Is Cloud Computing The Next Big Thing?
Cloud computing is a growing system design and business model. Based on the Software as a Service (SaaS) concept, it is making software development and delivery more cost-effective, reliable, and responsive to the changing needs and demands of users. In order to better understand it, we need to compare it with traditional designs.
In more traditional models, businesses maintain their own software packages and hardware to run them. In some cases, individual copies of programs are installed on workstations, and/or larger servers used within the company. This model requires companies to bear all related expenses, personnel to maintain services, and the physical space, power, and environmental requirements to support them. Often, systems were limited to on-premises use only, or required additional expenses of high-bandwidth data lines running between sites.
The cloud computing model, however, takes advantage of the Internet by moving the software to servers in specialized data centers. Software applications are hosted on these servers, and designed to maximize hardware resources used in these centers. Users then access the software over an internet connection, using smaller or more common clients on their computers – most commonly a web browser. Users subscribe to these services, thereby relieving them of the individual costs of owning and maintaining the equipment themselves.
A common example of the model in operation that most Internet users will be familiar with is web-based e-mail. Rather than buying, running, maintaining and storing the messages on their computer, users access their e-mail account using a web browser.
Another example of this is Youtube or Flikr. Where we store lots of our videos or pictures online rather than on our hard drives to save disk space for other programs. We also do this to protect our data in case our computer crashes.
Cloud computing as we know it today is in its infancy, and will continue to grow as more software is developed. In the future we can expect to see more cloud applications, as well as a standardized framework. From here, this model will grow from merely a series of separate services, into a complete and cross-functional platform.
As of right now Google is developing a operating systems called Chrome. What is going to be so different about this operating systems is that it will be hosted in the ‘clouds’. This means that all your files and programs will be hosted online rather than on your hard drive. This will make computer startup times much faster and much more efficient. A downside is you have to have an internet connection to access your files or programs. Another downside is your files and programs can only operate as fast as your internet connection.
With the cloud becoming more popular, developers are developing web based programs compared to downloadable software to prepare for the future.
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