You’ve probably heard the term “cloud” or “cloud computing” hundreds of times in reference to a piece of technology or a technical service. But what exactly is cloud computing and how did we get here?
While the term “cloud” is a common metaphor for the Internet, “cloud computing” describes software, data access, data storage and computation that take place in a physical location with which customers are not concerned. In short, these services do not exist on your physical laptop, smartphone, tablet or other local computing device. They are hosted from data centers that are more reliable and fault-tolerant than anything most organizations could afford to build themselves.
As a result, these services, accessed via the Internet, are often faster, more secure and more reliable than software on your local computer.
To use an analogy from the book The Big Switch – Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google, the generational change to the “cloud” we’re seeing today is very similar to the evolution of our nationwide electrical grid many years ago. Before the invention of centralized electricity, everyone in the world had to produce his or her own power. That power was derived from steam, pressure, heat, water and other sources. However, everything changed when Thomas Edison and his team figured out how to distribute power via a reliable grid and charge for usage, a model we still use today. In essence, electrical service was the first utility to make this quantum leap.
The same evolution has occurred and continues to develop in the world of technology. The broadband Internet we connect to today is mature enough, both in speed and reliability, that we can now take advantage of technology as a service – or cloud computing.
To provide feedback or submit a technical topic/question you’d like to see addressed, please send e-mails to Matt.Jury@education.ky.gov.
Published 2/18/2011