Cloud Computing: From a Shared Hardware to Virtual Infrastructure

From a 60’s shared hardware to today’s virtual network, here is a brief history of cloud computing.)

Cloud computing is a practice of storing, managing, creating and accessing data and programs over the Internet rather than using physical servers and personal PCs.

This way, cloud computing eliminates the needs of expensive servers, software and the staff to maintain them. This is why this model is quite beneficial for small business looking for affordable yet effective computing solutions.

Do you want to know how it all started? Let’s embark on the interesting journey of cloud computing so far…

A Journey of Cloud Computing So Far…

Surprisingly, the concept of cloud was originated somewhere in1950s or 60s when the mainframe computing was in infancy. It was the time when multiple users were linked with a main computer through a terminal that provided access to the mainframe. Not every organization can buy and maintain a computer for every employee. Besides, the users didn’t need large storage capacity and processing power being provided by a mainframe computing.

Such limitations and hassles in computing gave birth to the idea of using this technology economically by providing shared access to the single source, the central computer.

1970s saw introduction of virtualization software like VMware, which enabled users to use one or more OS simultaneously by deploying an isolated environment. It allowed them to use the complete visual of the PC inside a hardware which could also operate other OS entirely different from the first one.

By the mid-90s, several telecom companies started offering private visualized network connections. In the wake of cloud computing, Salesforce was one of the first companies to adopt cloud technology to deliver their applications to end users. Later years saw a rise of Amazon, Google and Microsoft in this field.

Have you ever thought why it is called cloud computing? Clouds were used as a symbol to represent the Internet for more than two decades. In mid 1990s, Compaq was believed to introduce the term “cloud computing”.

Today, cloud services are increasingly popular with both residential customers and businesses. It is estimated that over 70% of small business will have opted for cloud services by 2020.