Cloud computing is the delivery of services through the internet, most often used through channels like data storage, servers, databases, networking, and software, anything that has a connection to the internet. For example, instead of using physical drives like a USB flash drive, you can store data online in a remote database.
In the 1960s, computers were mainly used by mathematicians and scientists, people who could understand the nuts and bolts of a computer. Only the government, big companies, and universities had access to computers. A server could only be used for one computer and took up an entire room. Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider came up with the idea of cloud computing in the early 60s; he wanted to come up with a way to connect data and people around the world. In 1963 DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) gave Licklider 2 million dollars through MIT to develop technology that allows more than one person to use a computer at once. In 1969 Licklider invented the first internet, ARPANET.
In the 90s, Tim Berners-Lee invented the world wide web. The web acted as a bridge for the internet and computer data. The first company to successfully take advantage of cloud computing was Salesforce. In 1999 they used it to deliver and download software to their employees in a cheaper way. Then in 2002, Amazon launched their website using a cloud computing infrastructure model, soon other companies followed suit. In 2007 IBM and Google-funded universities researched cloud computing which they were able to benefit from the results; a year later, Google came out with Google Docs. In 2014 cloud computing became the fastest growing service.
Cloud computing has many advantages; it is cheaper than physical storage, there is an unlimited amount of storage, it connects people and information around the globe. With all the good it's done, it also has some disadvantages; it relies on the internet connection at all times; if one server goes down, they all go down. There are also a lot of security risks; if someone knows their way around a computer, they can hack your storage and get all your personal information. This means with cloud computing, there is little to no security. One negative thing about cloud computing is that everything you have ever done online has been saved to a server, even if you deleted it. Corporations can know everything about a person through their digital footprint. When signing up for social media accounts like Facebook, people give those companies access to share individuals' data with whomever they like. The cloud gives up people's privacy.
Cloud computing has been an integral part of technology, and it is not going anywhere anytime soon. Cloud computing helps communicate beliefs, theories, and ideas around the world. It is tool companies, and individuals can use to store their information in a cheaper way that takes up less space. Cloud computing wouldn't be the force it is today without the internet, and together with the internet, it changed communication. Before, the paper was a way to spread information; now, it's cloud computing.
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