Cloud Computing
We've said that everything and everyone is connected through the Internet these days. But it's not as if we typically connect to other machines peer-to-peer (e.g., directly with one another). In fact, less and less of our work, files, and programs are actually stored on our own computers at all.
There is a place beyond the individual machines—in the “cloud”.
But what is that, exactly? Well, cloud computing really just refers to the use of data centres, that is, large collections of servers that offer storage and processing over the Internet. So ‘the cloud’ is not a magical place, it is simply a set of computers, working together and alongside one another, providing backup, security, and concurrent access to data during times of e.g., high demand.
Instead of depending on our own computers and local networks for all sorts of tasks, we increasingly connect to external servers to store files and run programs and services for us. Simply put, cloud computing allows you to move processing and storage from your—or your company's—infrastructure to powerful, remote machines, via the Internet.
There are several advantages to this. For individuals, it can provide safe backup of photos and files—and grant access to these from anywhere. For businesses, the benefits are perhaps even clearer:
A company can for example avoid the need to set up and operate its own IT infrastructure. Moreover, working in the cloud is way more flexible and scalable in terms of storage and processing power. If you are going to scale storage and usage up or down, you simply change how much space and processing capacity you pay for—instead of increasing or decreasing the capacity of the actual physical machinery on your premises, something which is both more costly and cumbersome.
These characteristics define the cloud
The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has formulated the following features of the cloud (simplified for us):
- On-demand self-service: You can access the cloud automatically without requiring human interaction with service providers.
- Broad network access: The cloud can be accessed through a network (like the Internet) from many different computers, including PCs and smartphones.
- Resource pooling: Resources can be made available as needed, and users do not need to deal with their actual location.
- Rapid elasticity: You can access resources in the cloud as needed. For example, if a company grows, they can continuously gain access to more storage and processing power.
- Measured service: You may have the opportunity to pay based on actual consumption related to data storage and processing, rather than what you estimate you will need.
Among the platforms and services associated with cloud computing, we find Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft 365 (which includes Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and much more), Google Workspace, Dropbox, and iCloud, as well as services such as NextCloud and Jottacloud.
When we are talking about data—which, you know, is exactly what we’re doing here!—cloud computing is important because it is where a lot of the data exists. Digital data has become such an important resource precisely because it isn’t locked into all sorts of local networks and machines—it’s available from anywhere and at any time, more and more often through the cloud.
Three levels of cloud computing
It is common to divide the cloud into three “levels” by how much of the operation and functionality you have to manage yourself. Here's an overview: