基于新信息技术的计算机英语（第二版）课件Unit 9 AI、Unit 10 Cloud Computing

Section1SituationalDialogue

Section2ReadingMaterial

Section3ExtendedReadingSection1SituationalDialogueTalkAboutDesignofHybridVehicleA:Doyouthinkthenewdesignofourhybridvehiclereflectsourbrandingvalues?B:Icanseethevalueofeconomy,practicality,andtechnology.Isthatwhatwe'relookingfor?A:Iguessso.Woulditbebetterifweredesignedthispart?B:Yes,Ithinkitwould.Ourproductsaredesignedtomeetacertainneed.Ifyouredesignedthatarea,itwouldstillmaintaintheintegrityofourbrandingelement,butitwouldalsobemorepractical.Ifyoufocusthedesigntomeetthespecificneedsoftheconsumer，you'llbesuretoseeabetterresultinthemarket.A:Nokidding.That'swhywe'vestrategicallyplannedourdesigningeffortstomaximizepotentialprofits.Becauseofmarketingresearch,wearecleareronhowtoinnovateourproduction.Wearemorepreparedtobringthisnewtechnologytothemarket.B:Accordingtothemarketingresearch,whatdoconsumersexpectoutofthenewhybridtechnology?A：Fromthedata,welearnedthatthehybridvehiclewouldsellbetterifweusedamoreeconomicaldesign.Beforeweexaminedthedatawehadcomeupwithadesignthatwasadventurousandedgy.Wethoughtthatkindofanimagewouldmorecloselyfitthetechnology.Butwewerewrong.Weneededtobemoreresponsiveonourdesign.B:Really?A:We'vefoundthatourproductsdobetterwhenwefocusonusingdesigntomeettheexpectationsofconsumers.Meaningthathowweapplythisnewtechnologydependsonwhatexistingexpectationsourcustomershave.Sowehavecomeupwiththisnewdesign.Section2ReadingMaterialArtificialIntelligenceArtificialIntelligence(AI),alsoknownasmachineintelligence,isabranchofcomputersciencethatfocusesonbuildingandmanagingtechnologythatcanlearntoautonomouslymakedecisionsandcarryoutactionsonbehalfofahumanbeing.AIisnotasingletechnology.Instead,itisanumbrellatermthatincludesanytypeofsoftwareorhardwarecomponentthatsupportsmachinelearning,computervision,naturallanguageunderstanding,naturallanguagegeneration,naturallanguageprocessingandrobotics.Today'sAIusesconventionalCMOShardwareandthesamebasicalgorithmicfunctionsthatdrivetraditionalsoftware.FuturegenerationsofAIareexpectedtoinspirenewtypesofbrain-inspiredcircuitsandarchitecturesthatcanmakedata-drivendecisionsfasterandmoreaccuratelythanahumanbeingcan.AIusecasesinbusinessAIiscurrentlybeingappliedtoarangeoffunctionsbothinthelabandincommercial/consumersettings,includingthefollowingtechnologies:·SpeechRecognitionallowsanintelligentsystemtoconverthumanspeechintotextorcode.·NaturalLanguageGenerationenablesconversationalinteractionbetweenhumansandcomputers.·ComputerVisionallowsamachinetoscananimageandusecomparativeanalysistoidentifyobjectsintheimage.·Machinelearningfocusesonbuildingalgorithmicmodelsthatcanidentifypatternsandrelationshipsindata.·Expertsystemsgainknowledgeaboutaspecificsubjectandcansolveproblemsasaccuratelyasahumanexpertonthissubject.Atitsheart,AIusesthesamebasicalgorithmicfunctionsthatdrivetraditionalsoftware,butappliestheminadifferentway.PerhapsthemostrevolutionaryaspectofAIisthatitallowssoftwaretorewriteitselfasitadaptstoitsenvironment.WhatarethetypesofAIandhowdotheydiffer?AIisoftenspokenaboutintermsofbeingeitherweakorstrong.Today,mostbusinessapplicationsofAIaremachine-learningapplicationsofweakAI.Narrow(Weak)AIiscapableofperformingonlyalimitedsetofpredeterminedfunctions.General(Strong)AIissaidtoequalthehumanmind'sabilitytofunctionautonomouslyaccordingtoawidesetofstimuli.SuperAIisexpectedonedaytoexceedhumanintelligence(andconceivablytakeovertheworld).AIinitiativesarealsotalkedaboutintermsoftheirbelongingtooneoffourcategories:·ReactiveAIreliesonreal-timedatatomakedecisions.·LimitedMemoryAIreliesonstoreddatatomakedecisions.·TheoryofMindAIcanconsidersubjectiveelementssuchasuserintentwhenmakingdecisions.·Self-AwareAIpossessesahuman-likeconsciousnessthatiscapableofindependentlysettinggoalsandusingdatatodecidethebestwaytoachieveanobjective.AgoodwaytovisualizethesedistinctionsistoimagineAIasaprofessionalpokerplayer.Areactiveplayerbasesalldecisionsonthecurrenthandinplay,whilealimitedmemoryplayerwillconsidertheirownandotherplayer'spastdecisions.ATheoryofMindplayerfactorsinotherplayer'sbehavioralcuesandfinally,aself-awareprofessionalAIplayerstopstoconsiderifplayingpokertomakealivingisreallythebestuseoftheirtimeandeffort.TheevolvingstagesofartificialintelligenceArtificialintelligencecanbeallowedtoreplaceawholesystem,makingalldecisionsend-to-end,oritcanbeusedtoenhanceaspecificprocess.Astandardwarehousemanagementsystem,forexample,canshowthecurrentlevelsofvariousproducts,whileanintelligentonecouldidentifyshortages,analyzethecauseanditseffectontheoverallsupplychainandeventakestepstocorrectit.Thedemandforfaster,moreenergy-efficientinformationprocessingisgrowingexponentiallyasAIbecomesmoreprevalentinbusinessapplications.Conventionaldigitalprocessinghardwarecannotkeepupwiththisdemand.Thatiswhyresearchersaretakinginspirationfromthebrainandconsideringalternativearchitecturesinwhichnetworksofartificialneuronsandsynapsesprocessinformationwithhighspeedandadaptivelearningcapabilitiesinanenergy-efficient,scalablemanner.AI:WhatItIs,andWhatItIsn'tWhenyouhearthetermArtificialIntelligence(AI),youmightbeinclinedtothinkofarobotorandroidwithhuman-likeintelligenceandself-awareness.Whilethisisanexcitingprospect,AI,asit'susedintheworldoftechnologytoday,isn'tquitesoadvanced.Humanshavebeentryingtocreatemachinesthatmimichumanintelligenceformanycenturies,ifnotmillennia.Butonlyrecentlyhavewebeenabletocombinevariousfieldsofcomputerscienceandotherrelatedsciencesinordertomaketruestridestowardsanartificiallyintelligentmachine.AlotofpeoplearescaredthatAIwilltaketheirjobs,butdon'tworry!Inthispost,youwilllearnaboutwhatartificialintelligencereallyisandwhatitisn't.Whatisartificialintelligence?ArtificialIntelligence(AI)istheabilityforcomputerstolearnandadapttonewsituationswithoutbeingexplicitlyprogrammedtodoso.AIisabroadtermthatencompassesmanysubfields,suchascomputervision,speechrecognition,naturallanguageprocessing,andsoon.AIhasadvancedinthreemajorwaves.TheFirstWaveofAIwasinthe1950sand1960s,whenthefieldwasfirstestablishedandmanyresearchersexploredideasliketheMcCullough-Pittsneuralnetwork,theTuringTest,andlogic-basedknowledgerepresentation.Whencomputersstartedtobecomemorecommonplace,theSecondWaveofAIemerged.Thiswavewasprimarilyconcernedwithsymbolicsystems:expertsystems,rule-basedsystems,andheuristicsystems.DuringtheThirdWaveofAI,researcherstriedtocreateneuralnetworksthatmodeledhumancognitiveprocesses,patternrecognition,andautonomousagents.AIisafieldofcomputersciencewhereresearcherstrytocreatemachinesthatcandothingsthathumansdo,butusingadifferentapproach.Humansarereallygoodatrecognizingpatternsandbuildingknowledgefromexperience,soAIresearcherstrytoseeifmachinescanbeprogrammedtodothesethingsaswell.TherearemanydifferenttypesofAI.You'veprobablyheardofafewtermslikemachinelearning,naturallanguageprocessing,andcomputervision.Allofthesefallunderthelargerfieldofartificialintelligence,buteachisapproachingtheproblemwithadifferenttechnique.WhatAIisnOT?AIisnotacomputervirusoramalicioussoftwareprogramthathacksintoyourcomputer,deletesfiles,orotherwisedisruptsyournormalcomputerusage.Avirusisapieceofsoftwaredesignedtobeharmfultocomputersystemsandstealinformation,whereasAIisacomputerprogramdesignedtomimichumanintelligenceinamachine.AIisnotahypotheticalfuturetechnology.Youmayhaveheardofthe"singularity",themomentwhenmachineintelligencesurpasseshumanintelligence.Whilealotofscientistsandthinkershavediscussedthisasapossibility,it'sstillalongwayoff,ifitevenhappensatall.HowtodefineArtificialIntelligence?Artificialintelligenceisafieldofcomputersciencethataimstocreatemachinesthatcandothingsthathumanscando,likethinkandlearn.Todothis,researchershavecreatedmanydifferenttypesofAI,likecomputervisionandmachinelearning.Whereyou'llfindAIrightnow?You'llfindAIinthebasicfunctionsofyourcomputer.Forexample,yourcomputercanautomaticallycorrectyourtypingifyoumakeamistake,orselectthecorrectoptionfromadrop-downmenu.You'llalsofinditinyoursmartphone,whereyoumightuseAItoidentifypeopleinyourphotosorinanonlineservicelikeSiriorGoogleAssistant.Wherewe'llprobablyfindAIinthenearfuture?Inthenearfuture,wewilldefinitelyseemoreadvancesincomputervision,wherecomputersareprogrammedtoidentifyobjectsinimagesandvideo.Wemightalsoseemoreadvancesinnaturallanguageprocessing.Andof

course,we'llcontinuetoseeimprovementsinexistingAIprograms.AIisafascinatingfieldthatholdsalotofpromiseforimprovinghumanlivesandmakingourworkeasierandmoreefficient.However,it'simportanttounderstandwhatAIisandwhatitisn't.AIisnotacomputervirus,norisitahypotheticalfuturetechnology.AIisacomputerprogramdesignedtomimichumanintelligenceinamachine.Section3ExtendedReadingArtificialIntelligenceandSpaceTravel:TheFutureofExplorationExplorationofthefinalfrontierhasalwaysbeenexciting.Assoonaswebegantravellingfartherthanourhomeplanet,questionsaroseaboutwhatelsemightbeoutthere.Aretherealiens?Howdowereachthem?Oncewefindthem,howcanwecommunicatewiththem?Thesearejustsomeofthequestionsthathavesurfacedsincethemomenthumansbegandreamingoftravelingtospace.However,nowmorethaneverbefore,thesediscussionsarenotjusttheoreticalbutareality.Inthepastfewyearsalone,ElonMuskhaslaunchedrocketsintospacewiththeintentionofmakinghumansaninterplanetaryspeciesandAIiscontinuingtoadvanceatbreakneckspeeds.Sowherewillexplorationgofromhere?Let'stakealookathowartificialintelligenceandspacetravelwillchangeexplorationinthecomingyears.HowwillAIchangespacetravel?ThemostsignificantchangeAIwillmaketospacetravelishowweselectandtrainastronauts.Currently,astronautsgothroughrigoroustrainingbeforetheycaneventraveltospace,letalonebepartofamission.WhenamissiontoMarsbecomesareality,thecrewwilltravelformonthsatatime.Therefore,theyneedtobeextremelymentallyfitandhealthybeforetheyevenleavetheEarth.Inthepast,astronautshavehadtotravelthroughlongperiodsofisolationandtestingbeforetheyareapprovedtogointospace.Thisprocessisextremelyrigorousand,naturally,thereisalotofriskandahighdrop-outrate.AswecontinuetoadvancewithAI,however,astronautsandspaceexplorerswillhavetheirhealthmonitoredbyAIandbeabletobemonitoredremotely.Thiswillallowtheirphysicalandmentalhealthtobecheckedsothatanyissuescanbedetectedandtreatedassoonaspossible.Thisisanessentialchangebecauseitallowsspacetravellerstobetreatedassoonasitbecomesnecessary,beforeanyissuesbecomecritical.AI'sroleinadvancementandexplorationAswemoveforwardinourexplorationofspace,AIwillplayahugeroleinallowingustodiscovernewandexcitingthings.WehavealreadyseensomeoftheincrediblediscoveriesthatAIhasmadeintheworldofastronomy.Oneofthemostexcitingdiscoverieswastheidentificationofgravitationalwavescreatedbythecollisionoftwoneutronstarsinthegalaxy.Thesegravitationalwavesweresosmallthathumanbeingswouldneverhavebeenabletoobservethem.However,AIwasabletorecordandmeasurethem,allowingustodiscovermoreabouttheuniverse.ThisisjustoneexampleofhowAIhasallowedustoexploreanddiscoverthingsthatwouldhavetakenusmuchlongertodiscover.ThiswillonlyincreaseastechnologyadvancesandmoreresearchisdoneintotheroleAIcanplayinspacetravelandexploration.AIadvancementsinspaceyravelAIhasalreadybeguntomakeadifferenceinspacetravel.WehaveseenadvancesinAIthathaveallowedrobotstobeusedinspaceexploration.Thishasallowedresearcherstoadvancetheirworkinareasofspacetravelandexplorationthatwerepreviouslyimpossible.WhenNASAreleasedtheCuriosityRoveronMars,itwasthefirsttimearobothadbeensenttoexploration.Sincethen,AIrobotshavebeenusedtoexplorethesurfacesofotherplanetsandmoons.TherehavealsobeenadvancesinAIthathavealloweddronestobeusedinspacetravelandexploration.Thesedronesareabletoexploreareasthathumanscannotreachduetotheirsize.TherehaveevenbeenadvancesinAIthathaveallowedcomputerstobeusedtopilotspacecrafts.Thesetypesofspacecraftsareoftenusedtoresearchthesurfacesofplanetsandmoonsandcansendbacklargeamountsofdataaboutthearea.RobonautsRobonautsareAIrobotsthathavebeendesignedtoworkwithhumansinspace.ThereareafewdifferenttypesofRobonautsthatwillbeusedinspaceexploration.SomewillbeusedfortheconstructionoftheISSbecausetheirhandsarespecificallydesignedforthatpurpose.Robonautswillalsobeusedtoassistastronautswiththeirdailytasksandscientificresearch.TheserobotsaredesignedtoworkwithintheenvironmentoftheISSandareexpectedtoperformmanytasksthathumansdonothavethetimeorenergytocomplete.Robonautscanbeprogrammedtoperformspecifictasksandfollowaspecificsetofinstructions.Whiletheserobotsarenotsentientanddonotreceiveinformationorinstructionsoutsideoftheirprogramming,theycanbeextremelyhelpfulinthespacestationenvironment.Thefutureofspacetravelandexplorationisexciting.WithadvancesinAIandspacetravel,wecanexpecttoseesometrulyremarkablethings.WehavealreadyseensomeofthechangesthatAIhasmadetospacetravel,andwewillcontinuetoseemoreastimegoeson.Althoughtherewillalwaysbeariskofthingsgoingwrongandexplorationbeingdangerous,AIwillhelptominimizethatrisk.HowArtificialIntelligencemayChangeOurLives?TheprosandconsofAIforthehumanraceInthepastcoupleofyears,therehasbeenanexplosionofinterestinAI.It'snotjustcomputerscientistsandengineerswhoareintriguedbythisfield.Manypeoplefromdifferentbackgroundsareaskingquestionssuchas"WhatcanAIdo?Willitonedayexceedhumanintelligence?Andwhatwillthatmeanforourfutureasaspecies?"ThereisnodoubtthatAIisheretostay,anditsusewillonlycontinuetoexpandinthecomingyears.Newopportunitiesandrisksarearisingwithitsincreasedprevalence.Thisarticleexploressomeoftheprosandconsofartificialintelligence,focusingonhowitcouldimpactsocietyasawhole.ThegoodAswithanynewtechnology,thereareplentyofthingstobeexcitedaboutinthefieldofAI.Someofthemostpromisingbenefitsinclude:Increasedproductivityinbusinesses.Newtechnologiesareoftenexpectedtocreatemorejobsthantheycut,butthisisoftennotthecase.AIcanhelpautomatecertaintasks,replacinghumanlaborinmanyindustries.Thiscanleadtomoreeconomicgrowth,asitfreesupworkerstofocusonother,morecreativetasks.Helpingthoseinneed.Withhealthcarecostsrisingyearafteryear,AIcouldhelpfindnewsolutionstomanyissues.Infieldssuchashealthcareandeducation,AIcouldhelpmakequalitycaremoreaccessibletoallpeople.Newperspectives.AIisauniquefieldbecauseit'sablendofcomputerscience,engineering,andmathematics.Humanswhostudythesedisciplinesareoftencreativepeople,andAIcanbringouttheirbestqualities.AIforgood.SomeofthemostpromisingapplicationsofAIareinfieldssuchasmedicineandeducation.AIcanhelpreducehumanerror,improvepatientoutcomes,andprovidepersonalizedlearningopportunities.AImayhelpsolvehumanproblemsArtificialintelligenceisoftenthoughtofasanewtechnology,buthumanshavebeentryingtocreateAIforages.FromtheancientGreekstomodernresearchers,we'vealwaysbeenfascinatedbytheideaofbuildingmachinesthatcanthink.AIisasubfieldofcomputerscience,andfocusesonbuildingmachinesthatcanlearn,reason,andsolveproblems.AIhasbeenusedtosolvemanydifferentproblems,bothrealandimagined.Fromspaceexplorationtohelpingpeoplewithdisabilities,AIhasbeenasourceofhumaningenuity.AIresearchhasledtobreakthroughsincomputerscience,mathematics,andmanyotherfieldsofstudy.TransformingbusinesseswithAIAIisalreadychangingthewaycompaniesoperate.BusinessesarealreadyconductingAIresearchtocreatemoreefficientsupplychains,developnewmarketingstrategies,andcreatemorepersonalizedproductsforcustomers.Asthistechnologybecomesmorewidelyavailableandaccessible,it'sexpectedtotransformbusinessesaroundtheworld.ManybusinesseshavealreadybegunusingAItostreamlineoperations.AIcanbeusedtohelpwitheverythingfromschedulingappointmentstoanalyzingdataandidentifyingnewbusinessopportunities.AIcanevenbeusedtomakemarketingcampaignsmoreeffective.Andbusinessesareexpectedtocontinuebuildinguponthesepracticesinthefuture.NegativesofAIWhileAIhasmanypositiveapplications,italsocomeswithsomerisks.Theseinclude:(1)Dataprivacy.(2)AIcouldbebiased.(3)AIcouldbeusedformaliciouspurposes.AImaybetheendofhumanityThereareplentyofreal-worldconcernsaboutthefutureofAI,andsomeofthemarequiteextreme.Somepeoplebelievethat,ifAIisnotbuiltandimplementedcarefully,itcouldposeaseriousthreattohumanity.Forexample,somecomputerscientistsbelievethatAIcouldundergoanexistentialrisk,whichwouldmeanthatitcouldendhumanityasweknowit.ThismightbebecauseAIisprogrammedtopursuesomething.Inthiscase,itwouldbeprogrammedtopursueself-preservation.Butbecauseit'samachine,itmightnotknowwhentostop.IfAIweretobeprogrammedtomaximizeacompany'sprofits,forexample,itcouldbeprogrammedtoeliminatehumancompetition.AIisagame-changingtechnologythathasthepotentialtobenefitmanypeoplearoundtheglobe.Fromincreasingeconomicgrowthtoimprovingqualityoflife,itholdsgreatpromiseforthefuture.However,thistechnologyalsobringswithitcertainrisksandchallenges.It'simportantforustorememberthatAIismerelyatool,anditisuptohumanstodecidehowtouseit.Section1SituationalDialogue

Section2ReadingMaterial

Section3ExtendedReadingSection1SituationalDialogueAJobInterviewB:Whatmadeyoudecidetogetintocomputers?A:Oh,nothinginparticular,Iguess.Ialwayslikedmathematicsandfiddlingwithmachines.B:Nowwhataboutyourexperience?Howlonghaveyoubeenworkingwithcomputers?A:Morethanoneyearnow.AfterIdidmybachelordegree,IbegantospecializeincomputertechnologyandIevenhadmyowncompanyforawhile.B:Itcertainlysoundsimpressive.Whereareyouworkingnow?A:I'mworkingatYahooComputerCompany.B:Whatisyourpositionthere?A:I'mprogrammersupervisor.B:Whatareyouresponsibilitiesthere?A:I'mresponsibleforwritingcomputerprogram;developingblockdiagrams,utilizingavailablesoftwareandoperationsystem,andcodingmachineinstructions;originatingblockdiagrams,workingfromoutlinesofproposedsystems;developingfilesizes,programmingspecifications;determiningappropriateuseofdiskfiles,printer,etc.selectingprogram;writingmachineinstructions,testing,debugging,andassemblingprogram;documentingoverallsystemanddevelopingdatacontrolprocedures;advisingandinstructinglessexperiencedprogrammersandofferingoperatinginstructions.B:What'syourideaaboutmulti-mediatechnology?A:Computershavemaderapidprogressintheareaandsoftwareslike3DSMAXhavebeenfrequentlyupdating.Computersandhumanbeingshavealsobeencloselyconnectedowingtotheaudio&videotechnology,whichbringsusmorevividpicturesandmuchmoreconvenience.AlthoughIhaven'thadtheopportunitytostudyit,ItakemuchinterestinIt.B:Whattypesofsystemshaveyouworkedon?A:Ihaveworkedonalmosteverysystemthatisavailable.B:Whatkindofcomputerareyouexperiencedin?A:I'mexperiencedinalltypesofPC.B:Whatsortofsoftwareareyoufamiliarwith?A:I'madeptatDOS,Windows,andAutoCAD.B:IhavelookedthroughyouapplicationmaterialandIamquitesatisfiedwithyourqualifications.Haveyouanythingtoaskme?A:Yes.Couldyoutellmesomethingaboutthejob?B:Yes,ofcourse.Youwouldberesponsibleforthedesignanddevelopmentofproductsandalsobeinchargeoftheevaluationofsoftwareprogramsincludingcomplexsoftwarestoensureproductfeaturesandsystemoperationcompliance.A:Oh,Isee.IbelieveIcandothejobwell.B:Asyouknow,wehaveseveralothercandidatestotalkwith.Anyhow,I'llinformyouinadayortwo.A:Thankyou.Goodbye.B:Goodbye.Section2ReadingMaterialWhatIsCloudComputing?Cloudcomputingisawaytoaccessinformationandapplicationsonlineinsteadofhavingtobuild,manage,andmaintainthemonyourownharddriveorservers.It'sfast,efficient,andsecure.Simplyput,cloudcomputingisawayofaccessingservicesontheinternetinsteadofonyourcomputer.Youcanusethecloudtoaccessapplications,data,anddevelopmenttoolsfromvirtuallyanywhere.Whetheryou'reworkingonyourphonefromacrowdedtraininChicagooronyourlaptopatahotelinHongKong,youcanaccessthesameinformationbecauseitalllivesonline.Whousescloudcomputing?Theshortansweris:everyone.Fromyourphoneandyourcartoyoursmartwatchandyourfavoritefooddeliveryapp,thecloudiseverywhere.Butcloudcomputingisespeciallypowerfulforbusinesses.Becauseitgivesthemflexibilityandscalability,organizationsofeverysizeandineveryindustryalreadyusecloudcomputing.Companiesuseitforroutinetaskslikedataprotection,softwaredevelopment,dataanalytics,disasterrecovery,virtualdesktops,servervirtualization,andcustomer-facingapplications.Howdoescloudcomputingwork?Inanutshell,cloudcomputingisapuzzlewiththreebasicpieces:·Cloudserviceprovidersstoredataandapplicationsonphysicalmachinesatlocationsknownasdatacenters.·Usersaccessthoseassets.·Theinternetunitesprovidersandusersinstantlyacrosslongdistances.Althoughthepiecesaresimple,thetechnologythatputsthemtogetheriscomplex.Toappreciateit,considerhowthingsworkedbeforethecloud:Companies'ITteamsmanagedtheirownonsitedatacenters,whichrequiredregularhardwareupdates,outsizedenergybills,andexcessiveamountsofrealestate.Itwasexpensive,impractical,andinefficient.Butthat'snotnecessaryanymore.Companiesthatusedtooperatetheirowndatacentersnolongerneedtoworryaboutprovisioning,securing,scaling,maintaining,andupgradinginfrastructure.Theyjustfocusonbuildinggreatexperiencesfortheircustomers,asopposedtothetechnicallogistics.ThatdramaticallychangesandsimplifiesthewaybusinessesapproachtheirITresources.Forexample,manycloudprovidersoffersubscription-basedservices.Inexchangeforamonthlyfee,customerscanaccessallthecomputingresourcestheyneed.Thatmeanstheydon'thavetobuysoftwarelicenses,upgradeoutdatedservers,buymoremachineswhentheyrunoutofstorage,orinstallsoftwareupdatestokeeppacewithevolvingsecuritythreats.Thevendordoesallthatforthem.Inthatway,cloudcomputingislikerentingacar.Theusergetstodrivethevehicle,butit'suptotheownertodorepairsandroutinemaintenance,andtoreplaceoldcarswithnewones.Andiftheusereverneedsanupgradetoaccommodatemorebusiness,it'sassimpleassigninganewrentalagreementandexchangingthekeys.TheadvantagesofcloudcomputingNowyouunderstandhowitworks,it'seasytoseethatcloudcomputinghasmanyadvantages.Amongthemostimportantbenefitsofcloudcomputing,forexample,are:1．ConvenienceCloudcomputingmakesstoring,retrieving,andsharinginformationfastandeasy.2．FlexibilityBecauseinformationflowsacrosslocationsanddevices,employeescanworksafelyandsecurelyfromanywhere.Thatmakesthemmoreproductive,collaborative,andsatisfiedintheirjobs.3．CostAtthecoreofcloudcomputingistheideaof"multitenancy."Thatmeansasinglecloudserviceproviderhasmanycustomersusingthesamecomputingresources.It'slikeanapartmentbuilding:althoughresidentsshareamenitiesandinfrastructure－nottomentioncommonwalls,vents,andplumbing－everyoneisfreetodecoratetheirownapartmentastheyseefit.4．AccountingCloudcomputingisbeneficialfromanaccountingstandpointbecauseitallowsITinfrastructuretobeclassifiedasanoperationalinsteadofcapitalexpenditure.That'susuallybetterforbusinesshealthbecauseoperationalexpensesaretax-advantagedandpay-as-you-go.Thattranslatestomoreflexibility,lesswaste,andoftenbetterROI(ReturnonInvestment).5．ReliabilityCloudserviceproviderscontinuallyrefinetheirarchitecturetodeliverthehigheststandardsofperformanceandavailability.Meanwhile,thethirdpartiesthathosttheirservicesconstantlymaintainandupdatethem,andprovideeasyaccesstocustomersupport.Thiscommitmenttocontinuousimprovementmakesthemdependableinstandardsofexcellence.6．Scalabi