When looking and researching into the history of Cloud Computing,
the aspect that is most clear is that the cloud computing is certainly in its
early stages. We as a society are just getting accustomed to the power of cloud
computing, and its technology and capacities are capable of being developed far
into the distant future.
Although many people have heard of and use the cloud today,
its precise definition isn’t as universally identifiable. Essentially, cloud
computing is the use of technological data processing, internet, and remote
servers to provide computing resources, data, storage, and various applications
to their users. It allows for individual and business consumers to access and
use a variety of data and applications without needing the knowledge behind the
software or Infrastructure.
The initial origins of cloud computing can be traced back to
the 1960s, where J.C.R. Licklider and the U.S. government looked to become a
pioneer in the field of what is now known as cloud computing with the Advanced
Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). This project was designed to help scientific
users share and spread resources via linking computers. However, ARPANET also
played the role to jump start Licklider’s idea of an “intergalactic computer
network”, where many people from around the world would be able to access the
same data processing server at any time. This also played into the fundamental cloud
computing concept of “time-sharing”, where multiple people could access the same
networks at once.
From the creation of super computing in the 80s, to the
mainstream implementation of the world wide web in the early 90s, the first
major breakthrough in cloud computing didn’t arrive until 1999, with the
introduction of Salesforce.com. Salesforce designed the first functioning software-as-a-service
by using the cloud to send applications for use for a large consumer base for
cheap. This is seen today with applications like Gmail.
Cloud computing really started to advance, however, once
Amazon launched their two cloud services of Amazon Web Services (2002) and
Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (2006). Amazon web services was a platform filled
with cloud computing services that could be paid for individually. It looked
into the commonly used 10% capacity of its infrastructure and was able to
configure it to the point where it functioned with astounding efficiency. With
it came the Elastic Compute Cloud, which rented out computers to customers to
run their various applications on. This allowed the cloud compute complete
control over the resources for the first time. This combination of services became
the mega giant that is the bulk of Amazon’s business today.
Next came the Google App Engine in 2008, where web
applications could run on a variety of servers to redistribute the flow of
traffic. This allowed for the use of apps on Google apps to be run on mobile
phones and web browsers.
Around this time is when cloud computing became known in the
mainstream. The Microsoft Azure platform (2010) could handle the development of
applications over mobile and the web. The IBM SmartCloud (2011) could build a
variety of public, private, and hybrid clouds. NASA and Rackspace’s OpenStack
(2010) aided cloud computing for organizations that used more traditional
hardware.
Although there are many benefits that come with cloud-based
computing (cheap, efficient, easily accessible large amount of storage space),
there are some drawbacks that make some people, especially big businesses,
hesitant in getting on board. The largest issue is security, as the absolute protection
and safety of personal data isn’t ensured with cloud-based systems, as a hack or
a malfunction could leave people’s personal data quite vulnerable to online thieves.
Also, clouds require internet connection. So, if there is no internet, clouds
are practically useless, and they’re extremely difficult with poor internet.
In the future, these big companies might have no choice to
put their faith into cloud computing services if the cloud computing industry
continues to develop the way it has been. At some point in the future, cloud
computing could easily be most prominent option for data processing and
storage, especially if its largest issues are fixed. If this becomes the case,
cloud computing could make other options obsolete, leaving the big companies
with no choice but to trust them. All in all, cloud computing has a bright
future, and its developments in the upcoming decades will be interesting and
important to watch in terms of how big businesses approach it.
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