"The cloud" is one of those trendy tech
terms a lot of people use but can't
clearly define. What is the cloud?
When do you encounter it? How can it
benefit your business?
If you use any kind of social media or
online data drive, you're already using
the cloud; you just may not realize it.
In this beginner's guide , we break
down the who, what, where and why of
one of tech's most abstract terms.
What is the cloud
exactly?
The first thing you should understand
about the cloud is that it is not a
physical thing. The cloud is a network
of servers, and each server has a
different function. Some servers use
computing power to run applications
or "deliver a service."
For example, Adobe recently moved
its creative services to the cloud. You
can no longer buy the Creative Suite
(Photoshop , InDesign , etc.) in a box
set. Instead, you must pay a monthly
subscription fee to use each individual
service. That's why it's now called the
"Adobe Creative Cloud" instead.
Other servers in the network are
responsible for storing data.
For example, when you take a picture
on your smartphone, it is stored on
your phone's internal memory drive.
However, when you upload the photos
to Instagram, you are uploading it to
the cloud.
IMAGE: Flickr, Acoustic Dimensions
So remember: "The Cloud" is a
network of servers. Some servers
provide an online service, like Adobe
Creative Cloud, and others allow you
to store and access data, like
Instagram or Dropbox.
Chances are, you encounter the cloud
daily. From Google Drive to SkyDrive
to iCloud to Evernote , any time you
store information without using up
your phone's internal data, you're
storing information on the cloud.
What are the benefits to
working in the cloud?
The business decision to "move to the
cloud" is often financially motivated.
Companies used to have to buy their
own hardware equipment, the value of
which depreciated over time. But now
with the cloud, companies only have
to pay for what they use. This model
makes it easy to quickly scale use up
or down.
That's why the cloud is such a big
deal; it doesn't just let you upload that
delicious looking #foodporn (although
that is important), but it also helps
companies save thousands of dollars
a year.
SEE ALSO: What's the Fastest Cloud
Storage Service?
In an article on the benefits of cloud
computing, SalesForce wrote, "Where
in the past, people would run
applications or programs from
software downloaded on a physical
computer or server in their building,
cloud computing allows people
access the same kinds of applications
through the Internet."
Working on the cloud allows your
company to be nimble, efficient and
cost-effective. If your company
quickly needs access to more
resources, it can scale quickly in the
cloud. Conversely, if it needs to
downscale or reduce resources, it can
do so just as easily. Because of this
scalability, the cloud's elasticity is
often compared to that of a rubber
band.
A brief history of the
cloud
The history of the cloud dates back as
far as the 1950s . Back then, a
mainframe (read: computer) was so
big it took up an entire room. Because
mainframes were so expensive,
organizations couldn't afford to
purchase a new one for each user. In
response, they developed "time
sharing" methods, which let multiple
users share access to data and CPU
time. Today, this idea of "time
sharing" is the premise of cloud
computing.
The next major event in cloud
computing history occurred in 1969,
when J.C.R. Licklider developed
ARPANET (Advanced Research
Projects Agency Network) in hopes
that some day everyone would be able
to access data and programs from any
location.
Despite these early advances, the
Internet didn't feature enough
bandwidth to make the cloud available
to the masses until the '90s.
Professor Ramnath Chellappa was the
first to use the term "cloud computing"
in 1997, and in 1999, Salesforce
became the first site to deliver
applications and software over the
Internet.
Amazon officially launched its own
cloud computing platform called
Amazon Web Services (AWS ) in 2006.
AWS provides online services to
websites or client-side applications.
Chances are, you come in contact with
AWS daily. Social media sites like
Instagram and Pinterest use AWS to
host traffic and data. In fact, AWS
powers hundreds of thousands of
startups and larger companies in over
190 countries worldwide.
How big is the cloud?
No one knows exactly how much
space can be provided by cloud-based
services like Google, Amazon or
Facebook; however, according to this
infographic, the cloud can store about
1 Exabyte.
But how big is an Exabyte?
An Exabyte of memory can hold the
same amount of data as 4.2 million
Macbook Pro hard drives. That's a lot
of storage.
How secure is the cloud?
The cloud is great for storing non-
sensitive information, like to-do lists
on platforms like Evernote . But
unsurprisingly, the idea of storing
personal information somewhere "up
in the cloud" makes many people
wary.
Some companies, like Google, are
responding to this worry accordingly.
Google recently announced it would
automatically encrypt data for paid
cloud storage service users.
If you're looking to lessen your use of
the cloud, check out this guide on "6
Ways to De-Cloud and Avoid
Tracking."
How do you use the cloud? Let us
know in the comments section below.
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