It’s time for some tech talk. In this blog, we’ll discuss a pivotal element that everyone uses in their everyday life, whether they know it or not – Cloud Computing.
History of Cloud Computing
Without cloud computing, the conveniences we enjoy on a daily basis would not be possible. Let’s take a trip back in time to better understand how we got to where we are today.
Interestingly enough, the term ‘computer’ actually dates back to 1613. It described a human who performed calculations or computations. While the first mechanical computer did not come into existence until 1910, Charles Babbage introduced the concept for it in 1822. He was never able to complete the project due to funding shortfalls. But fortunately his son, Henry Babbage, carried on his legacy and brought the first mechanical computer capable of performing basic calculations to life. The device was huge, occupying the vast majority of a small room.
The first concept of what we consider a modern computer what proposed by Alan Turing in 1936, The Turing Machine. It printed symbols on paper. Tommy Flowers expanded this concept to create The Colossus in 1943. It was used in World War II to hack encrypted German messages. It was the first electric, programmable computer and, arguably, saved the world.
The primitive forms of what we know as modern-day computers were huge!
A Bug in the System
Have you ever wondered where the term ‘Bug’ comes from in the tech world? Nowadays, we all too regularly find ourselves trying to ‘fix a bug’ in a computer program. Now, it refers to an error in our code, but it originally was a literal term. The computers were so big that, from time to time, a real bug would find it’s way inside the computer and cause a short circuit between two electric components, resulting in a crash of the computer. How funny is that? A ‘computer bug’ was once literally a bug in a computer!
As years passed, one of the primary objectives was to optimize computers with the long-term trend of making them smaller and smaller. It was not until 1975 that the world was given it’s first portable computer. It weighed a whopping 55 pounds and had 64 KB of RAM. Compare that to a modern-day laptop that weighs less than 10 pounds and has at least 8 GB of RAM. Not to mention the business tools they are capable of running.
Why is “The Cloud” so Important?
So, what does this all have to do with Cloud Computing? As devices got smaller and smaller, but the resources demanded by these devices gets bigger and bigger, there needed to be a way that one could still enjoy the convenience of a lightweight laptop, or smart phone for that matter, and not sacrifice computing power. Enter Cloud Computing.
In a nutshell, Cloud Computing provided a means of enhancing a computer’s performance by utilizing a network of computers, called servers, hosted on the internet to store, manage and process data. It is thanks to Cloud Computing that we continue to see exponential growth in the capabilities of the tech world. This is an important factor in business automation.
Hopefully you can now answer the question of “What is cloud computing?” and use it in strategy for organizations. But perhaps you’re still a little lost. If so, be sure to check out our helpful guide on the basics of computer literacy!
Article written by Vaughn Pourchot
Last updated March 14, 2023
