Basic Cloud Apps That You Simply Must Know About

In the past couple of years or so, cloud computing has taken the IT world by storm. While experienced IT system managers are still busy trying to figure out how to identify and implement the best cloud solutions for their companies, the average web user might still be mystified by the usefulness and variety of online-only applications out there. So what do you do when you want to get in with the cool kids and migrate to the cloud, but don’t know where exactly to start? Where do you turn to? What are the absolute essentials of the cloud? We’ve got five suggestions that might just change the way you experience the Internet. And while seasoned users might find most of the suggestions trite, they should also understand that the point here is to offer a sort of ‘cloud computing for dummies’ experience for the… less experienced. Here are the top five cloud apps that you should at least know about.

Gmail

Almost everyone knows about Gmail, the online email service from Google. What might escape some, however, is how powerful this online application is. With its simple, intuitive and clean interface that has recently received a much-awaited upgrade, Google Mail allows you to sort emails by importance – it will even intuitively rank your messages itself, either by the keywords it identifies in the body text or by the people involved in the conversation. Of course, the biggest boon of Gmail is the incredibly large amount of server space it places at your disposal, as well as the fact that it appears to be ever-expanding. Forget viewing Gmail as a simple email platform. Instead, approach it as an online hub, with one-click access to Google’s translation, map, video and Plus social networking platform. Discover how to create and share online documents and prepare yourself for the most immersive, intuitive online experience you’ve had thus far.

Dropbox

Ever found yourself needing a particular document, video or image at a given time, only to discover you can’t access it while mobile? Dropbox is here to take care of that issue. The free version of this cloud app will place 2GB of server space at your disposal, while a paid account offers a whopping 100GB. Essentially, all you need to do is download a lightweight application on your device, be it a tablet, laptop, desktop or smartphone, and then sync all the files you want to ‘carry around’ with you at all times. The application even works while offline and also features the Votebox, which allows you to interact with other users via a voting system. It’s secure, safe and exceptionally easy to use, while also solving the major problem of file mobility.

Evernote

Everybody’s busy in today’s day and age, so, consequently, everyone’s looking for convenient solutions which will help them better make sense of their schedules and workload. If you’re tired of carrying around bulky organizers, or if you’ve found that your smartphone’s organizer function will just get muddled up with all sorts of random tasks and notes that you can’t make out for the life of you, no more than one day later, give Evernote a go. It’s a one-stop shop for organizing your life. It will sync every file and folder that you teach it to sync. It will memorize your favorite webpages and help you save the stuff you liked online, for future offline use. It will allow you to take notes everywhere, and the complex note-taking system will even work for advanced college classes. It also has a nifty trip organizing function, which will help you keep better track of ticket purchases, planned tours, currency rates and everything else you need, in order to enjoy a fun time away from home.