It’s a depressing world without Cloud Computing
A look at some of the current and future possibilities associated with the Cloud and why we need them
Technology is a funny thing, whenever and wherever it emerges there will be people who will vehemently fight its growth and development who ultimately will become users in the end. Of course there will also be those that accept technological developments from the get-go, but they’re not often grounded enough to clue into the things that need to be improved. So, every single time a new type of ground-breaking technology rolls out, we have this little “game” playing out until it either wins people over or falls by the wayside. Cloud computing has been going through this little dance for a number of years now and for all intents and purposes, it seems to be winning (big).
In truth, a more suitable computing and networking technology couldn’t have come along at a better time in human history. For starters, we’re smack dab in the middle of a global economic crisis that just won’t let up. Economic experts are predicting that energy costs are likely to continue rising as well. This is just one great example of how cloud computing is likely to “save the day” for a great number of businesses in the near future as their electricity costs climb. Through cloud computing everything is more efficient, especially the distribution and use of electricity. In other words, when a terminal is not in use, it gets disconnected until a user refreshes it. Compare this with the current model which has thousands of machines constantly idling at all hours of the day and night, with each machine doing little more than displaying a screen saver.
Also, each of these individual machines has its own self-contained resources which may or may not be regularly used above the 75% mark. What if you could take all of that idling processing power, centralize it, and then elastically distribute it to users who need it? Well, thanks to cloud computing this is now a reality. So, even as energy costs continue to rise, expenses can be kept under control while not sacrificing anything in terms of capability.
But cloud computing isn’t just an energy efficient replacement for grid computing / networking, it’s an entirely new approach that offers a number of distinct advances, benefits and advantages. Need proof? Let’s look at NASA and JPL, both of these institutions actually helped to create cloud computing because they needed more powerful computer systems which could assist them in their ongoing projects and missions. The recent “curiosity” mission to Mars has made direct use of extensive cloud computing technologies for example, the results of which are/were a more stable and successful mission with far fewer problems emerging.
However, cloud computing isn’t just improving things for businesses and large professional organizations, the average person can also advantage. It’s no secret that most social media websites (Facebook, etc…), streaming media sites (Youtube, etc…), and storage providers make direct use of cloud computing (Amazon is a big player). Simply put, these sites and the manner in which they function likely couldn’t exist without cloud computing.
Likewise, millions of people per year are turning to alternative media sources for information because (as we all know) conventional sources have become largely suspect in most cases or simply don’t cover the content that viewers are really after. Additionally, people are using social media to link up and band together to solve problems and fight for just causes; in some way, cloud computing is acting as a magnifying glass which allows larger groups to focus on systemic problems. So, whereas before, people didn’t really have a voice or any way to get their message out to the world, they do now.
If we look at the extremely fast pace of development occurring in the cloud computing world and compare it to the past, it becomes crystal clear that there is great potential in this new way of approaching things. Through the cloud, virtually any and all bits of software can be acclimated and even repurposed if necessary. Moreover, every single time something new gets added it can be easily copied and accessed by an ever-growing body of users. In many ways the world is becoming more technologically “connected” thanks to cloud computing. This is vital because it is this “connectedness” that allows for more creative use of existing software and for better ideas to emerge.
Businesses and organizations that have yet to dip their toes into the potential of cloud computing might actually want to start off by examining the level of expertise which their IT staff possesses. Along with training and certification in cloud computing itself, there are also some excellent choices when it comes to specific areas like IaaS.
Cloud computing is going to continue to speed up our technological development in numerous ways (simultaneously). Each and every time a business leverages the cloud to improve their operations, facilitate the design of new products, or design new services, it should be considered a win for both cloud computing as well as humanity at large. Now, if you can imagine thousands of businesses and organizations (as well as individuals) all using the cloud to achieve greater things it’s clear that there is enormous potential here. Furthermore, each and every time something new (and perhaps better) is created, it gets reintegrated back into the cloud which helps to propel exponential growth forward yet again.