The Who, What and How of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a method for accessing data and applications online, as opposed to constructing, managing, and maintaining them on one’s own hard drive or servers. It is quick, effective, and secure.

It is also quite mysterious. Although most of us have been utilizing the cloud for years, the question “What is cloud computing?” still rings throughout many businesses.

Whether you want to better understand it for yourself or help your business use it more successfully, this guide can assist you. In it, you’ll discover:

The types of cloud computing
Why so many businesses are embracing cloud computing
How cloud computing keeps sensitive data secure
What the future of cloud computing might look like

What is Cloud Computing?

Simply described, cloud computing is a method of gaining access to services via the Internet rather than a computer. Using the cloud, you may access programs, data, and development tools from nearly any location. You can access the same information whether you’re working on your phone from a crowded train in Chicago or on your laptop from a hotel room in Hong Kong, because it all resides online.

Who Uses Cloud Computing?

The concise answer is everyone. The cloud is there in your smartphone, automobile, smartwatch, and favorite meal delivery app.

However, cloud computing is particularly effective for enterprises. Because it provides them with flexibility and scalability, businesses of all sizes and in all industries have already adopted cloud computing. It is utilized by businesses for routine operations such as data security, software development, data analytics, disaster recovery, virtual desktops, server virtualization, and client-facing apps.

How Does Cloud Computing Work?

The cloud computing puzzle consists of three essential pieces:

1. Cloud service providers store data and applications on physical machines at locations known as data centers.

2. Users access those assets.

3. The internet unites providers and users instantly across long distances.
Although the components are simple, the assembly technology is sophisticated.

Consider how things operated before to the cloud in order to understand its significance: IT departments controlled their own onsite data centers, which necessitated frequent hardware upgrades, astronomical energy costs, and unnecessary real estate. It was costly, wasteful, and impractical.

But that is no longer essential. Companies who previously managed their own data centers no longer have to be concerned about deploying, securing, scaling, maintaining, and upgrading technology.

Instead of focusing on technical logistics, they are solely concerned with creating exceptional consumer experiences. This significantly modifies and streamlines how firms approach IT resources.

Many cloud service providers, for instance, offer subscription-based services. Customers can obtain all the necessary computing resources for a monthly price.

This eliminates the need for them to purchase software licenses, replace obsolete servers, purchase additional computers when they run out of storage, or install software upgrades to keep up with emerging security threats. The vendor handles everything for them.

In this regard, cloud computing is comparable to car rental. The user may operate the vehicle, but the owner is responsible for repairs, routine maintenance, and the replacement of aging vehicles.

And if the user ever requires an update to accommodate more business, it is as easy as signing a new leasing contract and exchanging the keys.

History of Cloud Computing

Despite the fact that cloud computing has become an integral element of modern civilization, its adoption took much longer than you may expect.

To see its humble beginnings, one must journey back to 1996. In that business strategy, Compaq Computer Corporation developed the term “cloud computing.”

The word was novel, but the underlying ideas were well-established. For instance, technological advancements in the 1970s and 1980s utilized early versions of the cloud. And by the early 1990s, patent schematics depicted the internet as a cloud. Salesforce was an early cloud computing pioneer. In 1999, cloud-based CRM software was introduced to replace traditional desktop CRM.

Due to the fact that early computers were enormous and expensive, the first iterations of the cloud were intended to provide several users with access to a single machine. Salesforce turned this notion on its head.

Instead of connecting consumers with hardware, the cloud was employed to link people with software. In doing so, it demonstrated for the first time the scalability of cloud computing’s utility.

Indeed, Salesforce was the first large-scale cloud computing application. Traditional software required businesses to purchase numerous licenses and install actual copies on each employee’s PC.

Whether they were a small startup or a large organization, they could access the application on-demand via the internet and use it to expand their business using Salesforce. This innovative new approach to software was simple, effective, and inexpensive, and it paved the way for cloud computing as it exists today.

Future of Cloud Computing

Although it has already made significant progress, cloud computing is just getting started.

Its expected future will involve exponential improvements in processing capability, fuelled by quantum computing and artificial intelligence, as well as other new technologies to enhance cloud use.

Here are a few developments that may soon be implemented in a cloud-native environment near you:

1) More hybrid clouds will be developed by enterprises of all sizes.

2) More organizations will choose multicloud solutions that integrate services from many suppliers.

3) Platforms utilizing low-code and no-code will continue to democratize technology. They will enable citizen developers to design their own problem-solving applications without the assistance of programmers.

4) Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable technology will continue to explode. What began with cloud-connected fitness trackers, thermostats, and security systems will evolve into clothing, home, and community sensors of the next generation.

5) The integration of cloud-native applications with automotive, air, and commercial services will improve the mobility experience for the general public. Self-driving cars and autonomous air taxis will improve the comfort, safety, and convenience of commutes.

6) Utilizing cloud computing and 3D printing, businesses will supply personalized goods on demand.

It is impossible to foresee the cloud-native forecast. Nevertheless, you must prepare for it by learning what cloud computing is, how it operates, and how it might benefit your organization today, tomorrow, and in the coming decades.