Cloud Computing – Old Wall, New Paint

Don’t buy into the hype just yet. There is nothing new, cutting-edge, or amazing about cloud computing. Virtual computing has been around for quite some time, but only recent began to draw attention from the general technology industry. A number of different startups have risen to become respected companies in the technology industry – including but not limited to Dropbox, Cloudscaling and Zoho. Additionally, larger companies like Google (Drive) and Microsoft (Box) have debuted their own cloud storage applications.

What Is Cloud Computing

Cloud computing can be traced back to the beginnings of the ARAPANET, which itself was the initial stages of the Internet. The ARPANET was originally described by Jon McCarthy, a scientist who helped to develop it, as a potentially “intergalactic computer network.” Cloud computing refers to the very basic concept of information being stored off-site, and accessible by on-site machines.

Oracle originally pitched NC, a thin computer client that had no local storage capabilities as early as 1996. Of course, this concept was a bit ahead of its time for that year, but the idea has been thrown around for quite some time. The term ‘cloud computing” typically fluctuates depending upon the current environment in the industry and what technologies are the most feasible at that time. Today the term refers to many internet-connected devices and off-site storage, as well as scaling solutions to meet specific demands.

An Overhyped Technology?

With that said, until recently cloud computing was not a viable option on a large scale. Sure, smaller businesses could easily create and maintain their own cloud without significant investment, but the technical know-how often was not present in small to medium sized businesses.

As these large scale solutions became more commonplace, many businesses regarded it as cutting edge, and the hype that surrounded this industry seemed to further this view. As early as 2009, the hype that surrounded cloud computing as some sort of emerging industry made it one of the most over-hyped concepts within the industry.

One of the earliest examples of Cloud computing was utilized by Mills cities ADP. This 60 year old solution was purchased for $9 billion and processed numerous services including the payroll, human resources, and benefits. This early example of cloud computing, while basic, certainly goes to show that the technology has existed for quite some time and has continued to be an integral part for many companies.

The development of large-scale cloud computing and cloud storage was met by much fanfare. It provides a simple way for businesses to ensure that their data and files are always backed up, with very little technical know-how required. Of course, this appeals to small businesses, and has helped many to avoid what previously would have been potentially catastrophic data-loss.

Of course, enterprise solutions have been around for much longer than consumer solutions, in terms of wide-scale cloud computing. It was only in recent years that consumer solutions really took off in the marketplace, but enterprise solutions have long been available.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that cloud computing will continue to become a larger part of day to day life for consumers and enterprises alike. However, the sudden interest in the technology seems to be as much a marketing ploy as it is innovative technology. The industry certainly has grown up around the technology, but it has always been available in some form, even to everyday consumers.