When an internet website started to sell books even though it had no real bookstores, who would have thought that it would become a milestone for a new concept in technology called "Cloud computing"? Amazon, the company which is believed to have pioneered the technology of Cloud computing, started with the desire to facilitate online book trading, but this desire turned out to be a fortune-yielding mine for Amazon.
Clearing the Cloud
Although some of its ideas have been implemented for some time, the term "Cloud computing" is a relatively new concept. It took shape as a result of the increasing experience in managing web applications on ever expanding networking infrastructure. It is a part of the revolution in the software industry which is starting to deal with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).
To understand Cloud computing, think of the services provided by your electricity company. The service that you receive is free of the hassle of understanding how the electricity is generated, where its source is located, how it is being transferred to your house, how it can be upgraded or how it is being maintained. These things are of less importance to you than actually getting your refrigerator or A/C to work. When you subscribe to a Cloud computing service you would be using your software applications, data and computing power in a similar way.
In the present software world, in order to use a software application you need to buy it and install it on your computer before you can start working on it. If you have any problems using it, you would have to call the company and the company would send you its IT expert to deal with it. When the next version becomes available on the market, you would first need to discover this and then you would have to download the new version and upgrade your present version with the new one.
If your PC's storage device or your server is not able to store your data, which is increasing every day, you would have to increase the capacity of your storage device or server. When you are shifting your office from one place to another, you would have to take extra care of all the hardware parts that hold your precious business data as well as the software applications. But with the coming of Cloud computing you would be free of this entire burden, you can relax as the transfer of your entire computing system becomes as easy as plugging in your fridge. All your worries will be taken care of by Cloud-based services.
To give you an even clearer picture of Cloud computing consider your television as an example. With the coming of Cloud computing your system would be like a blank electronic device with no hard drives; just like television, when switched-on you gain access to all the programs but when switched-off no programs remain inside. In the online world, popular SaaS modules have been operating through the web-based e-mail service providers such as hotmail, yahoo mail, or Gmail. You access your e-mails and e-mail applications through a browser, but the e-mails you accessed as well as the e-mail application are not installed on your machine.
Changing the Face of the Internet
When Cloud computing gains more prominence and becomes implemented over a larger scale all over the world, the world of computers, and more importantly the internet, will experience a world of difference. The face of the internet would change remarkably and computing would become hassle free. Implementation of Cloud computing would result in more virtualization, where you wouldn't need to worry about buying, upgrading or maintaining expensive hardware.
You also wouldn't need to worry about buying software packages or licenses. Using SaaS, users can access applications as well as a great deal of virtual computing power. When you subscribe to a Cloud computing system, you do not own the software or hardware, rather you rent them.
Companies Offering Cloud Services
Among the front runners offering Cloud services at the moment are Amazon, Microsoft, Google and IBM. Amazon's Cloud computing module is available for the users of amazon which gives them online storage facility. Amazon Web Services is also offering its Cloud computing services to developers and other companies (Amazon Web Services). Microsoft claims that for more than 10 years, millions of its clients have been using Cloud-based services, which include Hosted Exchange, Outlook Web Access and Live Meeting. Their Office communicator, a messenger service used within an office setting to communicate among employees, with comparable features to msn or yahoo messenger, is a popular Cloud service offered by Microsoft as are their Hosted Exchange and SharePoint services.
The message history in this messenger service is stored in a remote server and can be accessed as and when required. The conversation history can also be stored locally and is accessed by logging on to an Outlook account (Microsoft).
In October, 2008, IBM announced that its new Cloud services could help businesses of all sizes more easily adopt Cloud computing models to better manage data, lower operational costs and make collaboration easier. On December 11, 2008, IBM introduced its newest Cloud service for Web conferencing known as Lotus Sametime Unyte 8.2."
"Lotus Sametime Unyte brings an affordable, easy-to-use option for businesses that need to work together across cities and continents, just as they would in the same room," declared IBM. Through this service you can meet your employees online from across the world and you can also view the documents that are on their computer screens (IBM). According to the Telegraph, Apple has also forayed into the world of Cloud computing by launching its MobileMe service that can be used over their iPhone.
"Imagine this: you're out having lunch with friends when they suggest going to the cinema on Friday evening. You add the event to the calendar on your iPhone, which automatically sends a notification of that change across the airwaves to your home computer and your office PC. All copies of your calendar are instantly updated," reported the Telegraph.
Box net is another company close to offering Cloud. Through Box you can share and manage files online. Large and reliable ISPs would also make good Cloud service providers.
Disadvantages
According to Gartner, a well known IT research and advisory company, Green IT, Cloud computing and social networking platforms are the most hyped concepts (Gartner 2). "Cloud computing is not appropriate for the full spectrum of enterprise applications," says Gartner (Gartner 1). Since Cloud computing is internet or network based, its infrastructure capacity and its management will also pose a number of concerns, with safety and privacy of data topping the list.
Internet bandwidth and speed in underdeveloped countries could also play spoil-sport for Cloud users. High bandwidth infrastructure would be needed to operate complex programs, perhaps requiring fiber optic cables to support the use of Cloud. It's also argued that a great amount of electric power would be needed where the Cloud services are being generated thus creating the need for a massive cooling system. Nevertheless, there is a possibility that with the overcoming of hurdles facing Cloud computing, it may change the face of the internet in days to come. Since the cost of computation, application hosting and content storage and delivery is much less in Cloud computing than what we pay today, internet users are most likely to embrace it.
The second Cloud computing expo which is scheduled to be held between March 31 to April 1, 2009, in New York City, proclaims, "Triumph Over the Recession -- Connect Yourself To The Cloud in '09." With the advent of Cloud computing, not only will the entire system of software applications and computer hardware likely to undergo a drastic change, but the economic consequences of that change might also be something to keep an eye on.
Sources:
- "Apple has head in the cloud." Telegraph. 10 Nov. 2008, Accessed 16 Dec. 2008.
- "Executive Keynotes, Day 2: Microsoft 2008." Microsoft. Oct. 28, 2008. Accessed 16 Dec. 2008.
- "Gartner Highlights 27 Technologies in the 2008 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies." Gartner 1. 11 Aug. 2008, Accessed 7 Dec. 2008.
- "Gartner's Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2009." Gartner 2. 14 Oct. 2008, Accessed 7 Dec. 2008.
- "IBM Delivers New Cloud Service for Web Conferencing." IBM. 11 Dec. 2008,Accessed 16 Dec. 2008.
- " Triumph Over the Recession - Connect Yourself To The Cloud in '09." Accessed 16 Dec. 2008.
- "What is AWS?" Amazon Web Services. Accessed 16 Dec. 2008
| 