The term Cloud Computing is a buzz word that pops up in virtually every industry but not everyone can speak to the nuances that are encased in cloud computing. That’s where Tech Talks comes in. In this article, we will do a cliff notes version of the history of cloud computing, what the cloud is, and why the cloud is a vital component to every aspect of a growing business.
Cloud Computing a History
The preliminary notion of the Cloud was thought up sometime in the 1960’s by J.C.R Licklider who intended for the Cloud to be a virtual connector for people to store and access data at any place at any moment. Many grappled with how to produce this thing called The Cloud but it remained mostly an idea for decades. The idea phase of cloud computing lasted until the late 1990’s when cloud computing outside an isolated environment became popular. Thus, the internet was born. The term “Cloud” was made popular by Apple-spawned General Magic in the early 90’s and was strongly associated with distributed, on-demand computing. Dallas was one of the initial Cloud Computing hubs when Professor Ramnath Chellappa introduced the concept around 1997. Shortly after, in 1999 Salesforce became one of the most popular examples of cloud computing and remains a titan in the industry to this day. At its infancy, Cloud Computing was more of an application-based service that was housed on the internet. In 2007, Cloud Computing became more robust by the classification of IaaS (infrastructure- as-a-service), PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service), and SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) development. Now, the Worldwide Public Cloud Services Market is a multibillion dollar industry and is still rapidly growing.
What is the Cloud?
We all use the term The Cloud but it’s hard to exactly pinpoint what the cloud is because it now encompasses much more than we could have ever imagined. Grandma even uses Cloud Computing when she goes on Facebook to post about Christmas with the Grandkids! The Cloud is a computing infrastructure that houses both hardware and software applications on the internet or remote central servers if you want to sound fancy. The beauty of Cloud Computing? You don’t need a physical computer to house any of this information. Cloud Computing is rapidly growing and evolving especially with the advent of artificial intelligence. The term Cloud Computing has transitioned from being a single entity to an industry with multiple subcategories that are products and topics themselves that are housed on the platform of Cloud Computing.
Why the Cloud?
With rapidly growing technology comes a rapidly growing list of concerns such as: Is my private information safe and how much will Cloud Computing cost to switch to? First, let’s address the question of safety and logistics. The cloud is not a physical location. You can access your information from any computer, anywhere in the world, at any time. This makes data immune to natural disasters such as power outages, floods, fires, etc. But what about data leaks and breaches? How can data be safe if it can be accessed at any point anywhere? That’s where security comes in. Multi-factor Authentication is one aspect that requires you to have multiple forms of identification to access your data, not just the username and password. Other forms of security include VPN’s, restricted IP addresses, and much more depending on what products you choose to use. So, what about hackers? Here at Thanawalla Digital, we strongly believe that a custom designed solution for security is vital and should be created during the process of implementing Cloud Computing and should be multilayered. Whether it’s strictly access based or editing based, you can control and protect your data better on the Cloud than on a personal laptop.
Now let’s talk about cost. Everything costs something but the value lies in what you gain out of implementation. With Cloud Computing a business can grow exponentially and save money in the long run. The biggest enemy to business expenses is fixed costs. With Cloud Computing, you trade fixed expenses like data centers and servers for variable expenses and only pay for what you use. This gives you the benefit of elasticity and agility. When things are going well, you can scale up and expand and when recessions hit, you can instantaneously scale down and stop bleeding money.
The age of Cloud Computing has arrived, and it is evident it is here to stay. Gartner predicts in the next 2-3 years adaptive AI will maximize value from data and protect and grow your brand while the Digital Immune system will create secure foundations for data and security allowing your business to scale and optimize productivity and growth. When will you be changing the trajectory of your business by switching to the Cloud?
