You need to explain cloud computing to non-technical stakeholders. How can you make it understandable?
Helping non-technical stakeholders understand cloud computing can be a game-changer for your projects. Here are some strategies to make it relatable:
What analogies or examples have helped you explain complex topics? Share your thoughts.
You need to explain cloud computing to non-technical stakeholders. How can you make it understandable?
Helping non-technical stakeholders understand cloud computing can be a game-changer for your projects. Here are some strategies to make it relatable:
What analogies or examples have helped you explain complex topics? Share your thoughts.
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To explain cloud computing to non-technical stakeholders, use analogies like comparing it to utilities such as electricity—accessible on demand without owning the infrastructure. Simplify jargon, describing servers as "powerful computers" and storage as "digital filing cabinets." Focus on tangible benefits like cost savings, flexibility, and improved collaboration.
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To explain cloud computing in a fresh way, think of it like a digital warehouse. Imagine you have a physical store, but instead of buying and storing every product in your own warehouse, you use a shared warehouse where you rent space only for the products you need. You can add or remove items from your space as demand changes, and you don’t have to worry about maintaining the warehouse or hiring staff to manage it. Similarly, cloud computing lets businesses store and manage data, run software, and access computing power without owning physical hardware. It's flexible, cost-effective, and saves time on maintenance.
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I would say, slowly, but not because the concepts are convoluted or complicated. I've been known to try to draw concepts, or have others imagine themselves in a coffee shop (to all my AWS folks out there, you know...). It takes semblances, relativity, and understand what the stakeholder is trying to achieve to draw a rather straight line from where we are to where we want to be.
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"Keep it simple, and they'll keep listening." When I explain cloud computing to non-technical stakeholders, I rely on relatable examples and clear benefits: 🔌 Use Everyday Analogies: I describe the cloud as similar to electricity—something you don’t own but pay for as you use, making it accessible and scalable. 🗂 Simplify Terms: Servers become "super computers," storage is a "digital filing cabinet," and scalability is like "adding rooms to a house when needed." 💡 Highlight Real-World Benefits: I show how it cuts costs, enables remote work, and scales resources up or down seamlessly. #cloud #cloudcomputing #datacenters
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To explain cloud computing to non-technical stakeholders, it's important to simplify the concept. Think of the cloud as a resource management system provided by a third party, much like adopting a new tool to improve existing processes. Open and transparent discussions are key, where both stakeholders and developers can share their concerns and perspectives. Explain how moving to the cloud can enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve scalability. Focus on how cloud adoption will streamline operations, increase flexibility, and ultimately drive greater business value. Keeping a note that they don't have to understand the technical aspect of the technology would help you explain easily and make them understand easily.
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Imagine the cloud as a vast digital warehouse where you can store and access your data and applications from anywhere with an internet connection. Instead of keeping these things on your own computer, you rent space in this cloud warehouse. This makes your data more accessible, secure, and flexible. It's like renting storage space, but for digital files.
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𝖢𝗅𝗈𝗎𝖽 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝗎𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 is like 𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺 𝖼𝖺𝗋 𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝗈𝗐𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗇𝖾. 𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝗂𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗍, 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗋𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗆𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗇𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗈𝗋 𝗎𝗉𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗇𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗌𝗍𝗌. 𝖲𝗂𝗆𝗂𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗅𝗒, 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗎𝖽 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗏𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝗇-𝖽𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝗎𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗈𝗎𝗋𝖼𝖾𝗌 (𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝗈𝗋 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗅𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌) 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗈𝗐𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗉𝗁𝗒𝗌𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅 𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖾. 𝖥𝗈𝗋 𝖾𝗑𝖺𝗆𝗉𝗅𝖾, 𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝗋𝗎𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗂𝗅 𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌, 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝗂𝖼𝖾𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖦𝗆𝖺𝗂𝗅 𝗈𝗋 𝖮𝖿𝖿𝗂𝖼𝖾 𝟥𝟨𝟧, 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝖼𝗁 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗁𝗈𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗎𝖽.
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The smart phone on your desk or in your pocket is the only thing you need to understand cloud computing. Sure, the phone stores some information locally, but every other app in your phone interacts with a cloud service to bring you a seamless end user experience as you work and communicate with your device. Need to do some banking? Open up that banking app and engage in the 2FA fun. The information you are viewing while in the app isn't stored in some obscure spreadsheet stored on the phone, the app is simply a dashboard pulling information securely from the bank's databases. That, in a nutshell is the essence of cloud computing.
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When explaining cloud computing, I use relatable analogies like renting storage space. Instead of buying a large warehouse (on-premises servers), you rent as much space as needed, paying only for what you use (the cloud). Highlight real-life examples, like accessing documents via Google Drive from anywhere, showing how the cloud eliminates dependency on specific devices. Avoid technical terms and focus on outcomes—faster collaboration, cost savings, and scalability. A stakeholder’s aha moment often comes when they see how the cloud directly improves their day-to-day tasks.
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