stephanie Susnjara, Ian Smalley

Cloud computing is the on-demand access of computing resources—physical servers or virtual servers, data storage, networking capabilities, application development tools, software, AI-powered analytic tools and more—over the internet with pay-per-use pricing.

The cloud computing model offers customers greater flexibility and scalability compared to traditional on-premises infrastructure.

Cloud computing plays a pivotal role in our everyday lives, whether accessing a cloud application like Google Gmail, streaming a movie on Netflix or playing a cloud-hosted video game.

Cloud computing has also become indispensable in business settings, from small startups to global enterprises. Its many business applications include enabling remote work by making data and applications accessible from anywhere, creating the framework for seamless omnichannel customer engagement and providing the vast computing power and other resources needed to take advantage of cutting-edge technologies like generative AI and quantum computing . 

A cloud services provider (CSP) manages cloud-based technology services hosted at a remote data center and typically makes these resources available for a pay-as-you-go or monthly subscription fee.

Read how Desktop as a service (DaaS) enables enterprises to achieve the same level of performance and security as deploying the applications on-premises.

Register for the guide on app modernization

Compared to traditional on-premises IT that involves a company owning and maintaining physical data centers and servers to access computing power, data storage and other resources (and depending on the cloud services you select), cloud computing offers many benefits, including the following:

Cloud computing lets you offload some or all of the expense and effort of purchasing, installing, configuring and managing mainframe computers and other on-premises infrastructure. You pay only for cloud-based infrastructure and other computing resources as you use them. 

With cloud computing, your organization can use enterprise applications in minutes instead of waiting weeks or months for IT to respond to a request, purchase and configure supporting hardware and install software. This feature empowers users—specifically DevOps and other development teams—to help leverage cloud-based software and support infrastructure.

Cloud computing provides elasticity and self-service provisioning, so instead of purchasing excess capacity that sits unused during slow periods, you can scale capacity up and down in response to spikes and dips in traffic. You can also use your cloud provider’s global network to spread your applications closer to users worldwide.

Cloud computing enables organizations to use various technologies and the most up-to-date innovations to gain a competitive edge. For instance, in retail, banking and other customer-facing industries, generative AI-powered virtual assistants deployed over the cloud can deliver better customer response time and free up teams to focus on higher-level work. In manufacturing, teams can collaborate and use cloud-based software to monitor real-time data across logistics and supply chain processes.

The origins of cloud computing technology go back to the early 1960s when  Dr. Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider  (link resides outside ibm.com), an American computer scientist and psychologist known as the "father of cloud computing", introduced the earliest ideas of global networking in a series of memos discussing an Intergalactic Computer Network. However, it wasn’t until the early 2000s that modern cloud infrastructure for business emerged.

In 2002, Amazon Web Services started cloud-based storage and computing services. In 2006, it introduced Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), an offering that allowed users to rent virtual computers to run their applications. That same year, Google introduced the Google Apps suite (now called Google Workspace), a collection of SaaS productivity applications. In 2009, Microsoft started its first SaaS application, Microsoft Office 2011. Today,  Gartner predicts  worldwide end-user spending on the public cloud will total USD 679 billion and is projected to exceed USD 1 trillion in 2027 (link resides outside ibm.com).

The following are a few of the most integral components of today’s modern cloud computing architecture.

CSPs own and operate remote data centers that house physical or bare metal servers , cloud storage systems and other physical hardware that create the underlying infrastructure and provide the physical foundation for cloud computing.

In cloud computing, high-speed networking connections are crucial. Typically, an internet connection known as a wide-area network (WAN) connects front-end users (for example, client-side interface made visible through web-enabled devices) with back-end functions (for example, data centers and cloud-based applications and services). Other advanced cloud computing networking technologies, including load balancers , content delivery networks (CDNs) and software-defined networking (SDN) , are also incorporated to ensure data flows quickly, easily and securely between front-end users and back-end resources. 

Cloud computing relies heavily on the virtualization of IT infrastructure —servers, operating system software, networking and other infrastructure that’s abstracted using special software so that it can be pooled and divided irrespective of physical hardware boundaries. For example, a single hardware server can be divided into multiple virtual servers . Virtualization enables cloud providers to make maximum use of their data center resources. 

IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service), PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service), SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) and serverless computing are the most common models of cloud services, and it’s not uncommon for an organization to use some combination of all four.

IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) provides on-demand access to fundamental computing resources—physical and virtual servers, networking and storage—over the internet on a pay-as-you-go basis. IaaS enables end users to scale and shrink resources on an as-needed basis, reducing the need for high up-front capital expenditures or unnecessary on-premises or "owned" infrastructure and for overbuying resources to accommodate periodic spikes in usage. 

According to a  Business Research Company report  (link resides outside ibm.com), the IaaS market is predicted to grow rapidly in the next few years, growing to $212.34 billion in 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.2%. 

PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) provides software developers with an on-demand platform—hardware, complete software stack, infrastructure and development tools—for running, developing and managing applications without the cost, complexity and inflexibility of maintaining that platform on-premises. With PaaS, the cloud provider hosts everything at their data center. These include servers, networks, storage, operating system software, middleware  and databases. Developers simply pick from a menu to spin up servers and environments they need to run, build, test, deploy, maintain, update and scale applications.

Today, PaaS is typically built around  container s , a virtualized compute model one step removed from virtual servers. Containers virtualize the operating system, enabling developers to package the application with only the operating system services it needs to run on any platform without modification and the need for middleware.

Red Hat® OpenShift ® is a popular PaaS built around  Docker  containers and  Kubernetes , an open source container orchestration solution that automates deployment, scaling, load balancing and more for container-based applications.

SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) , also known as cloud-based software or cloud applications, is application software hosted in the cloud. Users access SaaS through a web browser, a dedicated desktop client or an API that integrates with a desktop or mobile operating system. Cloud service providers offer SaaS based on a monthly or annual subscription fee. They may also provide these services through pay-per-usage pricing. 

In addition to the cost savings, time-to-value and scalability benefits of cloud, SaaS offers the following:

• Automatic upgrades:  With SaaS, users use new features when the cloud service provider adds them without orchestrating an on-premises upgrade.
• Protection from data loss:  Because SaaS stores application data in the cloud with the application, users don’t lose data if their device crashes or breaks.

SaaS is the primary delivery model for most commercial software today. Hundreds of SaaS solutions exist, from focused industry and broad administrative (for example, Salesforce) to robust enterprise database and artificial intelligence (AI) software. According to an International Data Center (IDC) survey (the link resides outside IBM), SaaS applications represent the largest cloud computing segment, accounting for more than 48% of the $778 billion worldwide cloud software revenue.

Serverless computing , or simply serverless, is a cloud computing model that offloads all the back-end infrastructure management tasks, including provisioning, scaling, scheduling and patching to the cloud provider. This frees developers to focus all their time and effort on the code and business logic specific to their applications.

Moreover, serverless runs application code on a per-request basis only and automatically scales the supporting infrastructure up and down in response to the number of requests. With serverless, customers pay only for the resources used when the application runs; they never pay for idle capacity. 

FaaS, or Function-as-a-Service , is often confused with serverless computing when, in fact, it’s a subset of serverless. FaaS allows developers to run portions of application code (called functions) in response to specific events. Everything besides the code—physical hardware, virtual machine (VM) operating system and web server software management—is provisioned automatically by the cloud service provider in real-time as the code runs and is spun back down once the execution is complete. Billing starts when execution starts and stops when execution stops.

A  public cloud is a type of cloud computing in which a cloud service provider makes computing resources available to users over the public internet. These include SaaS applications, individual  virtual machines (VMs) , bare metal computing hardware, complete enterprise-grade infrastructures and development platforms. These resources might be accessible for free or according to subscription-based or pay-per-usage pricing models.

The public cloud provider owns, manages and assumes all responsibility for the data centers, hardware and infrastructure on which its customers’ workloads run. It typically provides high-bandwidth network connectivity to ensure high performance and rapid access to applications and data.

Public cloud is a  multi-tenant environment  where all customers pool and share the cloud provider’s data center infrastructure and other resources. In the world of the leading public cloud vendors, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, IBM Cloud®, Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud, these customers can number in the millions.

Most enterprises have moved portions of their computing infrastructure to the public cloud since public cloud services are elastic and readily scalable, flexibly adjusting to meet changing workload demands. The promise of greater efficiency and cost savings through paying only for what they use attracts customers to the public cloud. Still, others seek to reduce spending on hardware and on-premises infrastructure.  Gartner predicts  (link resides outside ibm.com) that by 2026, 75% of organizations will adopt a digital transformation model predicated on cloud as the fundamental underlying platform. 

A  private cloud is a cloud environment where all cloud infrastructure and computing resources are dedicated to one customer only. Private cloud combines many benefits of cloud computing—including elasticity, scalability and ease of service delivery—with the access control, security and resource customization of on-premises infrastructure.

A private cloud is typically hosted on-premises in the customer’s data center. However, it can also be hosted on an independent cloud provider’s infrastructure or built on rented infrastructure housed in an offsite data center.

Many companies choose a private cloud over a public cloud environment to meet their regulatory compliance requirements. Entities like government agencies, healthcare organizations and financial institutions often opt for private cloud settings for workloads that deal with confidential documents, personally identifiable information (PII), intellectual property, medical records, financial data or other sensitive data.

By building private cloud architecture according to  cloud-native  principles, an organization can quickly move workloads to a public cloud or run them within a hybrid cloud (see below) environment whenever ready.

A  hybrid cloud is just what it sounds like: a combination of public cloud, private cloud and on-premises environments. Specifically (and ideally), a hybrid cloud connects a combination of these three environments into a single, flexible infrastructure for running the organization’s applications and workloads. 

At first, organizations turned to hybrid cloud computing models primarily to migrate portions of their on-premises data into private cloud infrastructure and then connect that infrastructure to public cloud infrastructure hosted off-premises by cloud vendors. This process was done through a packaged hybrid cloud solution like Red Hat® OpenShift® or middleware and IT management tools to create a " single pane of glass ." Teams and administrators rely on this unified dashboard to view their applications, networks and systems.

Today, hybrid cloud architecture has expanded beyond physical connectivity and cloud migration to offer a flexible, secure and cost-effective environment that supports the portability and automated deployment of workloads across multiple environments. This feature enables an organization to meet its technical and business objectives more effectively and cost-efficiently than with a public or private cloud alone. For instance, a hybrid cloud environment is ideal for DevOps and other teams to develop and test web applications. This frees organizations from purchasing and expanding the on-premises physical hardware needed to run application testing, offering faster time to market. Once a team has developed an application in the public cloud, they may move it to a private cloud environment based on business needs or security factors.

A public cloud also allows companies to quickly scale resources in response to unplanned spikes in traffic without impacting private cloud workloads, a feature known as cloud bursting. Streaming channels like Amazon use cloud bursting to support the increased viewership traffic when they start new shows.

Most enterprise organizations today rely on a hybrid cloud model because it offers greater flexibility, scalability and cost optimization than traditional on-premises infrastructure setups. According to the  IBM Transformation Index: State of Cloud , more than 77% of businesses and IT professionals have adopted a hybrid cloud approach.

To learn more about the differences between public, private and hybrid cloud, check out “ Public cloud vs. private cloud vs. hybrid cloud: What’s the difference? ”

Watch the IBM hybrid cloud architecture video series.

Multicloud uses two or more clouds from two or more different cloud providers. A multicloud environment can be as simple as email SaaS from one vendor and image editing SaaS from another. But when enterprises talk about multicloud, they typically refer to using multiple cloud services—including SaaS, PaaS and IaaS services—from two or more leading public cloud providers. 

Organizations choose multicloud to avoid vendor lock-in, to have more services to select from and to access more innovation. With multicloud, organizations can choose and customize a unique set of cloud features and services to meet their business needs. This freedom of choice includes selecting “best-of-breed” technologies from any CSP, as needed or as they emerge, rather than being locked into offering from a single vendor. For example, an organization may choose AWS for its global reach with web-hosting, IBM Cloud for data analytics and machine learning platforms and Microsoft Azure for its security features.

A multicloud environment also reduces exposure to licensing, security and compatibility issues that can result from " shadow IT "— any software, hardware or IT resource used on an enterprise network without the IT department’s approval and often without IT’s knowledge or oversight.

Today, most enterprise organizations use a hybrid multicloud model. Apart from the flexibility to choose the most cost-effective cloud service, hybrid multicloud offers the most control over workload deployment, enabling organizations to operate more efficiently, improve performance and optimize costs. According to an  IBM® Institute for Business Value study , the value derived from a full hybrid multicloud platform technology and operating model at scale is two-and-a-half times the value derived from a single-platform, single-cloud vendor approach. 

Yet the modern hybrid multicloud model comes with more complexity. The more clouds you use—each with its own management tools, data transmission rates and security protocols—the more difficult it can be to manage your environment. With  over 97% of enterprises operating on more than one cloud  and most organizations running  10 or more clouds , a hybrid cloud management approach has become crucial. Hybrid multicloud management platforms provide visibility across multiple provider clouds through a central dashboard where development teams can see their projects and deployments, operations teams can monitor clusters and nodes and the cybersecurity staff can monitor for threats.

Learn more about hybrid cloud management.

Traditionally, security concerns have been the primary obstacle for organizations considering cloud services, mainly public cloud services. Maintaining cloud security demands different procedures and employee skillsets than in legacy IT environments. Some cloud security best practices include the following:

• Shared responsibility for security:  Generally, the cloud service provider is responsible for securing cloud infrastructure, and the customer is responsible for protecting its data within the cloud. However, it’s also essential to clearly define data ownership between private and public third parties.
• Data encryption:  Data should be encrypted while at rest, in transit and in use. Customers need to maintain complete control over security keys and hardware security modules.
• Collaborative management:  Proper communication and clear, understandable processes between IT, operations and security teams will ensure seamless cloud integrations that are secure and sustainable.
• Security and compliance monitoring:  This begins with understanding all regulatory compliance standards applicable to your industry and establishing active monitoring of all connected systems and cloud-based services to maintain visibility of all data exchanges across all environments, on-premises, private cloud, hybrid cloud and edge.

Cloud security is constantly changing to keep pace with new threats. Today’s CSPs offer a wide array of cloud security management tools, including the following:  

• Identity and access management (IAM):  IAM   tools and services that automate policy-driven enforcement protocols for all users attempting to access both on-premises and cloud-based services. 
• Data loss prevention (DLP): DLP services that combine remediation alerts data encryption and other preventive measures to protect all stored data, whether at rest or in motion.
• Security information and event management (SIEM) :   SIEM is a comprehensive security orchestration solution that automates threat monitoring, detection and response in cloud-based environments. SIEM technology uses artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technologies to correlate log data across multiple platforms and digital assets. This allows IT teams to successfully apply their network security protocols, enabling them to react to potential threats quickly.
• Automated data compliance platforms:   Automated software solutions provide compliance controls and centralized data collection to help organizations adhere to regulations specific to their industry. Regular compliance updates can be baked into these platforms so organizations can adapt to ever-changing regulatory compliance standards.

Learn more about cloud security.

Sustainability in business , a company’s strategy to reduce negative environmental impact from their operations in a particular market, has become an essential corporate governance mandate.  Moreover, Gartner predicts  (link resides outside ibm.com) that by 2025, the carbon emissions of hyperscale cloud services will be a top-three criterion in cloud purchase decisions.

As companies strive to advance their sustainability objectives, cloud computing has evolved to play a significant role in helping them reduce their carbon emissions and manage climate-related risks. For instance, traditional data centers require power supplies and cooling systems, which depend on large amounts of electrical power. By migrating IT resources and applications to the cloud, organizations only enhance operational and cost efficiencies and boost overall energy efficiency through pooled CSP resources.

All major cloud players have made net-zero commitments to reduce their carbon footprints and help clients reduce the energy they typically consume using an on-premises setup. For instance, IBM is driven by  sustainable procurement  initiatives to reach NetZero by 2030. By 2025, IBM Cloud worldwide data centers  will comprise energy procurement drawn from 75% renewable sources .

According to an  International Data Corporation (IDC) forecast  (link resides outside ibm.com), worldwide spending on the whole cloud opportunity (offerings, infrastructure and services) will surpass USD 1 trillion in 2024 while sustaining a double-digit compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.7%. Here are some of the main ways businesses are benefitting from cloud computing: 

• Scale infrastructure:  Allocate resources up or down quickly and easily in response to changes in business demands.
• Enable business continuity and disaster recovery:  Cloud computing provides cost-effective redundancy to protect data against system failures and the physical distance required to apply disaster recovery strategies and recover data and applications during a local outage or disaster. All of the major public cloud providers offer Disaster-Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) .
• Build and test cloud-native applications : For development teams adopting Agile,  DevOps  or  DevSecOps to streamline development, the cloud offers on-demand end-user self-service that prevents operations tasks, such as spinning up development and test servers, from becoming development bottlenecks.
• Support edge and IoT environments:  Address latency challenges and reduce downtime by bringing data sources closer to the edge . Support Internet of Things (IoT) devices (for example, patient monitoring devices and sensors on a production line) to gather real-time data.
• Leverage cutting-edge technologies:  Cloud computing supports storing and processing huge volumes of data at high speeds—much more storage and computing capacity than most organizations can or want to purchase and deploy on-premises. These high-performance resources support technologies like  blockchain , quantum computing and  large language models (LLMs ) that power generative AI platforms like customer service automation. 

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Let IBM Cloud manage your infrastructure while you manage your environment. Pay only for what you use.

Tackle large-scale, compute-intensive challenges and speed time to insight with hybrid cloud HPC solutions.

An industry-specific cloud, built to support your unique modernization and AI transformation needs.

Hybrid cloud integrates public cloud services, private cloud services and on-premises infrastructure into a single distributed computing environment.

DevOps speeds delivery of higher quality software by combining and automating the work of software development and IT operations teams.

Cloud migration is the process of relocating an organization’s data, applications, and workloads to a cloud infrastructure.

Although cloud computing is only a different way to deliver computer resources rather than a new technology, it has sparked a revolution in the way organizations provide information and service.

Determining the best cloud computing architecture for enterprise business is critical for overall success. That’s why it is essential to compare the different functionalities of private cloud versus public cloud versus hybrid cloud.

We're excited to introduce a three-part lightboarding video series that will delve into the world of hybrid cloud architecture. In this intro video, our guide, Sai Vennam, lays out the three major hybrid cloud architecture issues that we're going to cover: Connectivity, Modernization and Security.

Designed for industry, security and the freedom to build and run anywhere, IBM Cloud is a full stack cloud platform with over 170 products and services covering data, containers, AI, IoT and blockchain. Use IBM Cloud to build scalable infrastructure at a lower cost, deploy new applications instantly and scale up workloads based on demand.

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What is Cloud Computing?

Understanding the types of cloud computing resources can be time-consuming and costly. Enterprises need to buy physical servers and other infrastructure through procurement processes that can take months, and support the architecture of cloud computing. The acquired systems require a physical space, typically a specialized room with sufficient power and cooling. After configuring and deploying the systems, enterprises need expert personnel to manage them.

This long process is difficult to scale when demand spikes or business expands. Enterprises can acquire more computing resources than needed, ending up with low utilization numbers.

Cloud computing addresses these issues by offering computing resources as scalable, on-demand services. Learn more about Google Cloud , a suite of cloud computing service models offered by Google.

Cloud computing defined

Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computing resources (such as storage and infrastructure), as services over the internet. It eliminates the need for individuals and businesses to self-manage physical resources themselves, and only pay for what they use.

The main cloud computing service models include infrastructure as a service offers compute and storage services, platform as a service offers a develop-and-deploy environment to build cloud apps, and software as a service delivers apps as services.

Understanding how cloud computing works

Cloud computing service models are based on the concept of sharing on-demand computing resources, software, and information over the internet. Companies or individuals pay to access a virtual pool of shared resources, including compute, storage, and networking services, which are located on remote servers that are owned and managed by service providers. 

One of the many advantages of cloud computing is that you only pay for what you use. This allows organizations to scale faster and more efficiently without the burden of having to buy and maintain their own physical data centers and servers.  

In simpler terms, cloud computing uses a network (most often, the internet) to connect users to a cloud platform where they request and access rented computing services. A central server handles all the communication between client devices and servers to facilitate the exchange of data. Security and privacy features are common components to keep this information secure and safe.  

When adopting cloud computing architecture, there is no one-size-fits-all. What works for another company may not suit you and your business needs. In fact, this flexibility and versatility is one of the hallmarks of cloud, allowing enterprises to quickly adapt to changing markets or metrics.

There are three different cloud computing deployment models: public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud.

Types of cloud computing deployment models

Public cloud.

Public clouds are run by third-party cloud service providers. They offer compute, storage, and network resources over the internet, enabling companies to access shared on-demand resources based on their unique requirements and business goals.

Private cloud

Private clouds are built, managed, and owned by a single organization and privately hosted in their own data centers, commonly known as “on-premises” or “on-prem.” They provide greater control, security, and management of data while still enabling internal users to benefit from a shared pool of compute, storage, and network resources.

Hybrid cloud

Hybrid clouds combine public and private cloud models, allowing companies to leverage public cloud services and maintain the security and compliance capabilities commonly found in private cloud architectures.

What are the types of cloud computing services?

There are three main types of cloud computing service models that you can select based on the level of control, flexibility, and management your business needs: 

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) offers on-demand access to IT infrastructure services, including compute, storage, networking, and virtualization. It provides the highest level of control over your IT resources and most closely resembles traditional on-premises IT resources.

Platform as a service (PaaS)

Platform as a service (PaaS) offers all the hardware and software resources needed for cloud application development. With PaaS, companies can focus fully on application development without the burden of managing and maintaining the underlying infrastructure.

Software as a service (SaaS)

Software as a service (SaaS) delivers a full application stack as a service, from underlying infrastructure to maintenance and updates to the app software itself. A SaaS solution is often an end-user application, where both the service and the infrastructure is managed and maintained by the cloud service provider.

What are the benefits of cloud computing?

It’s flexible.

Due to the architecture of cloud computing, enterprises and their users can access cloud services from anywhere with an internet connection, scaling services up or down as needed.

It’s efficient

Enterprises can develop new applications and rapidly get them into production—without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

It offers strategic value

Because cloud providers stay on top of the latest innovations and offer them as services to customers, enterprises can get more competitive advantages—and a higher return on investment—than if they’d invested in soon-to-be obsolete technologies.

It’s secure

Enterprises often ask, What are the security risks of cloud computing? They are considered relatively low. Cloud computing security is generally recognized as stronger than that in enterprise data centers, because of the depth and breadth of the security mechanisms cloud providers put into place. Plus, cloud providers’ security teams are known as top experts in the field.

It’s cost-effective

Whatever cloud computing service model is used, enterprises only pay for the computing resources they use. They don’t need to overbuild data center capacity to handle unexpected spikes in demand or business growth, and they can deploy IT staff to work on more strategic initiatives.

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How cloud computing can help your organization.

The pace of innovation—and the need for advanced computing to accelerate this growth—makes cloud computing a viable option to advance research and speed up new product development. Cloud computing can give enterprises access to scalable resources and the latest technologies without needing to worry about capital expenditures or limited fixed infrastructure. What is the future of cloud computing? It’s expected to become the dominant enterprise IT environment.

If your organization experiences any of the following, you’re probably a good candidate for cloud computing:

• High business growth that outpaces infrastructure capabilities
• Low utilization of existing infrastructure resources
• Large volumes of data that are overwhelming your on-premises data storage resources
• Slow response times with on-premises infrastructure
• Delayed product development cycles due to infrastructure constraints
• Cash flow challenges due to high computing infrastructure expenses
• Highly mobile or distributed user population

These scenarios require more than traditional data centers can provide.

Infrastructure scaling

Many organizations, including those in retail, have wildly varying needs for compute capacity. Cloud computing easily accommodates these fluctuations.  

Disaster recovery

Rather than building more data centers to ensure continuity during disasters, businesses use cloud computing to safely back up their digital assets.

Data storage

Cloud computing helps overloaded data centers by storing large volumes of data, making it more accessible, easing analysis, and making backup easier.

Application development

Cloud computing offers enterprise developers quick access to tools and platforms for building and testing applications, speeding up time to market.

Big data analytics

Cloud computing offers almost unlimited resources to process large volumes of data to speed research and reduce time to insights.

Related products and services

Google Cloud is a suite of cloud computing services that runs on the same infrastructure that Google uses internally for their own consumer products, such as Google Search, Gmail, and YouTube.

The list of available Google Cloud services is long—and it keeps growing. When developing applications or running workloads on Google Cloud, enterprises can mix and match these services into combinations that provide the infrastructure they need.

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• Engineering Mathematics
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• Computer Network Tutorial

Basics of Computer Network

• Basics of Computer Networking
• Introduction to basic Networking Terminology
• Goals of Networks
• Basic characteristics of Computer Networks
• Challenges of Computer Network
• Physical Components of Computer Network

Network Hardware and Software

• Types of Computer Networks
• LAN Full Form
• How to Set Up a LAN Network?
• MAN Full Form in Computer Networking
• MAN Full Form
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• Introduction of Internetworking
• Difference between Internet, Intranet and Extranet
• Protocol Hierarchies in Computer Network
• Network Devices (Hub, Repeater, Bridge, Switch, Router, Gateways and Brouter)
• Introduction of a Router
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• What is a network switch, and how does it work?

Network Topology

• Types of Network Topology
• Difference between Physical and Logical Topology
• What is OSI Model? - Layers of OSI Model
• Physical Layer in OSI Model
• Data Link Layer
• Session Layer in OSI model

Presentation Layer in OSI model

• Application Layer in OSI Model
• Protocol and Standard in Computer Networks
• Examples of Data Link Layer Protocols
• TCP/IP Model
• TCP/IP Ports and Its Applications
• What is Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)?
• TCP 3-Way Handshake Process
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• Difference Between OSI Model and TCP/IP Model

Medium Access Control

• MAC Full Form
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• Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA)
• Collision Detection in CSMA/CD
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SLIDING WINDOW PROTOCOLS

• Stop and Wait ARQ
• Sliding Window Protocol | Set 3 (Selective Repeat)
• Piggybacking in Computer Networks

IP Addressing

• What is IPv4?
• What is IPv6?
• Introduction of Classful IP Addressing
• Classless Addressing in IP Addressing
• Classful Vs Classless Addressing
• Classless Inter Domain Routing (CIDR)
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• Introduction To Subnetting
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• Types of Routing
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• Unicast Routing - Link State Routing
• Distance Vector Routing (DVR) Protocol
• Fixed and Flooding Routing algorithms
• Introduction of Firewall in Computer Network

Congestion Control Algorithms

• Congestion Control in Computer Networks
• Congestion Control techniques in Computer Networks
• Computer Network | Leaky bucket algorithm
• TCP Congestion Control

Network Switching

• Circuit Switching in Computer Network
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Application Layer:DNS

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CN Interview Quetions

• Top 50 Networking Interview Questions (2024)
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• Last Minute Notes - Computer Networks
• Computer Network - Cheat Sheet
• Network Layer
• Transport Layer
• Application Layer

Prerequisite : OSI Model

Introduction : Presentation Layer is the 6th layer in the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model. This layer is also known as Translation layer, as this layer serves as a data translator for the network. The data which this layer receives from the Application Layer is extracted and manipulated here as per the required format to transmit over the network. The main responsibility of this layer is to provide or define the data format and encryption. The presentation layer is also called as Syntax layer since it is responsible for maintaining the proper syntax of the data which it either receives or transmits to other layer(s).

Functions of Presentation Layer :

The presentation layer, being the 6th layer in the OSI model, performs several types of functions, which are described below-

• Presentation layer format and encrypts data to be sent across the network.
• This layer takes care that the data is sent in such a way that the receiver will understand the information (data) and will be able to use the data efficiently and effectively.
• This layer manages the abstract data structures and allows high-level data structures (example- banking records), which are to be defined or exchanged.
• This layer carries out the encryption at the transmitter and decryption at the receiver.
• This layer carries out data compression to reduce the bandwidth of the data to be transmitted (the primary goal of data compression is to reduce the number of bits which is to be transmitted).
• This layer is responsible for interoperability (ability of computers to exchange and make use of information) between encoding methods as different computers use different encoding methods.
• This layer basically deals with the presentation part of the data.
• Presentation layer, carries out the data compression (number of bits reduction while transmission), which in return improves the data throughput.
• This layer also deals with the issues of string representation.
• The presentation layer is also responsible for integrating all the formats into a standardized format for efficient and effective communication.
• This layer encodes the message from the user-dependent format to the common format and vice-versa for communication between dissimilar systems.
• This layer deals with the syntax and semantics of the messages.
• This layer also ensures that the messages which are to be presented to the upper as well as the lower layer should be standardized as well as in an accurate format too.
• Presentation layer is also responsible for translation, formatting, and delivery of information for processing or display.
• This layer also performs serialization (process of translating a data structure or an object into a format that can be stored or transmitted easily).

Features of Presentation Layer in the OSI model: Presentation layer, being the 6th layer in the OSI model, plays a vital role while communication is taking place between two devices in a network.

List of features which are provided by the presentation layer are:

• Presentation layer could apply certain sophisticated compression techniques, so fewer bytes of data are required to represent the information when it is sent over the network.
• If two or more devices are communicating over an encrypted connection, then this presentation layer is responsible for adding encryption on the sender’s end as well as the decoding the encryption on the receiver’s end so that it can represent the application layer with unencrypted, readable data.
• This layer formats and encrypts data to be sent over a network, providing freedom from compatibility problems.
• This presentation layer also negotiates the Transfer Syntax.
• This presentation layer is also responsible for compressing data it receives from the application layer before delivering it to the session layer (which is the 5th layer in the OSI model) and thus improves the speed as well as the efficiency of communication by minimizing the amount of the data to be transferred.

Working of Presentation Layer in the OSI model : Presentation layer in the OSI model, as a translator, converts the data sent by the application layer of the transmitting node into an acceptable and compatible data format based on the applicable network protocol and architecture.  Upon arrival at the receiving computer, the presentation layer translates data into an acceptable format usable by the application layer. Basically, in other words, this layer takes care of any issues occurring when transmitted data must be viewed in a format different from the original format. Being the functional part of the OSI mode, the presentation layer performs a multitude (large number of) data conversion algorithms and character translation functions. Mainly, this layer is responsible for managing two network characteristics: protocol (set of rules) and architecture.

Presentation Layer Protocols : Presentation layer being the 6th layer, but the most important layer in the OSI model performs several types of functionalities, which makes sure that data which is being transferred or received should be accurate or clear to all the devices which are there in a closed network. Presentation Layer, for performing translations or other specified functions, needs to use certain protocols which are defined below –

• Apple Filing Protocol (AFP): Apple Filing Protocol is the proprietary network protocol (communications protocol) that offers services to macOS or the classic macOS. This is basically the network file control protocol specifically designed for Mac-based platforms.
• Lightweight Presentation Protocol (LPP): Lightweight Presentation Protocol is that protocol which is used to provide ISO presentation services on the top of TCP/IP based protocol stacks.
• NetWare Core Protocol (NCP): NetWare Core Protocol is the network protocol which is used to access file, print, directory, clock synchronization, messaging, remote command execution and other network service functions.
• Network Data Representation (NDR): Network Data Representation is basically the implementation of the presentation layer in the OSI model, which provides or defines various primitive data types, constructed data types and also several types of data representations.
• External Data Representation (XDR): External Data Representation (XDR) is the standard for the description and encoding of data. It is useful for transferring data between computer architectures and has been used to communicate data between very diverse machines. Converting from local representation to XDR is called encoding, whereas converting XDR into local representation is called decoding.
• Secure Socket Layer (SSL): The Secure Socket Layer protocol provides security to the data that is being transferred between the web browser and the server. SSL encrypts the link between a web server and a browser, which ensures that all data passed between them remains private and free from attacks.

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What is a Presentation? Definition and examples

A presentation involves talking in front of a group of people to explain an idea, system, process, recent performance, forecast, or other topic. The person who does the explaining is the presenter and may use visual aids to help convey his or her message more effectively.

Moscow State Technical University has the following definition of the term:

“A presentation is a formal talk to one or more persons that “presents” ideas or information in a clear, structured way. All presentations have a common objective: they are given in order to inform, train, persuade or sell”

An event with prizes or awards

The term may also refer to an event in which qualifications, prizes, or awards are formally given to people who have achieved or won them. Somebody in an office might say, for example: “Harold is retiring next week. There will be a small presentation tomorrow.”

This means that Harold’s colleagues and bosses will be there to celebrate his retirement, thank him for his good work, and possibly give him a goodbye present. Typically, in this kind of event, there are drinks and food.

Presentation of a product

In the retail business , the term refers to how a product is presented to customers, consumers, and prospects. A prospect is somebody who might well turn into a paying customer.

For example, in supermarkets, donuts and croissants are typically presented in attractive boxes to make them more desirable and enticing. Marketing and merchandising professionals often say : “When selling something, presentation is everything.”

If you are selling your home, you need to make it as attractive as possible for possible buyers. Perhaps you will paint the walls, get a gardener, and maybe redecorate the hall. A good presentation can help speed up the sale.

This article focuses on the meaning of the term when it refers to presenting information to an audience.

An effective presentation

To be effective, presenters must make the best use of their relationship with their audience. It is crucial to know the audience members well, including their needs, if you want to capture their interest and develop their understanding and cooperation.

The University of Leicester says the following about effective presenters:

“An effective presentation makes the best use of the relationship between the presenter and the audience . It takes full consideration of the audience’s needs in order to capture their interest, develop their understanding, inspire their confidence and achieve the presenter’s objectives.”

Here are some suggestions that will help you deliver effective presentations:

If you are passionate about your topic, your audience will notice and are much more likely to feel a connection with you.

The world’s best presenters all say that it is crucial to connect with members of the audience. The best way to do this is with passion.

What are their needs?

People have come to watch and listen to you to satisfy their needs, rather than to find out how much you know. Before you even start preparing your presentation, you must find out what their needs are.

SKILLSYOUNEED says the following regarding what you know and your audience’s needs :

“As you prepare the presentation, you always need to bear in mind what the audience needs and wants to know, not what you can tell them.”

Preparation

The best presenters in the world make sure they have prepared thoroughly for each event. Just like a good play requires rehearsals, so does presenting information or ideas to a group of people.

If you can, practice on somebody or a small group of people. Perhaps the only volunteers you can find are members of your household. That’s fine; practice on them and ask for feedback.

If you talk too fast or keep scratching your head, you will probably not be aware, but other people will. It is best to find that out beforehand.

There are literally dozens of other components of a good presentation, such as:

• Having a strong opening.
• Editing your script ruthlessly.
• Using visual aids appropriately.
• Being yourself.
• Creating a structure that is easy to follow.
• Making eye contact.
• Distributing your eye contact equally.
• Keeping it simple.
• Projecting your voice effectively.
• Body language.
• Breathing properly.

Above all, make sure you enjoy it. If you don’t, your audience will soon realize, which is the kiss of death as far as presentations are concerned.

If you are ambitious regarding your career, eventually you will have to present to audiences. C-level executives, for example, have to do it all the time . A C-level executive is a top corporate officer in a business, such as a CEO, CIO, CFO, i.e., an executive whose job title begins with the letter ‘C’.

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