You’ve heard much ballyhoo about the Internet cloud or cloud computing and how powerful it is to have the Internet always within our reach. What exactly is cloud computing, sometimes referred to simply as “the cloud.” And more importantly why should you care about it?
First let’s discuss briefly in non-tech terms what is the “Internet cloud.” As you understand more about the Internet cloud, you will begin to appreciate how useful it can be for you. In order to describe “the cloud,” let’s first review very briefly some computer history, which will help you see the big picture.
Many years ago, before computers were available for the masses, large computers called main frames ruled the earth. These were massive computers built by companies like IBM, which technologists employed in science and business. Large financial institutions, insurance companies and government scientists would do their number crunching on these systems.
However, these massive computers systems would sit idle much of the time. Soon savvy entrepreneurs came up with the brilliant idea of sharing the power of the mainframe computer when it wasn’t busy. Many businesses took advantage of this excess computer power and began renting it at reasonable prices. A user could log onto the mainframe computer by using a keyboard and terminal connected over a phone line or network and begin processing their work.
As computer parts got cheaper though, consumers wanted to get into the action of using a computer without renting it from the mainframe companies, and the consumer began buying personal computers to put in their homes or small businesses. We are all aware of how useful PCs are in simplifying tasks such as communications through emails and chatting or doing accounting work. However, to access the files on a PC, you have to go to where the PC is located, typically your home or office. Or if you happen to have your mailbox or accounting on a laptop, you can carry your laptop wherever you go and use the programs on it.
Finally, we’ve caught up to the present day. Today large companies like Amazon and Google have a lot of excess computing power, just like the days of the mainframe. Google uses the excess power to allow users to freely store their documents, calendars, email, and photos on their servers and usually for free. Users can access these services over the web using their smart phone or their notebook computer. Accessing services over the web from any place and from any mobile device is what cloud computing or “the cloud” is all about.
Instead of having to go back home or to the office to access your email, calendar, document, photos, tasks or your business accounting, you can simply log on to your Google account or your accounting package’s web account and access these services from any mobile device in the world.