Cloud Computing

Brief History 

The concept of cloud computing dates back to the 1950s. The computer was already created, but it was far more basic than what the computer is known for today. Employers wanted workers to be able to access files on the mainframe simultaneously to make the job more efficient. Later, in the 1970s software like VMware, made it possible to access different mainframes at the same time. This allowed multiple computing software, and strategies to be held inside just one piece of equipment. These ideas initiated the beginning of condensing multiple computing software into one machine. Later, in the '90s companies started offering VPNs to the general public. From this, they started to branch outside of physical infrastructure, leading us to the modern idea of cloud computing. Cloud computing uses online networks to work with data.

Uses

In the modern age, there are several uses of the cloud and also different types. First, they have a private cloud. Companies mainly use this to store data, and only those affiliated with the company can access it. This cuts off the data for the rest of the world and is the most secure of the different versions. Google Drive is an example of a private cloud. Google offers the service; the consumer is the only one with access to the documents they store there. The public cloud is the complete opposite. It stores data for anyone to see. An example of this version is university virtual libraries. On those websites, they store a lot of data that can be accessed by anyone. Next, we have the mixture of the two; the hybrid cloud. Hybrid clouds allow private cloud services to connect to public clouds. For example, government websites have data stored all throughout the cloud service they use to upload them. However, they do not want the public to have access to everything, so some of the data end up being restricted and only available through the private cloud. Lastly, the multi-cloud allows different clouds with different jobs to come together and work simultaneously. They also allow on-site infrastructure to be a part of this cloud too. This is the most flexible of the different types. The consumer can use software from two or more vendors for their job in the most effective way possible. 

Companies

There are several companies that make money from selling the clouds. Amazon Web Services was created in 2006. Their cloud allowed data storing and computing for companies. For example, the NFL uses its services to compute data. Later, that data is used to predict the probability of certain plays, based on a player's stats. Their services are mainly used by big companies to manage their data. IBM's cloud services work similarly to AWS's. They sell them for data computing. Now, for individual use consumers mainly use Google cloud services. They were launched in 2006. However, they only launched Google Docs, allowing people to manage papers online. From this, they grew their cloud services to allow individuals to store pictures, videos, etc. All of this is possible from Google drive. This software is more useful
to an individual. 

Communication Uses

The pandemic caused several businesses to closed, and other businesses to do work from home. Cloud computing was a big factor in this. If on-site infrastructure was used at most of these businesses data would not be accessible to employees at home. Communicating is one of the main uses of cloud computing. Huge files can not just be sent through email or text messages. For example, I do multiple editing projects. When a video is sent to me we use a physical hard drive or it is sent through Adobe Cloud or Google Drive. This is extremely helpful in our world today. Everyone is always moving and most people want to work from home. Cloud computing allows that because all the data is accessed through the internet. Also, it is beneficial to businesses as well. Cloud computing allows a less expensive way for businesses to store data. Most businesses purchase access to a cloud from other businesses. Those businesses then maintain the cloud for the business, meaning the company of the cloud pays for any problems that might occur. These also allow data to be recovered easily if lost. Ultimately, it is more reliable to any product user than anything physical. 

Sources: 

https://www.ibm.com/blogs/cloud-computing/2016/08/23/a-brief-history-of-cloud-computing-2/. 

https://www.dataversity.net/brief-history-cloud-computing/. 

https://www.dataversity.net/cloud-computing-trends-in-2022/. 

https://www.ibm.com/cloud/blog/top-7-most-common-uses-of-cloud-computing. 

https://www.redhat.com/en/topics/cloud-computing/public-cloud-vs-private-cloud-and-hybrid-cloud#:~:text=There%20are%20four%20main%20types,a%2DService%20(SaaS).