Computing in the cloud

20 November 2009

I came across "Computing In the Cloud" on the television quite recently and thought it would be good to share some really interesting facts

What is it all about?

Computing In The Cloud is a new idea of all applications being in the "cloud" (the cloud being the Internet). The concept is basically all of our data and applications being stored on a myriad of servers, so in theory you wouldn't require a hard-drive! Sounds like a good idea and this idea has become more of a reality as companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft and IBM have started producing Web 2.0 cloud applications. The basic concept dates back to 1960 but it's only recently been of interest to Google and IBM who have recently picked up the concept.

The only drawback I can see is that these services aren't going to be free. In a few years time I can see us running Microsoft Windows and other applications such as Word, Excel and PPT from the "cloud". The good thing is the fact that data would never be lost as the companies that would be doing cloud computing will be taking the protection of data very seriously with rigorous back-up routines. Security is serious business these days supported by hundreds, if not thousands, of servers for this service. Most Data Centres have back-ups every day as well as Uninterruptable Power Supplies (UPS) that can run for days if not for all eternity considering the accent on alternative energy sources.

Also you don't hear many cases of large companies (such as Microsoft) losing data and if they did I'm pretty sure they would have back-up procedures in place. Data security is the least of our worries in my view... the fee for this service is the worrying part. As there's one thing we can be sure of... it isn't going to be free. How much it will cost? I have no idea, but companies like Microsoft will be sure to jump onto the bandwagon as soon as possible as this is a way to make 100% sure people pay for software that they need for assured security.

Personally I think that Computing In The Cloud is a great idea, all of your data and applications in one place and it doesn't matter what computer you're on or where you are! Data and applications can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Computing In The Cloud is an intriguing concept and I am going to be following it very carefully as I really believe it's the way technology is going to go.