6. The Cloud

According to the definition provided by IBM, cloud computing is a service that allows on-demand access to applications, servers, etc., through the use of the Internet infrastructure. These resources are stored within data centres, i.e. physical structures within which data are stored on clouds; moreover, the functions of a data centre can be briefly described as:

• Computing, as they act as memory and processing centres;
• Storage, since they contain devices capable of backing up data;
• Networking, as they house routers, firewalls, etc.

^{Figure 10 - An image of a data centre}

The success of clouding and data centres can be attributed to the fact that they allow for cost-efficient provision of services via the Internet. However, from an environmental point of view, it is necessary to take into account the fact that infrastructures of this type require a great deal of electricity, both for powering and operating functions and for the cooling of environments.

With respect to the interaction between IoT and Cloud, both have characteristics that make them complementary and thus have the potential to further enhance innovation and service quality:

	IoT	Cloud
Displacement	Pervasive	Centralised
Accessibility	Limited	Ubiquitous
Components	Things of the real world	Virtual resources
Computational skills	Limited	Virtually illimited
Storage	Limited or absent	Virtually illimited
Role of the Internet	Point of convergence	Means of reaching the service
Big Data	Source	Means of management

 ^{Translation of Table 1 in Botta et al., 2016, p. 10.}

The integration of Cloud and IoT technologies is called CloudIoT and ushers in a new season of innovations in technology, capable of improving the performance of various agents and devices, and even making sectors that maintain a more traditional approach more efficient. Among the various sectors for which a CloudIoT system is adaptable, it is worth mentioning:

• Medicine;
• Environmental monitoring;
• Smart Cities;
• Smart Home;
• Etc.

^{Figure 11 - Areas of CloudIoT application, source: Botta et al., 2016, p. 23}