You may have recently heard the term cloud computing. This buzz word has been kicking around the IT sector for a while now, but many people are still unclear on what it means. A few confused people may even think it has something to do with the weather. Though many of us get weather reports through cloud computing, the applications are far broader than that simple task.
Cloud computing utilizes the maximum potential of networked computers, sharing data and processing power using innovative ways. Chances are you already use cloud computing in your daily life, probably without even realizing it. If you use Google, YouTube, MySpace, or other Web services, you’re already part of the cloud. The general principle behind all these services is the same: using applications running on a remote server to manipulate data stored on a remote server. Plugged into the Internet, your local computer can access these remote files just like they were stored on your local hard drive.
Cloud computing allows computers to pool their resources, effectively turning the entire network into one giant computer. Now that most computers are hooked up to one giant network, the Internet, we have created a supercomputer that encircles the globe. Unfortunately, many people don’t see the forest for the trees yet, and resources are distributed unevenly and inefficiently across the network as a result. A few computers may handle the bulk of the processing power and data storage while other computers run idle with near empty hard drives.
In 1999, software began addressing these issues. Though cloud computing is essentially as old as networking itself, this is when we began to see more effective management of network resources. Napster came out that year, allowing its users to share files in a way never thought of before. Napster’s servers didn’t store the requested files, but their locations on other user’s hard drives. Thus, Napster stitched together all of its users little hard drives to form one big hard drive. Though Napster itself died in a legal hailstorm, it gave birth to our modern notion of file sharing.
That same year, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) released its own groundbreaking software, SETI@home. Users of SETI@home leave their machines running and connected to the Internet when they finish their personal computing. This allows SETI’s overburdened supercomputers to distribute their workload to the idling machines, utilizing their otherwise wasted processing power. SETI@home’s success has lead to a number of @home applications in the last decade, allowing scientists to crunch numbers faster than any individual machine could. Again, all the little processors work together to create one big processor.
If all this software came out a decade ago, why are people only starting to talk about cloud computing now? For starters, the hardware back than still wasn’t nearly as powerful or affordable. Streaming video with a dial-up connection and a Pentium II isn’t very effective, but these days practically anyone with a hi-speed connection can watch YouTube like it’s television. There’s also the issue of privacy and security. Users are understandably reluctant to leave their precious data in the hands of a third party.
In the early 1900s, factory owners had similar reservations about allowing a third party to generate their power. However, factories that used electric utilities noticed that not having to worry about running their own generators allowed them to better focus on manufacturing their products. Today, if a company requires each employee to create an account with Google, they have access to a mail network, full office suite, and many other applications, all at no cost to the company. Instead of installing a large software bundle on each workstation, all they have to install is a web browser.
As cloud computing becomes more commonplace, people will begin to trust computing utilities the way they trust electric utilities. What are you waiting for? Put your head in the cloud!
Related posts: